WARNING! Do not read if bugs gross you out.

Today I went out to plant a bunch of seedlings of chives, as well as parsley, sage, nasturtiums, and scarlet runner beans. In a different spot in the garden than last time I found the place overrun with zillions of those same tiny mites that grossed me out a week or two ago. I didn’t notice them until I felt the insidious buggers crawling on my hand and arm. They move FAST!! They are as tiny as the prick of a pin, but can crawl like an inch every two seconds.

Again, nothing in my garden seems chewed on or damaged in any way. It’s all growing very well, in fact.

I just feel bad because I really wanted to get these things planted. I tried getting a bucket of water and washing my hands off after every time I touched the soil. But they seem to be able to hold on even through a rinsing, sometimes.

I’m sure I unconsciously touched my head, adjusted my glasses, scratched my nose, etc. Plus I think they were crawling on the ground too, and I was barefoot. I felt them crawling all over me soon.

I finished my planting, then ran to take a shower. I scrubbed and washed and used hot water and blasted and rinsed and repeated. But I still couldn’t shake the feeling that a few managed to hang on somewhere (especially in my hair). I don’t know if it’s my imagination running away with me, or if they’re actually there.

My clothes, of course, went straight into the washing machine. Everything I touched (counter, floor, bucket, etc.) got washed and wiped TWICE. Even then, I did find a few little crawlies that somehow evaded capture. I wiped them up with tissue and flushed them.

I feel like I want to bathe in bleach. These things might not bite, and they might not hurt my plants, but whatever they are they’re tenacious and I’m completely creeped out by them.

I wish I could know whether this is a fresh hatch, or whether last time when I thought I didn’t see any maybe they were just hiding, or I was blind. I wish I could know what kind of thing this bug is.