I'm assuming the reference was to "Chiggers" (being referred to as "chegroes" , although I dont know if that was serious or tongue in cheek). Chiggers are tiny nasty biting bugs that live in grass and shrubs in the south and midwest and I daresay many other parts of the US - they tend to make a series of bites in hard to get places that itch like crazy for days.

http://www.agnr.umd.edu/users/hgic/diagn/pest/chigger.html