Chiggers, what are they?

[DragonAge]

What are chiggers? I always hear people talking about them and complaining about them, but I have no idea what they are. Are they some kind of bug?

 

[steves]

Their nasty little buggers

Trombiculidae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

They are tiny demon spawn!! The only thing that I have a worse reaction to than chiggers is blackflies.

I have a friend that had such a reaction that she needed a round of oral steroids. She's also deathly allergic to poison ivy and bee stings, and carries an Epi-Pen everywhere.

 

[LindaLou]

Goodness that sounds bad for her, I bet she has fun when/if she goes camping. I hate those little buggers too. We also call them Red Bugs. Funny you don't really seem to 'see' them but you can certainly see and feel all their bites!

 

[LovingNature]

We have always had to be careful with them living in Florida although I'm sure they are in plenty of states. They like to live in the woodsy areas where we like to go a lot so a good bug spray helps some. They aren't nice things to get.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

LindaLou, she's an outdoors nut. She just slathers up the bug repellant, wears long pants and uses poison ivy remover as quick as she can after she's been in the woods and carries the epi-pen.

She also takes a heavy dose of benadryl at the first sign that she's been exposed to poison ivy or chigger bites. Heading off the reaction helps a lot.

 

[dinosaur]

A chigger is a parasitic mite that burrows into the skin and lodges for up to two weeks. The bite, at the very least, causes extreme itching. Unless you are lying down in tall grass, the bites are most commonly found from mid calf to ankle and, as stated, occur when walking in tall grass with sandy soil in the Spring. This may not be true for Florida since their nasties seem to function twelve months a year.

 

[limbs]

What is it?

LindaLou, she's an outdoors nut. She just slathers up the bug repellant, wears long pants and uses poison ivy remover as quick as she can after she's been in the woods and carries the epi-pen.

She also takes a heavy dose of benadryl at the first sign that she's been exposed to poison ivy or chigger bites. Heading off the reaction helps a lot.

What is poison ivy remover? I think all of these are great suggestions, but I have never heard of that before. Sounds like something I want to know more about. I don't want to hijack this thread, so if you feel it's appropriate just start a new thread, I will see it.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

Tecnu is a great skin cleaner for getting the urushiol off the skin. You can use it even without water. I carry it in my first-out bag, and also a small bottle in my daypack.

Tecnu Outdoor Skin Cleanser & Decontamination for Poison Ivy and Poison Oak and Sumac & Bulk Tecnu

I'm barely allergic to poison ivy, but I try to avoid it just on general principles. My friend is terribly sensitive, so she uses this stuff religiously.

 

[Camoguy]

I usually don't have much of a reaction to poison ivy...at least not yet. I am careful not to get near it if I notice it but sometimes you can't avoid it. Chiggers are very, very irritating but we get them mostly in the spring. When the grass dries out, we don't have so many.

 

[sailorman]

I hate the thought that they burrow in the skin. That always creeps me out. Once they are in there, how can you get them out? Is it true if you paint over the area with clear nail polish they will die?

 

[dinosaur]

Yes. However, they are still in there. Then they rot and you may end up with an infection, a nasty little festering wound filled with bad smelling puss. DON'T DO IT!

 

[Ilovelife]

That is so gross. Dino you just made me lose my appetite! What is the answer then? Is there some way to encourage them from leaving so you won't risk dead bug bodies?

 

[CozInCowtown]

Chiggers are "no seeums" that live in grass and sand.
Lime will drive them out of the yard.
Foil is good for chigger bites.
DC

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

Coz- do you mean Foille, the first aid spray? I've used it for minor burns, but never thought of it for chigger bites. Have to get a can for the old first-out bag. If it keeps getting bigger I'm going to have to get one one wheels like an airline carry-on bag.

 

[Qweetzy]

Chiggers are some of the most irritating little insects that ever lived. If you get one, paint the opening with clear nail polish and it won't be able to breathe. Sometimes I wonder why such things were created.

 

[sailorman]

I guess they love humidity. The more humidity there is, the more likely they are in great abundance. Which would explain why it has been so bad around here! The humidity has helped them seriously populate.

 

[Grandpa]

The habitation map says they are every where in the US, but I have never seen/heard of any around here. We studied them as boy scouts and they have been out of sight, out of mind ever since until this post. Maybe humidity is essential as our air is much drier than most. If altitude or shortness of the summer growing season were involved, the habitation maps should have reflected that. They sound like a terrible nuisance.