Fargin' chiggers SUCK!
 

Many of my years as a youngster were spent in the woods, climbing trees, playing in fields, all while somewhere on the Gulf coast (Gulf of Mexico/America, that is). I'd heard of chiggers and never once experienced them. Thank goodness.

I have NEVER experienced anything that causes an itch like chiggers, not mosquito bites, poison ivy, anything.

We now live in the middle of Texas in a rural setting. We have a creek that runs through our property. 99% of the time it's dry except for a small section that holds water at least part of the year. In the last 4+ years, I have been getting chigger bites. The first 2 years, I had no idea what they were, I now know. I think it's not too bad as long as I stay away from the ravine (creek) except in the winter, but when, if you go down there, you're pretty likely to get some bites.

I spent every day, Thu - Sun down there, but mostly on a piece of equipment. The first day, I got 2 bites, not bad. The second day, no new bites. The third day, I think I got about 6-8 new bites and the last day, another 5-6 bites. It could be worse. One of the first times that I got bites, I must have had 30 bites.

Now I know, when I come in and have been in that area, I immediately take a shower. I've got an exfoliating glove. I scrub myself head to toe with the glove, and that seems to minimize the bites, so they are small and not too bad instead of huge and incredibly itchy.

I'd meant to treat my work clothes thoroughly with permethrin before I did the work, but things snuck up on me.

I've got some socks and two or three pairs of pants that I'll treat this week since the summer is upon us and I'm sure I'll be down there more.

Hopefully, you fellas up north where it gets really cold don't have to worry about them!

From what I understand they DO NOT burrow into your skin (which is what I was always told). They are not the little red mites that you see running around because they are too small to be readily seen (1/120 - 1/150 of an inch).

WOW! Had never heard of a Chigger, makes a tick, minus the lime disease seem tame. Just watch a video on them and that's dam creepy, like an outside bed bug. Have you tried an insect repellant like a spray on that they may not want to get up on ya?

I’m embarrassed to tell the story, but here we go …

When Little Rocket man was very little, he was playing in the backyard and got chiggers. Where did he get chiggers? On his bojo and nut sack. Ms Rocket put some kind of topical on, and little rocket man was screaming that it was burning.

So what do you do when the bug bite stings after putting topical on it? You blow on it! I drew the short straw… 😂

Yep, nasty little bastards! They tend to concentrate places like ankles, the back of the knees, arm pits, waistband, and crotch/groin area if they can. I guess the good news is that my undies are tight enough that they rarely get to my crotch. This time all but one or two of the bites are below my knees. I haven't tried a repellant. I have heard it works, but never think about buying any when I'm someplace that would have it. What I do have is permethrin. You can spray (soak) clothes in it, and then let the clothes dry (naturally, not in the dryer). Then the permethrin is supposed to be safe for people, but deadly to most crawly critters on contact through several washings.

So if i spray some socks, and my work pants, I should be in good shape.
LOL! Yep, crotch is their favorite place. I've only gotten them there once. I was mowing the lawn and had to take a leak, so stopped and peed on a tree which gave them an opportunity. Sadly, I didn't have anyone around that I could or would have enjoyed asking for topical treatment.

My brother loves to bow hunt. He started wearing ryno skins.

https://rynoskin.com/

That likely sucks in summer heat, but maybe less than chigger bites.

Interesting. Has he expressed that it works for him, or he's just wearing it as a precaution. I'm game to give it a shot.

If you want to stop the itch, go find some good CBD oil and put it on. I've used it for mosquitos, those nasty biting deer flies, noseeums and it stops the itch. If that don't work, find the plant that the CBD oil comes from and smoke it. It might not stop the itch but you won't mind it as much.

^^^^ that story rules!

That brings back memories for sure. Remember Merthiolate, the orange stuff you'd put on a cut or road rash back in the day when Neosporin was not over the counter available? It burned big time...

We'd all gather around as kids with my mom, she'd apply it and we'd all blow on it. Prolly not the best idea to have everybody spit blowing all over your skinned up knee now in hindsight...

It also stained anything it got on.

I remember mercurochrome, the stuff the school nurse would put on your cuts. Probably similar to what you were talking about.

Nothing like putting mercury based medicine on open wounds!

I remember chiggers, merthiolate, and mercurichrome from my childhood ... a long time ago.

Noseeums and chiggers.... they will ruin yer day, and have to be experienced to be understood ;)!

I have a wall hanging antique first aid kit hanging on my wall in the garage. It has a bottle of mercurichrome, and lots of bandages.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747746098.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747746098.jpg

I am not sure what was in the large open area. I suspect larger bandages. The bottle of mercurichrome is the small tube on top of the row of boxes.

Methiolate, I didn't like that one much because it really stung compared to mercurochrome, so that's what my mom mostly used.

You can still buy both although I'm sure the formula has changed.

Man, I haven't thought about chiggers in decades, since I was a little kid and the family went to Illinois to visit my grandparents. I can still see one of them rnnning around on my arm in my mind's eye though.

Pantyhose

Boy, you got a panty on your head.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747775439.jpg

And Panty Hose worked pretty darn good at Camp Lejeune.

I know. Makes you want to take a flamethrower to your ankles.

I never knew about chiggers growing up in VA. A few years ago I went rock crawling as a passenger/spotter in my buddies J10 jeep thing somewhere in Alabama.

In the afternoon we were on the trail and I had to take a dump. Grabbed the TP and wondered off into the woods to do my business. Holy ****. I got annihilated by chiggers , probably 50-70 bites from the waist down.

Not the most enjoyable period of my life, that’s for sure !! Easily eclipsed poison ivy and I hate poison ivy.

i consider the state of arkansas unlivable because of those things.

LMAO!
Skin So Soft gets recommended to run off all of the critters which seems crazy.
You aren't kidding, cheese grater, belt sander, flame thrower or torch.
Yep, that sounds about right. I think I've topped out at 30-40 and 20-30 several times. I've gotten better/smarter about them, but they still get me sometimes.
Mental note: Arkansas not an option as a place to live.