off subject: chiggers

[burgespj]

Hi didnt know where to post this, but I need help.My boyfriend went hunting in tall grass and got chiggers bites all over his body.We have tried hydrocortisone and a product named chigger rid, but they are not working.Anyone have any advice on this? Thanks, Pat.

[cinnamon panda]

next time he should wear pantyhose.
worked for my dad during boot camp.
not sure what to put on them, i usually just use aloe.

[youraw]

Hi, I grew up in Oklahoma and chiggers were everywhere! All I remember is my mom putting yellow powdered sulfur in my socks If I got bit I would put a dab of clear fingernail polish over the bump. Chiggers actually bore under the skin and live there.....the polish would suffocate them. Not sure if that is helpful...

[StarFire]

dear gawd.... what is a chigger? they bore under your skin...????

is that like a tick or something? I don't think we have those here in Hawaii... thank goodness!!


I'm not walkin thru any tall grass anymore jes in case!!

[juliebove]

Hi, I grew up in Oklahoma and chiggers were everywhere! All I remember is my mom putting yellow powdered sulfur in my socks If I got bit I would put a dab of clear fingernail polish over the bump. Chiggers actually bore under the skin and live there.....the polish would suffocate them. Not sure if that is helpful...

Yep. Nail polish is just as effective as the chigger killer stuff and much cheaper. Even then I recall that it still takes 2 to 3 days for the little suckers to die and you'll itch the entire time.

[juliebove]

dear gawd.... what is a chigger? they bore under your skin...????

is that like a tick or something? I don't think we have those here in Hawaii... thank goodness!!


I'm not walkin thru any tall grass anymore jes in case!!

They're in the midwest. OK and KS for sure. Don't know about other places. They live in the grass. A favorite place for them to bite is around the sock tops. I think they get on/in your socks. Best to wear long pants with the pants tucked into the socks so no skin at all is exposed. They itch like the dickens as they try to get back out again and can't. But AFAIK, they don't cause sickness like ticks can.

[tinystrawberry]

chiggers are nasty little red bugs! someone told me that if you put nail polish where they are, they'll go away. that's just what i heard :)

[burgespj]

Thanks everyone, great ideas. Pat

[SharonC]

I back up to a Nature Conservancy and have to deal with chiggers close to the tree line of my property. I garden organically, so use natural techniques such as sulfur and DE but have to apply regularly (especially after rains), so I do occasionally get chiggers when I go back there (my husband will not go back there at all in the warm months). I have found that spraying my ankles with an herbal repellent and dusting with cornstarch helps to repel them. Apple cider vinegar, lavender essential oil, and aloe all help if you do get them.

Just like everything else it seems that we have to research for ourselves to find out if what we were taught to believe is actually true. The following explains what chiggers actually do...

"Contrary to popular opinion, chiggers do not burrow into the skin nor do they feed on blood. Instead, chiggers inject a digestive fluid containing enzymes that cause skin cells to rupture. The fluids from the skin cells are then consumed as food. The injected enzymes cause the skin to become red, swollen and itchy. The itch may last for several days and will persist even after the chigger has detached from the skin.

Relief from itching can come in many forms. One requirement for stopping itching is to seal the skin from contact with air. That's why many remedies, including nail polish appear to work." http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/iiin/chigger.html

[youraw]

AHAA! I knew my Girl Scout leader didn't know everything! Imagine telling little girls about bugs boring under your skin and living there....sigh

[SharonC]

AHAA! I knew my Girl Scout leader didn't know everything! Imagine telling little girls about bugs boring under your skin and living there....sigh

I know - it is so incredibly sad everything that we are taught to believe when we are young, especially about health/nutrition. Then we simply grow up believing what we have been taught. That is one of the biggest lessons I have learned on my journey - I have had to research/study on my own as an adult for just about everything!

[youraw]

Great reminder and great advice!