This is a first for me...

[+Flatouts]

I picked up some travel bugs of the unwanted kind...Chiggers. They got my ankles real bad and behind one knee and the inner thigh. It's the itching that driving me crazy. I've done research on the internet but decided to ask here if anyone has a solution to help alleviate the burning that goes along with it.

 

If this has been talked about before, then I please ask for assistance to the existing thread where I can hopefully find some help. Also, do/can they leave scaring? My son's wedding is in March 2009 and I'd hate to have scars on my legs.

 

I did a A Where I Go Cache this past weekend that was a 3.8 mile journey through a beautiful state park of which I wouldn't trade for anything and would do it again. I wore socks, tennis shoes, long pants (jeans) and A T-shirt. Heavily sprayed down with Deep Woods Off especially around the the knees down and on all over the shoes, but it didn't keep them at bay. Some friends of mine wore shorts, shoes with no socks and they too sprayed and they didn't get any. Go figure...

 

Thanks in advance for any and all help/suggestions.

[+Kit Fox]

Chiggers *)(*&(&*^*&^ I have been eaten alive.....

 

ticks and chiggers

 

Chiggers

 

chiggers

 

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/dermatology...06_chiggers.htm

Edited October 9, 2008 by Kit Fox

[+Isonzo Karst]

Chigger bites will heal nicely if you do absolutely nothing. And, unless they become infected, no scars.

 

Here's some real information (from the MD U Medical school) to counter all the sillyness likely to be posted here; like, clear nail polish to "kill" the chigger - there is no chigger, it's a bite; you brushed or washed it off when you first bathed or scratched at it...the bug is gone ......

 

A heavy DEET spray on the ankles will go a long way to keep most of them off..... most people just barely mist a bit of DEET near themselves. That won't get it done.

 

Glad you had a good time

[+Flatouts]

Chigger bites will heal nicely if you do absolutely nothing. And, unless they become infected, no scars.

 

Here's some real information (from the MD U Medical school) to counter all the sillyness likely to be posted here; like, clear nail polish to "kill" the chigger - there is no chigger, it's a bite; you brushed or washed it off when you first bathed or scratched at it...the bug is gone ......

 

A heavy DEET spray on the ankles will go a long way to keep most of them off..... most people just barely mist a bit of DEET near themselves. That won't get it done.

 

Glad you had a good time

 

Thanks for the info, already saw both articles.

 

Like I said I wouldn't have traded it for anything and would most certainly do another Where I Go in a heartbeat. Enjoyed your company, and looking forward for a chance to cache with you again. Both Vince and I had a blast and can't stop talking about it. Thank you for taking us on a journey that will live in our memory for a very long time.

[Clan Riffster]

Janet, one product I've found which offers some modicum of relief is Chigarid. It's kinda like clear nail polish in its application, but it's mixed with some kind of menthol type substance. As Meg pointed out, it does not "kill" anything, but it may relieve some of the itching. Any topical itch relief medication may do just as good.

 

Something I've come to realize over the last few decades of swamp tromping is that prevention beats the heck outta cure. DEET just doesn't do very much for keeping chiggers off of you. What I prefer to do, when I know I'm heading into a chigger infested environment is to wear long pants, tucked into my socks, and stout hiking shoes. I then apply some sort of Permanone spray such as Repel, which is available at Wally World, to my shoes, socks, pant legs and waist line. Do not get this on your skin, as it is an insecticide, not a repellent. As soon as I get home, I peel out of my clothes, (straight into the washing machine), and hit the shower, scrubbing down with a scrunchy and Axe Snake Peel body wash, which incorporates some kind of mineral substance to aid in scouring your skin.

 

If you do absolutely nothing, the itching will go away in a few days.

 

Are you ready to tackle Blatantly Obvious yet?

[+Harry Dolphin]

I was not expecting to find chiggers in South Jersey. But, they found me. 1% Hydrocortisone Cream worked wonders for the itching! Still some scars after two months, but they're fading. Hate chiggers!!

[+brandiwhne]

Hi,

I am a girl scout leader in Texas. We have more than our share of chiggers.

 

My girls always manage to find them while camping.

 

Best solution: dab all the "itches" with clear nail polish. If you are desperate you can use any color you want however, you will look pretty funny with pink polka dots! The nail polish suffocates the little critters where they have burrowed into you. They die quickly.

 

--Brandi

[+J-Way]

Best solution: dab all the "itches" with clear nail polish. If you are desperate you can use any color you want however, you will look pretty funny with pink polka dots! The nail polish suffocates the little critters where they have burrowed into you. They die quickly.

Read some of the links posted above before passing along more chigger "facts" to your scouts. I was told the same thing you said when I was younger, but it turns out that everything I was told was wrong. Chiggers are usually removed the first time you scratch a bite or take a bath (they're on the outside, and not "burrowed in"). Unfortunately, the bite has already happened and chigger saliva has already started digesting skin. The resulting skin reaction takes several days to heal.

[+Flatouts]

Thanks for all your help and suggestions. The itching thankfully has stopped. I ended up resorting to the "Don't itch them and it worked. The bite marks are still there, in fact it looks like my ankles had a small out break of the chicken pox I'm sure they will go away in due time.

 

Meanwhile we did some caching today with some friends and I was somewhat reluctant to do any bush whacking. My husband told me the odds were much higher last week of encountering them because we walked several miles in the woods as opposed to the 10 to 30 feet of the path in a local urban park today. He did, however, understand my reservations and didn't push the issue. I'll eventually get back into the bushes again in due time. Only this time I'll be better prepared.