SWMBO and I got to go caching yesterday. Our lives have been too hectic lately to allow us to do that, so we were really looking forward to it.
Today, I itch like a sunnuvabitch. The critters chewed on me yesterday and this morning, I woke up in dire straits. Campho-Phenique and CortAid are my best friends right now, and I know I’ve got a couple of days of misery ahead of me.
But damn, we had fun!!! It was worth it.
Fracking chiggers! I have a decent chiggers story but too busy right now. But I wanted to say what has really helped with my “chiggers go on vacation on me” problems has been liberal quantities of witch hazel (and what the hell is that stuff exactly?).
While I’m not glad you were bitten, I am relieved that this thread is not a rant about Asian kids who are into hip-hop.
It’s a distillation of a shrub’s leaves and bark. When I had chiggers I was lucky they were on my ankle and I could occasionally dangle it in hottest-I-could-stand water to keep the itching down. I hate chiggers.:mad:
When you know you are going into chigger infested areas (which will probably be any area with greenery this summer) wear pantyhose under your jeans.
Yes, I’m serious. Hunters in the South swear by them. Or at them, I’m not sure…
The worst thing about chiggers is they like to get into the “tight” places. Wherever you have a crease or fold, too. Worst itch ever.
I do it cause it makes me feel pretty.
You win the thread.
I saw the title and the author and my stomach just started churning.
I put clear nail polish on my chigger bites. Helps with the itching.
When I was a kid and went fishing with my grandparents my grandfather would have us rub powdered sulfur at our waistbands, our sock tops, and so on. Wherever it was tight to the skin.
I hate chiggers. You can’t even see them to know if someplace has them or not.
I read your response and my stomach started churning.
Nyx, you are a total jackoff and I have better things to do with my life than read your bullshit. Welcome to my ignore list.
Taking votes: is this something I should be proud of, or ashamed of?
It might be an occasion to take a step back.
Use benadryl or a topical anesthetic instead. From http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/avoid-outdoor-pests/chiggers:
[ul]
[li]One of the greatest misconceptions about chiggers is that they burrow into our skin and eventually die within the tissues, thus causing the persistent itch. This widespread myth has its origin in the Southern states, where pests with similar names such as jigger flea or the chigoe do attack by burrowing under skin. Chiggers are not equipped to burrow, and they are much too large to enter through the pores.[/li][li]Chiggers do bite us, much like ticks do. They attach by inserting minute specialized mouth parts into skin depressions, usually at skin pores or hair follicles.[/li][/ul]
[ul]
[li]A popular home remedy is to dab clear nail polish on the chigger. If the chigger is still attached to your skin, the drying polish will kill it and the chigger will come off when you remove the dried nail polish. **If the chigger is already off, it does little good to cover the welt with nail polish, **other than possibly keeping you from scratching the site.[/li][li]Chronic scratching will only cause the stylostome to further irritate. Scratching deep enough to remove the stylostome will probably cause a secondary infection that is worse than the original chigger bite. If you do scratch, disinfect the chigger bite with topical antiseptics.[/li][/ul]
If you put nail polish on a bite, and the chigger is still on, or if it’s a burrowing bug, it helps. If you put nail polish on a chigger bite, and the chigger has already left, then it doesn’t hurt. If the bite is on my husband, he will pout until I put polish on it, whether the bug is still there or not. I usually pick up a bottle of polish at the dollar store just for this purpose, as I’d rather not use my expensive polish for it.
Must remember to bring nail polish and panty hose on my next hunting expedition.
I gotta try the nail polish thing, although the Campho-Phenique is working fairly well.
Well that ain’t right. No chigoes in the Southern States. I think they meant South America.
You know what’s really weird? I’ve never been bitten by a chigger. Not once. Ticks, yes- plenty of times (I was a pretty savage little kid, growing up in the Texas hill country)… but I’ve never even seen a chigger, except on other people.