Chiggers
Perfect weather brings outdoor enthusiasts to campgrounds, fishing holes, parks, hiking trails, and backyards. We all love soaking up the sunshine and spending a little time in nature. Unfortunately, we’re not the only ones enjoying the early spring and fall – so are chiggers. What is a chigger? Well, they lurk in bushes, grass, and every other type of foliage when the temperatures hit that perfect 77 and 86-degree mark. They wait, hungry and ready to ruin your fun, leaving behind unrelenting itching and red welts that may take up to two weeks to heal – ouch.
What is a Chigger?
Trombiculidae or chiggers
are members of the arachnid family, along with ticks and spiders. They are also known as berry bugs, harvest mites, harvest bugs, harvest lice, or red buds due to their bright red color. Almost microscopic or unable to be seen by the naked eye, it’s difficult to know you’ve been bitten until it’s too late.
Their life cycle span depends on which part of the country they are in, and they become inactive when temperatures fall below 60 and die below 42 degrees. They also avoid temperatures above 90 degrees, making their lifespan dependent on climate.
While most would assume that it’s the adults that cause the bites and itching, in actuality, it’s the Larvae.
The Larvae
When chiggers are at the larvae life stage, they come in various harvest colors such as red, orange, yellow, and straw-colored. They clump together in tall grass, weeds, and any foliage about a foot off the ground and are most active in moist temperatures ranging from 77 to 86 degrees.
When we go for our hiking trips, fishing expeditions, or any place outdoors, we take the chance of unknowingly coming across a chigger grouping. They attach themselves to our pets, clothing, and skin.
These hungry Larvae do not ‘burry themselves in our skin to suck our blood,’ as many of us were told while growing up. Instead, they use their sharp claws to make small holes, inject saliva, or spit, liquifying our cells. Even though chiggers prefer mosquitoes, our liquified cells give them the nutrients they need to become adults.
Larvae can feed on a human for hours before there is any itching or sign that they’re there, and once they are, they can stay feeding for up to three days before shedding themselves from us, leaving us with blistering whelps.
It’s crazy how such a tiny mite can cause so much damage.
Prevention
Of course, it’s best if you can find a way to prevent chigger bites, and no, that doesn’t mean sitting on the sofa staring longingly outside. With a few precautions, it’s possible to have it all.
Stay on Main Trails
The most obvious way to keep chiggers away is to stay on the main trails whenever possible. If you’re planning a fishing expedition, staying on a path takes the fun out of the day. Still, there are a few tricks.
Clothing
Yes, clothing is essential, and I’m not talking about fashion. First, the more you cover up, the better your chances are of keeping yourself chigger-free. So, no daisy duke shorts or bathing suits if you’re in the woods. That way, if you encounter chiggers, they’ll land on a pair of jeans, heavy socks, and a long sleeve shirt and not your skin – so cover-up.
Wear tight clothing
Not only do you want as much of yourself covered as possible, but you don’t want to leave a way for chiggers to crawl in. That means tucking your shirt into your jeans, making sure you’ve buttoned your sleeves, and tucked your jeans into your socks or boots. Doing so gives those tiny pesky mites a challenge to get to the dinner.
- Wear long sleeves
- Wear long pants
- Tuck your socks into pants
- Tuck your shirt
- Wear gloves
Bug Repellent Clothing
There are a few clothing lines that offer clothes with bug repellents. Amazon has an entire store, Insect Shield, which caterers everything from shirts to socks to pet supplies.
Insect Repellent
Don’t underestimate the amount of protection a bug spray can give you. Deep Woods, formulated with 25% DEET, comes in an easy Aerosol spray that allows for easy application and isn’t oily or greasy.
If you prefer a more natural approach, remember that chiggers dislike strong odors. Spraying clothes and skin with distilled white vinegar before you go out on the golf course helps keep the chiggers away.
If you’re looking for a pleasing smell, you may wish to mix two teaspoons of witch hazel and five drops of essential oil ( such as peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, or thyme) in 4 tablespoons of water. Applied directly to the skin, keeps the chiggers away.
Skin Check
Even though chiggers are almost impossible to see, it’s essential to brush yourself and your partner off as you hike, fish, or do whatever outdoor activity you’re enjoying for the day.
In doing so, you’ll be dusting off those pesky mites making it more difficult for them to reach your skin.
Where chiggers live
While enjoying your day, remember where chiggers like to hide is the same as fleas – damp and shady. This makes taking a break from the hot sun or cleaning up those parts of your yard covered by trees and foliage a perfect place for chiggers to jump onto your clothes and make your life miserable.
To keep your yard safe, keep all clutter out of your yard – including brush, leaves, and trash.
How long can chiggers live on clothes?
After tromping through the woods, playing football with your neighbors, or enjoying a backyard
barbecue, you may have picked up a cluster of chiggers. With most spiders, you would simply brush them off, but since chiggers are almost microscopic, you may not know you’re carrying them around on you.
Chiggers will look for a warm, tight area around your belt or inside your socks. If they don’t find one, they can live on your clothes for up to three days. Yuck!
To make sure you don’t carry them around allowing the chiggers to attach themselves to you, it’s important to –
- Change as soon as you can
- Wash your clothes in warm to hot soapy water
- A spin in the dryer will help finish them off
- Shower and wash with warm soapy water
Chiggers vs. bed bugs
If you’ve ever woken up and wondered what bit you during the night, don’t
be quick to conclude that it’s bedbugs. If you’ve spent some time in your backyard or nature and didn’t shower and throw your clothes in the wash, it’s possible that there are chiggers in bed sheets where they can live up to three days.
Chiggers vs. poison ivy
Another skin reaction that is often confused with chiggers is poison ivy. Even though both affect the skin, they are entirely different.
Poison ivy is a plant that grows wild on a vine. When touched, you can have a severe allergic reaction in the form of blisters and a rash. The reaction not only causes you to itch, but it is painful as well, lasting for more than a month. It is very contagious and, depending upon the severity, can leave scars.
Chiggers may itch and drive you crazy, but they aren’t contagious. They usually last for a few days but, in severe cases, can last for a few weeks and rarely leave a scar.
Chiggers in your backyard
Unfortunately, chiggers aren’t only for those camping or hiking trips. Sometimes they’re in your backyard, and there are ways to minimize your chances of them ruining your family barbeque.
Since chiggers linger approximately a foot off the ground, keep your grass cut, weeds pulled, and shrubs trimmed. Don’t forget chiggers enjoy nice moist places to live, so the more trash and brush there is in your yard, the more apt Chiggers will try to make your home theirs.
Keep a scheduled date to spray with an outdoor insecticide, such as
What to do once you’ve if you have chigger bites
First, know that if you’ve been bitten, even though you inch like crazy and the welts are ugly and uncomfortable, they are not dangerous. It is doubtful you will receive any type of disease with the bites. However, your body’s reaction to the bites is very much like an allergy, so it’s best to treat it accordingly.
Recovering from chigger bites
First, chiggers are prone to getting into the most uncomfortable spots. They’re drawn to tight places such as waistbands, sock tops, underarms, and around the borders of underwear. You get the idea – so you may wish to wear loose clothing so you don’t aggravate the wounds.
Ice packs are a great way to bring down the swelling and prevent yourself from accidentally scratching. My favorite ice pack is a bag of frozen peas. It conforms to the skin.
Don’t scratch!
I know you want to scratch, but don’t. It will only make things worse and increase your chances of an infection.
To help keep your hands at bay, treat your chigger bites the same as you would any allergy that itches –
Oatmeal baths
Oatmeal baths are an old chickenpox cure that works for severe itching. Make sure you buy one that is fragrance-free, or you might be more uncomfortable than ever. A good product, such as Aveeno, whose only active ingredient is Colloidal Oatmeal 100%, should relieve some itching.
Benedryl
You can use Benadryl Extra Strength Cooling Anti-Itch. Please read the directions carefully, as you should not take both the topical and oral at the same time.
Caladryl Pink Calamine Skin Protectant Plus Itch Relief
Caladryl lotion is another way to help keep your itching in check. The pink formula helps soothe the itchy chigger burn.
When to Contact a Doctor
Most chigger cases can go away on their own within a few weeks with antihistamines and cold compresses. There are some instances where a doctor’s appointment is recommended.
- If the bite appears to be infected, signs of infection include warmth, redness, swelling, tenderness, or pus.
- Another reason to contact a doctor is if you are a male and have a condition known as Summer Penile Syndrome. This condition causes swelling in the penile shaft and difficulty peeing.
Of course, if over-the-counter antihistamines don’t work, you may need a steroid shot.