I's gots the chiggers

[Ladytrekker]

Ive got a bad case of the chiggers Whats the best way to get rid of the itcha and what do you do on the AT if you get em. Any good painless advice would be much appreciated.

I am going to go scratch myself now....

ahh feels so good

I got them twice this past year, a real pain. But the funny thing is that the actual chigger does not attach itself to you no bug enters your skin and putting stuff on them to suffocate won't help. It is actually just the venom from their bite. Give it a few days and it goes away, irritating yes but no aliens are actually taking over your body. Benadryl keeps them from itching so much.

[travelgnome88]

the best stuff i know of is chiggaway. it has a high sulfer content so it stinks when you sweat but it works great. and it is also good for any type of bite/rash etc. most surplus stores have it

[Dogwood]

Grrh! Chiggers! I don't like you.

[botanista]

I paint each spot with clear nailpolish, as suggested above. Does the *****ers in, and I believe less toxic than some of the other suggestions. Plus, a really small bottle of polish isn't too much to carry, so you can take care of future infestations. Yah, don't cover your whole freaking body with nail polish.

[coyote13]

Dr. Bronners peppermint soap.
As stated earlier the act of scratching or rubbing get the little buggers off of you but I find the peppermint soothing and it also tends to keep other bugs at a distance,at least for me with my metabolism.may not work for all.

[nufsaid]

I have had some bad experiences with chiggers many years ago when picking blackberries. They seem to love homing in on the crotch and they do really itch. By the way, you should be able to find Repel Permanone (Permethrine) in Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart. It is some good stuff.

[nufsaid]

I forgot to mention that prevention is paramount. And lightweight long pants sprayed with Permethrin (at least on the lower legs) seems to work well. Actually if you wear zip offs you really only need to spray the lower (zip off portion) and your shoes/boots to get good protection, if paired with bug spray/lotion on exposed skin. I like deet on the exposed skin. If the chiggers get to your privates you will most likely suffer at least a little.

[nitegaunt]

I got them once years ago. I remember trying all the different remedies that people told me about like fingernail polish and such. Finally, the only thing that worked was gasoline. I know it sounds harsh but desperate times called for desperate measures. Worked immediately.

[kayak karl]

household ammonia works the best to dry and take away itch. I KNOW and that's just the feet. they went all the way up to my ...................

[daddytwosticks]

My GOD kayak karl! Those bites look really baaaad! They almost look like fire ant bites!

[kayak karl]

My GOD kayak karl! Those bites look really baaaad! They almost look like fire ant bites!

that was 3 years ago. learned my lesson. jersey pines and marsh land are notorious for them. surprised Bruce or Southside didn't write a song about the little buggers.
ps...when they are on you they look like red pepper. they inject a chemical, eat your skin and move on or die. the remains of the chemical causes the white bump that in time turns red an bleeds.

[Wise Old Owl]

Treatments for Chigger Bites

While nail polish isn't a good treatment for chigger bites, anything that can help control the itching can be helpful, including:

• take a bath or shower as soon as possible after any possible exposure to chiggers
• apply your favorite OTC anti-itch medication, such as hydrocortisone, Calamine lotion, Sarna, oatmeal baths, etc.
• oral Benadryl
• a prescription strength steroid cream

[kayak karl]

which one worked the best for you?

[crazyonelost]

I only had a few bites from them, But my boy had them so bad this spring he had to take antibiotics, steroids, and ointment cremes and he still have the bite marks on his legs, been like that since may.

[Whiskyjo]

I didn't read it so I'll throw this in the pot,The first minute that you feel the itch take a small piece of medical white tape and press down hard on the area and pull off, look for the little red dot and that's the guy or gal.