Chiggers !!! Clothing treatments?

[Sailing_Faith]

Just back from a couple of weeks in the woods. Did a bunch of blue blazes in SNP, and then spent a couple days around Hot Springs.....

i am covered with chigger bites! They are on my arms, legs, back, neck, butt, they had great fun with me.

I was raised in the south, but amazingly I never really had much experience with chigger bites.

REI sells a couple of clothing treatments that is supposed to be good for 3 wash cycles...

Sawyer;
http://www.rei.com/product/768970/sawyer-permethrin-pump-spray-24-oz

Ultrathon;
http://www.rei.com/product/815046/3m-ultrathon-clothing-and-gear-insect-repellent

Does anyone have any experience with either of these? Better recommendation?

thanks!

[Rasty]

Permithrin works really well for most of the nasties we have. Chiggers, ticks, fleas, etc.

[ladydi]

You can get clothing with a permethrin already applied which is supposed to be good for about 70 washes. Or you can get the spray treatment and apply it to your clothing yourself. Bens, Sawyers, Bugsaway, Buzzoff, etc. (The clothing to be treated should not be done while one is wearing it! Also it has to dry.) I especially like the Exofficio Bugsaway bandanas which can be worn around the head. This keeps the dratted black flies off my ears and face.

[slbirdnerd]

My experience has been that the treated clothes work well.The Sawyer permethrin spray I treated with said it's good for up to 7 washes. Walmart has it, cheaper of course. I hear you can do an at-home 'soak' too and I plan on looking into that. Oh, you can also send your own clothes off and have them treated but I don't have the details on that.

[Del Q]

They were my roommates in the woods in Oklahoma

Clear nail polish.........paint those buggers in, they suffocate, word gets out quickly not to mess with you.

[Turk6177]

100 % works. I used the Sawyer Permetherin on my clothes before a late June hike of the 100 mile wilderness in Maine. The clothing that was treated was fantastic at deterring the mosquitoes. I only regret not bringing my cold weather pants for the mere fact that I could have worn them in camp to keep all the skeeters off of me. I saw people without permetherin treated clothes and they had swarms of mosquitoes dive bombing them.

[Train Wreck]

They were my roommates in the woods in Oklahoma

Clear nail polish.........paint those buggers in, they suffocate, word gets out quickly not to mess with you.

+1 on the nail polish to take control of the bug bites - it does work! Otherwise, the chiggers keep moving around and biting in different spots.

[Whiskyjo]

Sulfer powder works great against chiggers. I dust my socks and shirt cuffs and never get chiggers while picking berries all day long. If you feel the chigger its too late for polish for it has already bitten you and injected its slava to disolve your skin tissue, the tube that they feed from and your body trying to fight the infected area is what makes you itch. Fingernail polish won't help that. Just my two cents,,

[redseal]

Good to know. I will be in GSMNP soon. I have heard the chiggers are bad this year. Any chance they will let up in the next few weeks?

[Wise Old Owl]

Do both and stay out of high grass.

[Sailing_Faith]

Good to know. I will be in GSMNP soon. I have heard the chiggers are bad this year. Any chance they will let up in the next few weeks?

I spent a bunch of time in SNP, and in Hot Springs. Based on the timing of the bites showing up, it might have been either place. I did tramp all over Big Meadows in SNP which is kinda where I suspect the lil buggers got me.

[MuddyWaters]

Treat socks, shoes with permethrin

Chigger-eze gives some relief to some.

For some reason, dont know why, a little bleach in few inches of water in the bathtub, splashed on the bites makes them quit itching immediately. They will itch a little again, but not as bad. Will scab up in a day or two.