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Old 06-21-2012, 01:34 AM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,104,201 times
Reputation: 6422

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The no-see-ums that itch like crazy and leaves a hard shell behind because they burrow under the skin and die. Here's a quick question and answer.

Q: Would you cover your skin with latex house paint and leave it on for several days?

A: If the answer is NO then do not cover chigger bites with nail polish for the same reason. First the skin has to breathe. It is why you have skin pores and how you sweat. Nail polish is poison and probably more deadly than latex house paint.


Treatment: Benadryl aka Zyrtec or Claratin. I iise the liquid children's Zyrtec because it is much quicker acting than pills. It is not addictive and if you drink the whole bottle at once it will not kill you.

Because I have a skin diseases that itches, I've tried a thousand dollars of cures that did not work. What works best for me is Gold Bond anti-itch cream in the tube. The powdered version does not work for me. Calamine is old time itch liquid that works very well for mosquito and chigger bites for some. Generally a combination of benadryl and an anti-itch surface treatment work good.

If you see HIVES hie thee to the nearest doctor PDQ. Hives in throat or eyes can kills your or leave you blind. Hives do not all emerge at once. Been there done that when 95% of my body was covered with Hives because I stepped in a nest of chiggers.
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Old 06-21-2012, 07:11 AM
 
Location: Not where I want to be
24,509 posts, read 24,086,807 times
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Thanks for answering, linicx but do you have any answers for PREVENTION like with fleas and ticks?

I am going to go out to CVS and buy the stuff you have mentioned for when they make their appearance here in Mass. I don't want to be taken by surprise since I probably won't find out until it is too late. If it isn't already.
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Old 06-21-2012, 10:35 AM
 
Location: deafened by howls of 'racism!!!'
52,221 posts, read 33,927,682 times
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ooh, i hate those things. just about the worst itch you can have. but they don't actually burrow into your skin..


HowStuffWorks "Chigger Bites"

they love to get under your clothing especially socks, so i have a few pairs that i treat with permethrin - that stuff will stay on for at least 4-5 washes.
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Old 06-21-2012, 10:41 AM
 
Location: SW Missouri
15,853 posts, read 35,001,778 times
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Apparently, chiggers have soft bodies and are easily killed. The secret is to get a damp hand towel and rub yourself down after potential exposure. Make sure you pay special attention to areas where skin or fabric touch you such as backs of knees, waist bands, etc. It's not a cure-all but it certainly helps.

20yrsinBranson
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Old 06-21-2012, 11:03 AM
 
Location: Edmond, OK
4,030 posts, read 10,711,518 times
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My MIL used to make us bathe in a hot Lysol bath after we'd been out in the woods or fields around their home. She swore it got rid of chiggers. I never got any chiggers while there, but I think its because after she forced me to bathe in that horrible smelling stuff, I would shower using as much hot water and soap as I possibly could to try to scrub the chemical off my body.
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Old 06-21-2012, 02:40 PM
 
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Powdered sulfur will keep chiggers away, if you don't mind stinking like rotten eggs.
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Old 06-21-2012, 04:01 PM
 
691 posts, read 2,150,428 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J5K5LY View Post
Powdered sulfur will keep chiggers away, if you don't mind stinking like rotten eggs.
Yup. It's sure-fire preventative. Ask any pharmacy for Elemental Sulfur, which is a yellow powder, very cheap, only a couple of bucks a pound. Find an old sock without a hole in the toe, and put a golf-ball sized quantity in the sock, then tie a knot in it. Keep it in your car, for ready access whenever you step out into grass or any kind of vegetation. Before going out, dust your shoes and pants cuffs up to the height of the grass you'll be going into. You'll see the yellow powder on your clothing, don't worry, it won't permananentlyh discolor anything. I've found that it will continue to protect against chiggers even after a couple of washings, it's the smell they can't stand. But I've never notice any particularly strong smell from it. You accustom to H2S odor very quickly, and after a minute or two of even intense laboratory exposure, you won't even notice it.

If you don't know about chiggers, they are everywhere in Missouri and eastern Kansas and southern Illinois, and other adjacent areas around there. Several other species of chiggers occur in other places like Key West and the lower Rio Grande Valley, but they're not as bad as the Missouri buggers. Generally, public parks are sprayed in chigger areas, so you don't need to worry so much about them in popular recreation areas. Some people believe they chase you across asphalt parking lots, but that is probably an exaggeration.

At Fort Riley, Kansas, army recruits come from places where they've never heard of them, and chiggers are the number one medical issue when personnel come in from maneuvers, covered with hundreds of festering bites. They are microscopic, so you can never know when you have them on you. The work their way to places where your clothing fits tight. I remember one case in Kansas where there was a jail break, and the fugitives slept out in fields overnight, and the next day they turned themselves in because jail was better than chiggers.

If you get exposed to them, it takes them about 8-12 hours to dig in, so at the end of the day, just get in the shower and soap yourself down good, the soapy water will rinse them off before they become attached to you. They are not vectors for any diseases, but scratching of itchy festering bites can cause infection.

Last edited by CowanStern; 06-21-2012 at 04:23 PM..
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Old 06-21-2012, 04:11 PM
 
Location: Australia
4,001 posts, read 6,247,674 times
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OMGZZZZZ and you think we have ikky stuff in Australia!

What part of the country are these beasts in?
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Old 06-21-2012, 04:46 PM
 
13,975 posts, read 25,820,403 times
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Not everybody has a reaction to chiggers. I walk my dogs in nearby fields with friends. Two of us are never bothered. The third must wear long pants and tuck them into her socks.
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Old 06-21-2012, 05:22 PM
 
Location: Not where I want to be
24,509 posts, read 24,086,807 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msannthrope View Post
omgzzzzz and you think we have ikky stuff in australia!

What part of the country are these beasts in?
r o f l
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