Chiggers... UGH!!!

[AnnShh]

My boss and I walked through a wooded horse trail on Tuesday to clean it up and make sure it was accessable for riding. That night we both noticed incredibly itchy bumps appearing all over our legs. Definatley not poison ivy. We've determined that they are clearly chigger bites.

How do we get rid of these and stop the itch? It's awful! My ankle looks like one solid red welt because there are so many bites on it! I've read that it can take 2-3 weeks for these to go away... I can't deal with this for 3 weeks. The itching is terrible.

 

[mishellyshel]

is that the same thing as scabies?? i remember a few of my friends got them from rolling around in the dirty mud at Woodstock '94. they had to go to the dr to get a special cream. i was not one of the mud people.

 

[aznmexaggie]

This is going to sound really weird... but if you have actually seen them, would you be willing to collect? I work at an entomology lab and my boss is working on a chigger study which we need field-collected chiggers for, to test a product. (This is how Raid and Ortho and all those companies get to verify the product works and list the pest insects on their product labels.)

My boss just went to Mississippi last week and was able to do the testing on chiggers near a horse facility. However, we were unable to collect enough for laboratory testing. Please PM me if you would be interested... we pay per insect.

 

[alli713]

You may want to try taking an over the counter antihistamine.

A couple weeks ago my fiance went into the small lake behind their house to cut down some branches that had fallen in and he walked through the shallow muddy area and he got swimmers itch all over his ankles. He repeatedly put aloe (the kind you put on sunburns) on his ankles and he said it really helped with the itch, if you want to try that too.

 

[alpayton]

Putting anything on it (cream, lotion, ointment, fingernail polish, etc) will seal the bite off from the outside air causing it to itch less. Some are more beneficial than others. It is rumored that chiggers burrow under the skin - myth. But this myth is the reason the old wives tale to coat the chigger bite with clear fingernail polish is so widespread. Supposedly, you could paint the bite with polish and it would smother the chigger causing it to die. Nuh uh - while good in theory, research says chiggers don't burrow. Anyway, some hydrocortisone or benedryl applied topically or taken orally will help with the itch and inflammation the chigger has caused. A cream that has lidocaine/xylocaine in it will also help (i.e. LidaMantle but it's RX only). Can't think of the brand name of any of the OTC -caine creams but they're out there.

Please PM me if you would be interested... we pay per insect.

Oh and how many million would you like for me to have my son collect for you....seems he can find 'em in droves when he goes to my parents' llama farm. hehehe

 

[aznmexaggie]

Amanda, if your son would be interested in collecting, we would definitely like to do that. We could set you up with collection discs if you need them or if he can get a large number in jars with a wadded paper towel, he can overnight them like that (we'll pay the shipping fees). We are just in desperate need of some field collected chiggers right now. He would be compensated for the collecting as well. We are looking to get between 500 and 1000 chiggers.

If we had chiggers here, we'd collect them but they aren't here in CA.

 

[alpayton]

Amanda, if your son would be interested in collecting, we would definitely like to do that. We could set you up with collection discs if you need them or if he can get a large number in jars with a wadded paper towel, he can overnight them like that (we'll pay the shipping fees). We are just in desperate need of some field collected chiggers right now. He would be compensated for the collecting as well. We are looking to get between 500 and 1000 chiggers.

If we had chiggers here, we'd collect them but they aren't here in CA.

I'll definitely keep it in mind, but I don't think I'll request that he go out there and get these things intentionally...they eat him alive and then he itches for the next 4 to 5 days. Poor little guy.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Try clear fingernail polish, or bright red if you are so inclined.. It seals off the bug and kills it and gets rid of the itch at the same time. You can also try Seabreeze facial astringent too.

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

When we got chigger bites when I was a kid, mother always made an X with her fingernail over each one. I think that the pain from the indentation of the fingernail was supposed to make us notice the itching less.

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

My grandfather and parents always told us to use fingernail polish remover.