Little bastards got me good on my left calf. I’m guessing from a patch of long grass along my usual running trail. Going on week 2 of it now. At least 25 bites.

And this evening I went outside to do something and got ate up on the other ankle.

And last Tuesday I got a damned fire ant stuck in my sock during a run.

Why does everything want to eat me?

Shaved my calf and slathered it real good with hydrocortisone after scrubbing the hell out of it. Little devils.

Got eaten up 4 times in 6 months by those little bastards. I feel your pain. Hope the bites clear up soon.

 
Chiggers are one thing I do not miss about the Deep South and East Coast. But then, we have our own nasties here, too. Mosquitos, for example, lay their eggs in mud after a rare rain, and they remain dormant until the next rain, at which time there is an instant hatch. Adaptation to a dry climate, where there is often no stagnant water for them to breed. Persistent buggers, too.

I never had Chiggers ‘til we moved to NC.
If you’ve never experienced them, I pray you never do.

They are everywhere and a real pain. You learn pretty quick to stay out of the woods and the tall grass around here during the summer.

Campho-Phenique works extremely well on chigger bites. It's as good as or better than "chigger specific" topicals and usually costs less.

Years ago we visited some friends in a park and they had made the mistake of setting their travel trailer on lot that hadn't been recently mowed. Sitting outside in lawn chairs we all got shredded by those litle bastards, the next couple of days were not fun.

Down here there is an exit off state road 417 called Red Bug Lake (chigger bug lake basically). My wife and I comment every time we pass that it might either be the most useful named lake ever or the worst. Either way we have never been tempted to visit. lol

The first time I lived in Houston, I had a house that took nearly all of the property. Front was 100% landscaped so no mowing, and backyard only took me 7 minutes to mow.

I had only seen the word chiggers on the bottles of Deep Woods and insecticide label. Well, that part of Houston had them bad and even putting down insecticide wasn't effective for long because the on one side and neighbor behind me wouldn't do anything to their lawns. Soon as the insecticide wore off the little bastards were back.

As a result, I resorted to putting on Deep Woods Off from my sockline to my shorts. It prevented chigger bites but it meant needing a shower despite only doing 7 minutes of work.

I'll take your chiggers and raise you desert gnats.

Comb Wash, Utah, May 2013.

Clear nail polish is what we always used

HOW DO YOU TREAT CHIGGER BITES?

So, what can you do for a chigger rash? First, forget the old myth of applying fingernail polish to the affected areas (link). Chiggers do NOT burrow into the skin, so trying to suffocate the chiggers with polish makes no sense at all. Second, chiggers do not lay eggs in the skin, so stop worrying about that.

Chigger wounds are a complex mixture of mechanical damage to the skin (the drilling), enzymatic disruption of the skin (the digestion), and your body’s own attempt to get rid of the parasite. Consequently, the most important thing to do is to prevent chigger infestation. Avoid camping in warm, moist temperate climates of high mammal density, including livestock pastures, with tall grass.

If the area is infested, get out of there quickly and wash your skin vigorously with soap and water. Itching is best alleviated through the use of topical corticosteroids (either over-the-counter hydrocortisone 1% ointment or prescription strength from your physician) and anti-histamines like Benadryl.

Watch out for severe chigger rashes that can become secondarily infected with bacteria; in these cases, consult a doctor immediately.

Now you know a “mitey” bit more about chiggers than you did before!

Edited to add:
This content all came from the link provided.

They are of the devil. Got me good more than once in Texas. 1 more reason I say the outdoors in TX are hostile.

IntrepidTraveler, looks like #5 or 6 bird shot wounds!

I’ll never forget a July 4th celebration out in the country. A guy in my apt complex had me mentoring his kid who was a knucklehead and was about 6 years younger than me. His son had gone back to Florida for school and to live with his mother. Dad calls me and is trying to hook me up with a female. Daughter of his date. I didn’t really want to do it as blind dates I have bad experiences with. Decided to do it, was 100% right, no interest in he but made the best of it. We go watch fireworks in the country and I got a chigger attack to last me a lifetime. My entire ankles were covered in them. They bit me so much my ankles were swollen up they looked like the fatman’s ankles in Seven. The pain was indescribable. I went to the doctor the next day, and it took several weeks. Ever since any place those bitches could be I spray my ankles, my nuts, my ass, you name it.

My friend in the country who has hundreds of acres told me a technique he uses. He puts dog flea type collars around his ankles. Then uses a dryer sheet under his cap. He says it works but I don’t have the stones to try that. I’m using the spray everywhere.

Question for Prefontaine......what kind of bug spray keeps the bastards away ?

DEET. Permethrin for clothes. Off works, and I like using Ranger Ready on clothes. I’ll strip and spray Off everywhere. Double spray ankles, waistband, and your privates. Long pants and long shirt sprayed with Ranger Ready.

quote:

Originally posted by recoatlift:
I never had Chiggers ‘til we moved to NC.
If you’ve never experienced them, I pray you never do.

NC was really bad, when I was there in the 1970s, visiting friends just north of Winston-Salem.

Good lord I hate those things. Last time I got eaten alive by them I made a discovery. Claritin. Pop a claritin and see if it will calm down the histamine reaction that is causing the ferocious itching. Worked wonders for me. Turned it from days of absolute torment to minor discomfort.

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
HOW DO YOU TREAT CHIGGER BITES?

So, what can you do for a chigger rash? First, forget the old myth of applying fingernail polish to the affected areas (link). Chiggers do NOT burrow into the skin, so trying to suffocate the chiggers with polish makes no sense at all. Second, chiggers do not lay eggs in the skin, so stop worrying about that.

Whatta ya know! Grandparents would never believe you. At the end of the day it always made us feel better as kids. Definitely stopped the itching so I’ll say there is something to it.

I carry Tea Tree oil for any kind of bites. On ticks, it suffocates the tick and they either fall off or back out.

It also sterilizes the wound.