Chiggers

I was trimming back bushes over the weekend, and by bedtime last night was beginning to itch in multiple places. I have had very few biting insects in my yard so far this year, and hadn't put on insect repellent before starting. Big mistake! Now I have about a dozen chigger bites to deal with.

Actually, chiggers are not insects, but the larval stage of a mite. They lurk in tall grasses and weeds, and wait for a person or animal to brush against them. They are so small that you can't see them with the naked eye, or feel them walking on you.

The chigger does not feed on blood like the tick. The initial bite is painless. The chigger injects enzymes that hardens the walls of the hole made by the bite, forming a “straw”  it uses for feeding. The saliva then liquefies the skin cells, and the chigger feeds on that.  Itching generally does not start for 3 or 4 hours, with intense itching about 24-48 hours after being bitten.  So when you have a chigger bite, think about where you were a day or two ago, as that is probably where you picked it up.

Chiggers are found throughout the world. They usually live in forests, grassy fields or parks, and in moist areas around lakes or rivers. They thrive in humid weather, and are most often found in areas of tall grass or weeds.  During wet weather, chiggers are usually found in tall vegetation.  When it is dry, they will be mostly in shady areas.

Chiggers don’t normally bite when temperatures are below 60 degrees or above 99, but that means they are most active when we are most likely to be outside.  In North America, chigger bites don’t spread any diseases, but in other parts of the world, they may carry diseases such as scrub typhus.

Chiggers prefer body areas like the ankles, waist, underarm and groin, where skin is thinner or folded, which makes it easier for them to penetrate the skin. They like close, moist areas, and often settle under tight-fitting clothes, in your socks, or under the elastic of underwear.

Mosquito repellents with DEET applied to skin and clothing can fend off chiggers.  Some people apply Avon’s Skin-So-Soft lotion to their skin before they go outside as a chigger preventive. Others suggest rubbing a Bounce fabric softener sheet all over their skin, or spray themselves with Right Guard deodorant spray.
 
Essential oils suggested in repelling chiggers and ticks include lavender, lemongrass, sage, and thyme.  Lavender and lemongrass are supposed to help with mosquitoes as well. Spray or rub on cuffs, around neck, wrists and ankles. For pets, apply around the neck, legs and along the back. If an oil is too strong for the user, apply a little vegetable oil to dilute.

You can protect yourself from biting insects by wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Tuck the pants inside boots or socks.  Mother Earth News suggests that if it’s too hot to dress defensively, that you stop every half hour or so and vigorously rub your skin, including those tender spots that chiggers love such as your waistband and underarms. Their article says that chiggers brush off rather easily. Since they are so small that you don’t see or feel them walking on you, it is important to rub yourself down before you start itching.
 

Some chiggers wander around on you for hours before choosing a spot to feed, so you often have time to wash them off.  After you go back inside, shower as soon after possible exposure as you can. Use a washcloth to scrub yourself with soap and hot water, focusing on the ankles and waist. 

It is also important to wash the clothing you were wearing in hot water, as there may be stray chiggers on them as well. Washing your clothes with Twenty Mule Team Borax can also help kill the chiggers on your clothes. Chiggers can’t actually establish an infestation indoors as fleas do.  But if you bring roaming chiggers indoors on your clothing and don’t put the clothes immediately into the washer with soap and hot water, the chiggers will continue to look for a host.

Folklore has it that they bore into and live inside your skin, so people may apply finger nail polish in hopes of smothering the insect.  Actually, by the time the itching sets in, the chigger is long gone. It's the effect of those skin-dissolving enzymes that you're feeling.  Sealing the skin from contact with air does help stop itching, which is how the nail polish, vaseline or baby oil gives some relief.  If you use a product that seals the skin and contains antihistimines, it should give even greater relief. Corticosteroid creams or antihistimines such as Benadryl can help. You should avoid scratching the bite, as that can lead to skin wounds that can become infected.
 

There are products available designed specifically to treat chigger bites. Some on-line commenters find them very helpful; others say they didn't help.  You might just have to try them to see how they work for you.

I generally use an aloe gel with lidocaine, which is for sunburn and minor insect bites, or Benadryl cream for really itchy bites.  I find it pretty effective.

People suffering from chigger bites may be driven to distraction with the intense itching, and have come up with all kinds of treatments to ease the itching. Some suggestions for treating chigger bites I have read include soaking a cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide and holding it on the bite for a minute, and repeat when itching returns;  using Listerine Cool Mint on the bites; essential oil of peppermint mixed with witch hazel; hot water;  soaking in Epsom salt baths; or dabbing toothpaste on each bite.  I haven’t tried these remedies myself, and cannot testify as to their effectiveness.   I’d love to hear of other folks’ strategies to deal with chigger bites.

Some suggestions to cut down the chigger population in your yard make a lot of sense.  Mow your lawn regularly.  Chiggers have fewer places to hide in short grass. Be sure to trim the edges where the grass meets landscape beds.  Remove weeds and accumulated leaf litter.  Prune bushes and other plants regularly to keep them from becoming overgrown. Remove brush piles.  Chiggers tend to congregate near wet environments, so be especially  careful to keep  vegetation close-cut around any bird baths or kiddie pools.

Chiggers often lay their eggs in clusters, and the hatchling larvae tend to remain near their hatching spot until prey presents itself.  So there may be lots of chiggers in one spot, and a few feet away there are none.  This clustering, plus the fact that they can produce three generations of chiggers over a summer, often makes using insecticides on a yard ineffective.

It may also help to avoid over-treating your lawn with insecticides, so that predators of chiggers can thrive.  Some of these are fire ants, salamanders, centipedes, carpenter ants and some spiders. Cedar granules are said to repel chiggers.

One source says that increasing soil moisture helps control chiggers. Dirtdoctor.com says that if you water your property occasionally, chiggers won’t be a problem. He says to increase the organic matter and water holding capacity of the soil and the pressure from these mites will be minimal. Lava sand or other volcanic material will help the soil’s moisture retention. I found this interesting, since so many other places talked about chiggers liking moist environments.

Some suggest using diatomaceous earth, but it would lose its effectiveness after any rain or irrigation. 

One website said that chiggers tend to breed and live in bermuda grass more commonly than other types of grass.  I really hate bermuda grass, and am ready to believe about any evil said of it, but  I'd like to see some documentation of this assertion.
 

Chiggers are definitely one of the things that can take a lot of the fun out of summer, and drive people away from enjoying the outdoors.  I'm trying to be pro-active in fighting back against these nasty bugs by learning as much as I can about them.