Good grief chiggers suck

[SarahBeth9394]

Good grief I must have the best tasting blood on earth. I am always the first one to get bit and I always get feasted on while others may get one or two bites. Twice this summer my arms got chewed on while swimming because that was the part of me above the water. Doesn't matter if it's chiggers, mosquitos, fleas, or whatever. But today it's chiggers and you may now call me Queen Benedryl. Has anyone had luck with Avon's Skin So Soft against chiggers? If I had to use bug repellents as often as I get bit I'd be toxic. For now I'll be drinking more coffee and dosing on Benedryl.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I use Avons Skin So Soft, because I'm allergic to Deet. But,...... only a miracle can ward off chiggers!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm the same way.
People invite me to garden parties to keep the mosquitos off of them.
Chiggers ate me alive when I was young but luckily have none here.
I used a repellent that was mostly eucalyptus and it worked great for mosquitos in Central America. I don't know if it works for chiggers but they claim it does.
It's called repel - I use the cream in the tube.
http://www.shopping.com/Liberty-Repel-Lemon-Eucalyptus-Insect-Repellent-Pump-Spray-Liberty/info
I think this is the only non-deet repellent recommended by centers for disease control.

Here's a source that isn't sold out.
http://www.gearbuyer.com/products/repel_lemon_eucalyptus_pump_insect_repellent_1.html
let me know if it keeps the chiggers off.

 

[N&MSchroeder]

I love this thread! My family has had a long-standing humorous chigger story. We don't have chiggers in Idaho (although there was a recent news report that they are heading our way). We were visiting our daughter at her college in Kansas a few years ago and I started walking across the grass. She yells at me "get off the grass". I jumped back on the sidewalk and assumed that they were trying to keep paths from forming in the grass or something like that but our daughter tells us all about chiggers. Since that time, our family has joked about the Kansas chiggers and have turned them into larger than life, flesh-eating beasts.

I did find a bite ointment called Chiggerex Plus, with aloe vera and chamomile. I hope this helps those of you who truly have to deal with them.

 

[featherfinder]

Im the same. When ever i go camping i get them. I dont know what wards them off but the only way i found to kill them on me is clear nail polish over all the bites to suffocate them out! It works every time for me!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Don't use nail polish. The chiggers don't actually burrow in your skin. They are much more like mosquitoes that bite, drink blood, and leave you with a nasty, itchy welt. Most people confuse chiggers and scabies. Scabies are the ones that actually burrow into the skin.

Freshmen year at college, I had a badd chigger experience. Benadryl and benadryl cream were my friends for about two weeks! Sitting through my first couple weeks of classes was terrible. I was so itchy!

 

[Runt Of The Litter]

what are chiggers?
the word sounds similar to what we call 'chuggers' over here [aka charity muggers,people who use a charities name to harass others for money or direct debits],but unfortunately there has not been a cure or repellent found for them yet.

yeah,avons so soft works against midgets and all of those little flying thingies,mix some cider vinegar into it [will have to look up how much of each to use] and it is a superb repellent,its used as a repellent on horses over here.
then again,have got no idea what cider vinegar smells like.

alternatively,coud design a suit of armor,made out of electric fly swatters such as these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Mosquito-Insect-Killer-Swatter/dp/B0017TSJS8
just make sure not to hug any pets or humans whilst wearing it.

 

[nop169]

Home remedy that works well for us is to get homemade lye soap and lightly rub the dampened bar over the affected area - relieves the itching almost immediantely. I can't take benedryl and the OTC ointments wear off fast so was told to use the lye soap by an older friend.... worked great for me but it has to be a plain lye soap bar - the scented & added herbal types sold in stores didnt work - found some homemade locally and actually had to order some more to keep on hand from Dollywood online!

 

[Godsgrl]

Quote:
chiggers are little bugs that live in tall grass. They are near impossible to see, but like to climb up and invade..uh, tight spaces. So the back of your knees, ankles, crotch, armpits, etc. Their bites itch incessantly for weeks, much longer than a mosquito bite. If you are bitten, you won't know until the next day, and by then, they are living in your bedding, unless you shower before then. They bite in clusters, so when you're bit, you're really miserable.

 

[sourland]

My 'dog partner' is a chigger magnet. If we attend a field trial where there are chiggers, he gets 10 to every 1 that I get.