Chiggers?

July 8, 2006

Hi everyone,

I'm pretty much a neocacher, but have spent a fair amount of time outdoors, so I'm not a complete novice.

However, I'm wondering if I've picked up some chiggers while caching.

I always thought they were more the bain of boaters and tubers, but I guess they can be in the woods too.

But I'm not sure.

As with most outdoors activities here in MN, I'm very familiar with mosquitoes.

Instant swelling and itching, and usually subsides in an hour or two.

But I have developed a few spots, or sores, a couple days after being in the woods.

These one don't seem like a mosquito bite; they are small round raised firm bumps.

They also tend to have a point or a scab on the top of the bump.

Oh, and they itch like mad!

A few of them have been bugging me for 3+ days, and none of these ones showed up until a few days after caching or hiking.

I don't think it's spider bites from my in house either, don't know why I believe this, I just got a feeling it's something else.

Hydrocortisone cream takes the edge off the itching, but only for a little bit.

So, could these be chigger bites; any other ideas?

(I don't even know what a chigger looks like, I'm just grasping at straws since a friend said "hey, those look like chigger bites".)

Hmmm, ?

Thanks, -Kris

Edited July 8, 2006 by krisandmel

July 8, 2006

Hi everyone,

I'm pretty much a neocacher, but have spent a fair amount of time outdoors, so I'm not a complete novice.

However, I'm wondering if I've picked up some chiggers while caching.

I always thought they were more the bain of boaters and tubers, but I guess they can be in the woods too.

But I'm not sure.

As with most outdoors activities here in MN, I'm very familiar with mosquitoes.

Instant swelling and itching, and usually subsides in an hour or two.

But I have developed a few spots, or sores, a couple days after being in the woods.

These one don't seem like a mosquito bite; they are small round raised firm bumps.

They also tend to have a point or a scab on the top of the bump.

Oh, and they itch like mad!

A few of them have been bugging me for 3+ days, and none of these ones showed up until a few days after caching or hiking.

I don't think it's spider bites from my in house either, don't know why I believe this, I just got a feeling it's something else.

Hydrocortisone cream takes the edge off the itching, but only for a little bit.

So, could these be chigger bites; any other ideas?

(I don't even know what a chigger looks like, I'm just grasping at straws since a friend said "hey, those look like chigger bites".)

Hmmm, ?

Thanks, -Kris

Are the bumps around the shoe sock area? Are they around the goin? Chiggers bite where clothes are touching the body the most. Socks are always touching your legs, keeping in moisture, attracts moisture.

Oh and chiggers are microscopic (or should I say smaller than nano). The best way I have found is put nail polish (preferbly clear) over the red bumps. It is rare that you only get one chigger bite, usually you get more than one. Google Image Search for chigger bites sorry for the picture on the second row.

Spider Bites usually have two spots where they bite. The red swollen area with two obvious marks.

The best way to not feel the itch of the bites............hit your hand with a full swing of a hammer.

9.3k · July 8, 2006

Another Googled lesson;

Chiggers are the larvae of mites belonging to the suborder prostigmata, commonly called harvest mites or scrub mites. Like ticks and spiders, mites go through three biological stages in their life cycle: They begin as eggs, hatch as larvae, develop into nymphs and finally become adults. Nymph and adult harvest mites feed mostly on plant life and don't bother people or other mammals, but in the larval stage, many of the species in the prostigmata suborder are parasitic. After a parasitic chigger hatches, it finds a good position on tall grass or other vegetation so it can spring onto a passing animal. When it finds an animal, it attaches to the animal to gather the protein it needs to grow into the nymph stage.

Chiggers do not burrow under your skin, as many people believe, nor do they feed on animal blood. They actually feed on the fluids in skin cells. To get the fluids, they attach themselves to a skin pore or hair follicle and inject a digestive enzyme that ruptures the cells. The enzyme also hardens the surrounding skin tissue, forming a sort of straw for sucking the skin cell fluids. The whole process irritates the skin, causing an itchy red bump that continues to cause discomfort for several days. Chiggers are only about 1/50th of an inch (0.5 mm) in diameter and so are too small to be seen with the naked eye. This invisibility is the reason so many people believe chiggers burrow under the skin.

You might encounter chiggers in any number of environments, but they are especially concentrated in damp areas with a lot of vegetation. They are attracted to concealed, moist conditions on hosts, too, so they tend to attach to skin under tight clothing, such as socks and underwear, or in concealed areas of the body, such as the groin and the armpits.

July 8, 2006

That sounds like what I had when I cached in Kansas a while back. All I did was to put some clear nail polish on them and tried to not scratch them. The bites and itchiness disappeared not too soon after, I don't remember how long after this 'treatment' but it was over sooner than letting them die out.

July 8, 2006

Thanks for the replies!

(I guess I'm not the only one up at O'dark-Thirty!)

Yes, a few of the bites are on my ankle, two near my armpit - thankfully none near my groin! :laughing:

So, is the timeline right?

I guess I'd always expected, or assumed, that anything that bit me would start itching right away.

Can you see chiggers at all, or are they the true 'no-see-ums'?

A sideline: Has anyone ever seen those itty bitty red 'spiders'?

I see them on wood decks/patios sometimes, and I've noticed them on my front stoop recently as well.

They are very tiny, about the size of the dot in "i".

Those aren't chiggers, are they?

Sorry for all the questions, but will DEET keep chiggers away?

Or should I just change my socks immediately when out of the woods?

(To date, I've always just changed out of my jeans and overshirt when finished 'caching for the day. T-shirt, socks and undies stay on until the shower that evening.)

Again, thank you for the replies!

-Kris

3k · July 8, 2006

But I have developed a few spots, or sores, a couple days after being in the woods.

These one don't seem like a mosquito bite; they are small round raised firm bumps.

They also tend to have a point or a scab on the top of the bump.

Oh, and they itch like mad!

The bumps and the itching began a few days after being in the woods? Sounds like poison ivy to me.

July 8, 2006

PI?

I don't think so, the most affected area is under my socks on my ankles, and then the fleshy crease of the front of the armpit.

Neither area was exposed during the caching, and neither area was exposed later to the outside of the clothing I wore that day.

And on the times I've had confirmed PI irritation, it began within the hour, if not a few minutes.

BTW, I love your handle!

-K

9.4k · July 8, 2006

I found out about chiggers that hard way too. Then I found out I was allergic to the medicine my doctor prescribed. Of course, doctors in New Mexico have never heard of chiggers, so maybe that was it. Next time I go through Missouri I'll have to try the nail polish trick instead.

July 8, 2006

'Went caching Tuesday, July 4th, and just yesterday started finding the bumps from chiggers. Maybe it was Thursday but, it seems that it's always a couple of days before I started feeling the effects. I could head this off by using a repelant. Most times I do but we were driving for hours and I didn't want to smell up the truck too much.

July 8, 2006

[if you cache in Georgia you are bound to attract chiggers at some point in time. I too recently had a bout with them and heard about the old fashioned remedy of nail polish. I tried that and it worked like a charm.

Edited July 8, 2006 by gstar1517

July 8, 2006

Chiggers were a bain when we lived in Texas - Rio Grande valley area. Chiggers and ticks...My experience with them was that they did itch more intensely and longer than normal flea or mosquito bites. Almost like the itch that follows a wasp sting...

Repellant in the first place...anything for ticks usually goes for chiggers also, and I found a liquid stick to dot on Benadryl at the surface. THAT has seemed to work quite well on mosquito bites this year...

3.2k · July 8, 2006

Hi everyone,

As with most outdoors activities here in MN,......

I was ready to say chiggars won't be as far north as Minnesota.. but look here.... From the MN Dept of Ag.

Chiggers in Minnesota

Jeffrey Hahn, Assist. Extension Entomologist

Chigger

One of the banes of summer is attacks from chiggers. Although they are generally not very common in Minnesota, chigger bites can be very annoying. Chiggers refers to the immature larvae of trombiculid mites. They are reddish, yellowish, or orange but are nearly invisible to the naked eye. While these six-legged larvae attack humans and animals, the nymphs and adults are predators, feeding on the eggs of springtails, mosquitoes, and sowbugs.

Chiggers are found in grassy, weedy, shrubby, and other overgrown areas, especially near swampy or otherwise moist locations. They typically have a patchy distribution at a given site instead of being generally distributed. When chiggers hatch from eggs, they climb up on foliage and wait for hosts to come by. They grab onto people or animals that pass close enough and proceed to feed.

When they latch onto a person, these tiny mites attach themselves to skin. They will feed particularly where the skin is thin to accommodate their small mouthparts. This is often at the openings of hair follicles. Despite poplar belief, chiggers do not burrow into skin or feed on blood. They feed externally on partially digested cells that have been broken down from their salvia. The sites of these bites become itchy and are accompanied by rash. Bites are particularly common in areas where clothing is tight, e.g. under waistbands, socks and bras and where skin is thin, including behind knees, ankles, and groins. The majority of chigger bites occur below the waist. While their bites are irritating, they are not know to transmit disease to people.

To protect yourself from chiggers, stay out of areas where chiggers are likely to be found, i.e. grassy, overgrown areas. If it is necessary to enter sites where chiggers occur, you can also protect yourself with an application of a repellent, such as DEET. Particularly treat pant legs, the tops of socks, and exposed skin. If you have been outside and think you may have encountered chiggers, take a bath or shower and liberally clean yourself with soap. Also wash your clothes in hot, soapy water. If clothes are washed in cool water, the chiggers will survive and be present to bite the next time those clothes are worn.

You can minimize chiggers in your yard by cutting down overgrown areas. Insecticides, such as carbaryl (Sevin) can be sprayed in areas where chiggers are found to help reduce their numbers. You can test an area to determine if chiggers are present by holding up a piece of dark-colored cardboard with the edge along the ground. Any chiggers that are present will quickly climb up to the top of the cardboard. Their light color will show up against the dark background of the cardboard. Test at least 10 -12 spots. Knowing where chiggers are located makes it easier and less expensive to treat them with an insecticide.

If you have areas on your body that become bitten by chiggers, you can relieve the irritations by treating them with a type of anti-itch medication, such as hydrocortisone, calamine, or benzocaine.

Notice their normal food includes Mosquito Larvae. Maybe you need more of them. :laughing:

July 8, 2006

Sounds like chiggers to me. I just got back from a trip to Va. and did some caching there...and got chigger bit. Took about 3 or so days to really get to me...all around my ankle, on my waist, mostly.... I found a spray benadryl that works pretty good to releive the itching. I have not gotten chiggers caching in TN or AL or GA, at least not so far...and I was in a relatively urban setting in VA, so it kind of surprised me. The spots and all do go away after about two weeks or so, so at least you have that to look forward to. :laughing:

July 8, 2006

Hi everyone,

I'm pretty much a neocacher, but have spent a fair amount of time outdoors, so I'm not a complete novice.

However, I'm wondering if I've picked up some chiggers while caching.

I always thought they were more the bain of boaters and tubers, but I guess they can be in the woods too.

But I'm not sure.

As with most outdoors activities here in MN, I'm very familiar with mosquitoes.

Instant swelling and itching, and usually subsides in an hour or two.

But I have developed a few spots, or sores, a couple days after being in the woods.

These one don't seem like a mosquito bite; they are small round raised firm bumps.

They also tend to have a point or a scab on the top of the bump.

Oh, and they itch like mad!

A few of them have been bugging me for 3+ days, and none of these ones showed up until a few days after caching or hiking.

I don't think it's spider bites from my in house either, don't know why I believe this, I just got a feeling it's something else.

Hydrocortisone cream takes the edge off the itching, but only for a little bit.

So, could these be chigger bites; any other ideas?

(I don't even know what a chigger looks like, I'm just grasping at straws since a friend said "hey, those look like chigger bites".)

Hmmm, ?

Thanks, -Kris

Chiggers are tiny ticks...you may have been bitten by "no seeums". Chiggers are normally found in very dry climates, by that I mean when it doesn't rain for some period of time...Chiggers are most often in the southern states...but times and things change. :laughing:

3.2k · July 8, 2006

Chiggers are tiny ticks...you may have been bitten by "no seeums". Chiggers are normally found in very dry climates, by that I mean when it doesn't rain for some period of time...Chiggers are most often in the southern states...but times and things change.

Not exactly Ticks... they are mites..

"When they latch onto a person, these tiny mites attach themselves to skin. They will feed particularly where the skin is thin to accommodate their small mouthparts. This is often at the openings of hair follicles. Despite popular belief, chiggers do not burrow into skin or feed on blood. They feed externally on partially digested cells that have been broken down from their salvia."

This means they spit into your pores, digest you, and suck up the juice. :anicute: Yuuuumyyy!!!!

They are more often assoiciated with the SE states. I would expect a native of Minnesota to know a "no seeum". I'll agree with the chigger guess.

3.5k · July 8, 2006

I've always known about chiggers and had a few bites here and there, but this summer they seem really nasty! I've got them all over my lower legs. Yep, right where the socks go. Ugh.

Not sure what it is about this season..or maybe ME...but they're out there. :laughing:

Bret

July 8, 2006

Thanks for the info everybody!

I'll have to try that nail polish remedy.

Yeah, sometimes I've skipped wearing repellent, for the same reason, I don't want to smell up the car.

But in retrospect, I guess I'd take a little chemical odor for a couple hours over this several day irritation.

I guess it's not lions & tigers & bears, rather ticks & chiggers & ivy, oh my!

:laughing:

-K

July 8, 2006

I have treated them with rubbing alcohol .... for areas like the ankles. Used it on the groin once :laughing: and then switched to fingernail polish for that area.

July 8, 2006

Ugh... I'd take poison ivy or oak any day over chiggers. Worst I ever got them was servicing a customer's heating/cooling system..... they had landscaped with pine bark.... looked pretty and the chigers thought so also. My helper and I both scratched for DAYS afterwards.

Yes, clear (pink clashes with my tool belt) nail polish works - Stings at first, but works. A really *H-O-T* bath will take the edge off for a bit also.

::Hums along to the old kibbles and bits commercial:: "chiggers and ticks, chiggers and ticks.... North Carolina is loaded with chiggers and ticks"

July 8, 2006

I am not sure which worked best, but when we all went out camping or somthing, my dad would be the only person not bitten by anything, and we could only figure it was the smoking he did or the garlic he loved to eat. We could be swarmed with mosquitoes and nasty no-see-ums, and he would be fine. Actually, he was always attractive to lacewings!

9.3k · July 9, 2006

On a side note; there is a process I go through when I bowhunt in an area known to have lots of chiggers. I've never been bitten following this, but I've spent countless days scratching off my skin when I've forgotten it.

Put on hiking boots, then tuck your pants into your socks. tuck your shirt into your pants. Apply a product that contains Permanone to your shoes, and your socks where they meet your pants, then spray your beltline and the top of your hat. Do not spray any of this stuff on your skin. Permanone is an actual insecticide that binds to your clothing and kills the bugs, rather than simply repelling them. Then apply a bit of your favorite repellant to your skin. Several companies contain this chemical. The one I buy is from Repel, only because that's what Wally World sells.

July 9, 2006

Chiggers usually lurk in grassy or leaf strewn areas which are a bit damp. They usually hop onto your shoes or lower legs and work their way upward looking for a nice place to have lunch. I have found that if I am wearing shorts, spraying a good repellant on my shoes, ankles, and lower legs will provide protection against chiggers. If you have not used repellant and think you may have encountered chiggers, take a hot bath or shower ASAP and scrub well, especially lower legs, waist, and ... ummm ... uhhh ... where your legs join. You can scrub the little suckers off if they have not yet burrowed in.

July 9, 2006

When I was in the service in Texas we would buy dog flea collars and put them around the ankles of our boots and hung them off our webgear also. Seemed to have worked really well.

Edited July 9, 2006 by jul2697

July 10, 2006

My quick remedy is to jump in my freshly chlorinated pool. Swim for more than just a few minutes though to be sure they get a good dose of chlorine. The itching stops and they go away after just a couple of days. You could also use straight bleach but it burns more.(military teachings) Mine are gone after only 3 days and they only itched the first day.

Nail polish REMOVER(contains acetone) also works. Burns like helk but it works.

20.7k · July 10, 2006

Try Chigarid. It works a lot like the nail polish procedure, but also contains camphor to help cut down the itching. (The stinging is so you know it's working. :grin: )

3.9k · July 10, 2006

Avoiding problems with chiggars is easy, doesn't require any chemicals, and avoids the itching and bumps.

Take a shower when you get home from caching in the woods.

That's it. Chggars can walk right through clothes, so tucking your pants into your socks doesn't help. And putting chemicals all over your body (that is dangerous to put on bare skin) to kill them doesn't sound good to me.

Chiggars will start feeding within a few hours of getting onto your body. They'll walk around until they get under something tight (socks, underwear, etc) and start to feed. They'll feed for about a day and then detach and leave. After they leave is when you notice and start to itch like crazy.

But, these little critters only feed once in their lives, and they can easily be knocked off your body by toweling off after a shower during their meal. When you knock them off they can't start feeding again, and if you knock them off within a few hours of being in the woods then you won't develop the itchy bumps.

So whenever you go out caching and you've spent any time in the woods, go home and take a shower. It's also a good way to find any ticks that are sucking on you.

20.7k · July 10, 2006

... That's it. Chggars can walk right through clothes, so tucking your pants into your socks doesn't help. And putting chemicals all over your body (that is dangerous to put on bare skin) to kill them doesn't sound good to me. ...

On the other hand. We use deet to avoid getting bitten by other bugs. An extra spray of my shoes and lower pant legs seems like a good idea to me.

July 10, 2006

Try Chigarid. It works a lot like the nail polish procedure, but also contains camphor to help cut down the itching. (The stinging is so you know it's working. )

Good tip. I use Chigarid also. I think I read somewhere that when the temp is 60*F (?)or below they aren't out and about. Also, if you come home and remove your clothing and take a quick shower within an hour of being in the woods they will be gone, just don't put the same clothes back on again. :mad:

20.7k · July 10, 2006

I think I read somewhere that when the temp is 60*F (?)or below they aren't out and about. Also, if you come home and remove your clothing and take a quick shower within an hour of being in the woods they will be gone, just don't put the same clothes back on again.

For me, the chance of me being able to get home and in the shower within an hour of having them crawl on me on my way to a cache is just way too slim. For this reason alone, I prefer the chemical approach to chigger avoidance.

Of course this doesn't stop me from getting them in my normal life. Last summer, I walked from the Capitol building to my office next door and took a slight shortcut through the grass. I suffered a chigger attack due to my brief shortcut. :mad:

Chiggers?

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