# chigger tip



## hardcore (Jan 13, 2013)

I spend a lot of time in thick brush. down here the ticks and chiggers will eat you up. I got this tip from a girl scout....

put sulfa powder in a sock and dust your trouser legs and boots off. it sure does help.. and in the pic. . you notice I am wearing winter bdu's ...and have trouser leg ends tucked into my boots.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Where would one find "sulfa powder"?


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## hardcore (Jan 13, 2013)

yo kauboy....I get mine at wal mart in the prescription dept. in the over the counter meds. about 6 bucks if I remember right. 

I should also say...tuck in your shirt and dust the belt line.


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## Spice (Dec 21, 2014)

May also be listed as 'powdered sulphur'. If you ask for sulfa they may think you mean the antibiotics.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Spice said:


> May also be listed as 'powdered sulphur'. If you ask for sulfa they may think you mean the antibiotics.


Alright, that explains my confusion then.
I did a search for that term, and kept finding references to old war medics using powder on wounds.
Thanks to both of you for the clarification!


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

So from a Yankee Country boy.

We just got ticks up here imported from you rebels. I crawled the woods all of my youth and never seen one, now we are infested.

You guys sending us "chiggers" too? What the hell are they? Can we send you some blacks flies?

Be at peace with my references, they are chiding fun. And we have more in common than city slickers.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Chiggers are the larva stage of a type of mite.
They bite and feed, and then fall off.
Contrary to belief, they don't burrow into the skin.
This is a myth due to the fact that the irritation shows up a day or two after the initial bite, leading some to think there is something inside causing the irritation.

Are black flies anything like biting flies? If so, keep 'em. We have our own. They're as big as the last segment of your pinky finger and can bite through a t-shirt.


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## azrancher (Dec 14, 2014)

Kauboy said:


> Chiggers are the larva stage of a type of mite.
> They bite and feed, and then fall off.
> Contrary to belief, they don't burrow into the skin. This is a myth due to the fact that the irritation shows up a day or two after the initial bite, leading some to think there is something inside causing the irritation.


They don't really bite, they burrow, hair follicles, pores, you get the idea, and they eat dead skin... so you think wow they are good for us, well except they also poop, and that's what the body doesn't like about them... BAD POOP.

*Rancher*


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

After all the dusting, if you get some chiggers--- apply a dab of fingernail polish to the spot.
The itching will stop almost immediattly, and in a couple days, the spot is gone.
Premetherin works too.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

azrancher said:


> They don't really bite, they burrow, hair follicles, pores, you get the idea, and they eat dead skin... so you think wow they are good for us, well except they also poop, and that's what the body doesn't like about them... BAD POOP.
> 
> *Rancher*


As a general rule, anything that eats my skin while burrowing into me then takes a crap while inside me ...is not good.

Seriously, good tip Hardcore. I've never used Powdered Sulphur but I will now. Just placed an order on Amazon for some.

Amazon.com: sulfur powder for skin


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## Roaddawg (Mar 28, 2015)

Get Sawyers Tick Spray! That stuff is awesome!

You only put it on your outer layer and it'll kill a tick if it crawls over it. I have used this stuff for several years in heavy tick areas with a single tick!


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

What's wrong with bug repellent? Deet is my friend.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Kauboy said:


> Are black flies anything like biting flies? If so, keep 'em. We have our own. They're as big as the last segment of your pinky finger and can bite through a t-shirt.


The black flies up in Maine can bite through a car door!!!!!


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

At the risk of being redundant yet again another time. Swab the affected area down with Clorox then do what ever can occupy a few miniutes and then take a shower. It kills them deader than a hammer. Now once they get a chance to burrow down it dont work well. Get them while they are fresh.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

These Southern Chiggers are the worst!! Ticks too. The Chigger "bite" will last 3 weeks. That's 3 weeks of miserable itching, and I call BS on the fingernail polish!!!!!! I've tried everything for the bites.
I do have Powdered Sulfur, and will use that, or bug spray liberally if I know I'll be in tall grass, or the woods.
For the record, I'm not too crazy about the poisonous snakes either...:rant:


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

I've done that numerous times too, BigWheel. Only to have the buggers get the last laugh...:grey:


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## redhawk (May 7, 2014)

Great idea! I will be getting some the next time I'm at wally world!


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

The best way to deal with all those bugs is 35000 gallons of napalm and a match. No bugs, no problems!


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Like Hornets and Wasps, I see no reason for biting flies, chiggers, and ticks to exist. Thanks for the tip on the powder. We have all of those pests here plus some.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Holy Crap!...I get it now.

We're talking about *CH*iggers? I thought we were talking about...oh nevermind...my mistake...


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

I live , hunt, fish and enjoy other outdoor activities,in Florida, and I have used fingernail polish on chiggers for years. Works for me., YMMV


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

This won't work for camping so much, but when I've been cutting or trimming chigger infested trees/bushes, simply taking a hot scrubby shower within a few hours eliminates them before they get a chance to burrow in.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

I'm gonna restate it, and this time, with a source:


> A common myth about chiggers is that they burrow into and remain inside the skin. This is not true. Chiggers insert their feeding structures into the skin and inject enzymes that cause destruction of host tissue. Hardening of the surrounding skin results in the formation of a feeding tube called a stylostome. Chigger larvae then feed upon the destroyed tissue. If they are not disturbed (which is rarely the case because of they cause substantial itching) they may feed through the stylostome for a few days.


Source: Chiggers Symptoms, Causes, Treatment - How do chiggers bite humans? - MedicineNet

They don't burrow, they're just very small and hard to see on the surface. This is especially true if you have thicker hair.
Do what you can to clean them off, as others have said. The sooner, the better.
A good hot and soapy shower will remove the bug, but won't remove the enzymes still inside your skin. You just have to let that run its course and apply anti-itch medication if necessary.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Kauboy said:


> Chiggers are the larva stage of a type of mite.
> They bite and feed, and then fall off.
> Contrary to belief, they don't burrow into the skin.
> This is a myth due to the fact that the irritation shows up a day or two after the initial bite, leading some to think there is something inside causing the irritation.
> ...


Black flies are tiny biting insects. The woods are terrible from May-June. They almost form a mist from how many there are. And I'm speaking of northern New England, and New Brunswick may have been worse. Military head net, long clothing with no holes at all, or netted outerwear. They will still bite your hands. DEET don't work but citronella products work for a 1/2 hour but there is still a cloud around you.

Later we have the deer flies and "moose flies". They eat more but not as many. And like you mention will bite through thicker things. And if you go to the coasts, something bigger and are 2X moose flies.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

DEET doesn't work on them? Like, true max strength DEET?
Geez.
I don't envy you, sir.
They don't sound like our biting flies, but you can keep them just the same.


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## turbo6 (Jun 27, 2014)

tango said:


> I live , hunt, fish and enjoy other outdoor activities,in Florida, and I have used fingernail polish on chiggers for years. Works for me., YMMV


Good tip. I've heard clear polish works well to clear up ringworm also. Not to mention a cheap paint for gun sights.


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## OctopusPrime (Dec 2, 2014)

how long does it stay effective once you are ready to roll?


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## OctopusPrime (Dec 2, 2014)

Calamine lotion is what i use and soak it in epsom salt.


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## Survivalguy (Apr 22, 2015)

Just a thought but I use peppermint oil and lavender together from the health food store and either spray around my socks or ankles(if I wear sandals) and no bug worries old fashioned method but it till works good today and f I get really hard up I use peppermint and lavender leaves crushed up together


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

No chiggers in AZ, but what we do get are either blood suckers or poisonous, and that's just the lawyers. You should see the bugs.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

There are lots of bugs up in the backwoods, the further north it seems the more of them. 

Here is what works for me. 

Blackflies, keep a pace ahead of them when they start eating your flesh (or making contact with it) jog for a few seconds.
mosquitos, keeep a good pace, but not as fast as blackflies. When they land on you brush them off or jog.
deer/moose flies - kill them, knock them out until they group in numbers then run

other casual tips for long distance put brush above your head.

Cedars are good, others conifers help a bit too to wear. 

Covering flesh is good, sealing flesh from all sources of air that a bug could get through is better.

You may not even notice them until you take your shirt off and notice you have a 100 pinpricks bleeding in your belly button hole. It is suprising how much a blackfly attack looks like a birdshot strike.

Keeping moving helps, but also keeping cool - they are attracted to body exhaust that has a chemical that is like a flare for them.

None the less it is manageable sandy areas appear worse than mossy areas. Lowland worse than highland.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

Will2 said:


> There are lots of bugs up in the backwoods, the further north it seems the more of them.
> 
> Here is what works for me.
> 
> ...


That is possibly the most contradicting and stupid statement I have heard. "Run from them...but keep cool..." 
Really?


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I couldn't find my powdered sulphur and got into some chiggers this weekend. I'd heard a tip so I took some Vicks Vapor Rub and stirred in some regular table salt and rubbed it on the chiggers bites. It took a few minutes, but the itching went away.


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

Bag lady, 
I live in Florida, spend a lot of time in the woods.
I have used nail polish on chigger bites, for many years and it has always worked for me.
There is a bottle in my truck, at home, and in my TT.


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## Twoult789 (Jun 21, 2016)

Spice said:


> May also be listed as 'powdered sulphur'. If you ask for sulfa they may think you mean the antibiotics.


a friend of mine actually asked this and they actually thought of antibiotics


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