How To Stop Chiggers (2024)

No one enjoys itchy bug bites, however chigger bites are a number of the worst you will get. As if that wasn’t unhealthy sufficient, their bites preserve getting itchier for a number of days after you get them. Sadly, these tiny crimson bugs dwell in most areas of the nation, and so they’re particularly prevalent within the Southeast and Midwestern areas of the USA. Nevertheless, there are a number of methods to stop chiggers and ensure you don’t get swarmed with itchy crimson dots.

If you wish to forestall chiggers and shield your self from chigger bites, you can begin by staying out of tall grass and wooded areas, maintaining with landscaping, and getting showers instantly after coming indoors. Nevertheless, if you would like a faster repair, think about hiring a pest management knowledgeable or exterminator to spray your property and remove chiggers. Preserve studying to study extra about the way to forestall chiggers and what to do in case you discover chigger bites in your physique.

What Are Chiggers?

Chiggers (Trombiculidae) are small mites that thrive in wooded or grassy areas close to water, particularly throughout heat temperatures. These arachnids are “cousins” to ticks and spiders and are practically invisible to the bare eye.

They’re extraordinarily small, however in case you do spot one, grownup chiggers are normally vibrant crimson and yellow. They’re sometimes orange throughout the larval stage. As larvae, chiggers have six legs. As adults and nymphs, they’ll have eight legs.

Chiggers hatch from eggs as larvae and feed on pores and skin tissue from a bunch, both animal or human, as mites, earlier than leaving the host and creating into grownup mites. Their bites are extraordinarily itchy and may even become small welts or blisters in some circumstances.

Why Do Chiggers Chew?

Chigger larvae search for human or animal hosts and can connect to human clothes. Then, they transfer to your pores and skin to feed. As soon as in your pores and skin, chigger larvae launch a liquid chemical into your pores and skin, which kills pores and skin cells. In accordance with Cleveland Clinic, chiggers type a tiny straw out of the lifeless pores and skin cells, known as a stylostome, to drink human pores and skin tissue.

These bites are very itchy as a result of people reply poorly to the liquid chemical (digestive enzyme) that chiggers launch after they chunk. The primary 24 to 48 hours after the chunk is normally essentially the most uncomfortable and itchy. Nevertheless, in case you preserve scratching the bites, they will preserve getting worse over time.

What Does a Chigger Chew Look Like?

When you suspect a chigger has bitten you, search for speckled strains of pimples or crimson bumps in your pores and skin. In contrast to mattress bug bites, chigger bites usually tend to be concentrated in a single space, particularly the place clothes is tight towards your physique.

You’ll additionally discover intense itching within the chunk space roughly three hours after the preliminary chunk. Anti-itch lotions, chilly compresses, calamine lotion, and over-the-counter antihistamines may also help deal with chigger bites and ease your discomfort.

Chiggers aren’t normally harmful, however some contaminated chiggers can unfold scrub typhus, so it helps to watch out when coping with chigger bites. Preserve a detailed eye out for an infection, and make sure to wash the bitten areas with cleaning soap and water recurrently.

Easy methods to Stop Chiggers

When you suspect you have got a chigger infestation in your property and need to take measures to stop them, I like to recommend the next steps:

Keep Out of Tall Grass and Wooded Areas

In accordance with the New York Metropolis authorities web site, chiggers love overgrown areas, leaf litter, and different damp and shaded areas. When you can keep away from these areas, do your greatest to steer clear.

Preserve Up With Landscaping

To chop down on chiggers, trim again overgrown bushes, tall grass, and bushes to cut back the variety of shady areas in your property. Chiggers like to dwell in these areas, so sustain with weed pulling to stop thick vegetation from forming.

Take a Sizzling Bathe as Quickly as You Get Inside

When you’ve been exterior mountaineering or having fun with the nice and cozy climate, bathe instantly to rid your self of any bugs that will have gotten on you. Use scorching and soapy water and rinse your physique repeatedly.

Wash Garments After Being Exterior

Place your clothes into the washer instantly after coming inside to stop any undesirable pests from escaping into your house. Once you run the load, use scorching water to deal with any bugs.

Take away Trash Recurrently

Chiggers and lots of different pests choose damp, darkish areas whereas ready for prey. Trash cans are superb locations for pests as a result of moisture naturally collects underneath newspapers, wrappers, meals, and different trash. Take care to take away your trash recurrently, and don’t depart trash scattered round your property.

Get Skilled Pest Management Assist

In case you have a chigger infestation or dwell in an space at excessive danger of chiggers, think about hiring certainly one of the very best pest management firms to service your property. Knowledgeable can spray your property for fleas, mosquitoes, harvest mites, and extra, permitting you to eliminate chiggers close to your house.

Easy methods to Stop Chigger Bites

Chiggers normally chunk people the place pores and skin and clothes are in shut contact, significantly bra strains, waistbands, sock strains, wherever with uncovered pores and skin, or anyplace the place your pores and skin folds.

Widespread chigger chunk areas embody:

• Waist
• Ankles
• Decrease legs
• Behind your knees
• Groin
• Armpits

Cut back your danger of chigger bites utilizing the next suggestions:

• Spray a bug spray with DEET or a vinegar bug repellent to guard your self from insect bites.
• Put on protecting clothes, reminiscent of tall socks, shirts with lengthy sleeves, and lengthy pant legs.
• Deal with your clothes with insect repellent earlier than going into the woods for any out of doors actions to repel chiggers and mosquitoes.
• Restrict your time exterior in grassy, wooded, and moist areas throughout late spring and the summer time months.
• Spray your property with pesticides to cut back the variety of chiggers close by.
• Keep away from strolling via vegetation or tall grass whilst you’re mountaineering. Select plant-free paths or exhausting surfaces to stroll on when attainable.
• Keep in sunny areas. Chiggers dislike vibrant daylight, so you’ll be able to scale back your publicity by staying within the solar.

You can too create your individual chigger repellent spray utilizing a mix of your favourite important oils, witch hazel, and water. Merely spray your self and your clothes with this house treatment to repel these irritating bugs earlier than you go into the woods.

One other approach to take your protecting clothes to the following stage is by including a pair of tights or pantyhose beneath your pants. Chiggers can’t chunk via pantyhose or tight materials, defending your pores and skin.

How To Deal with Chigger Bites

It’s tempting to scratch chigger bites, however do your greatest to keep away from scratching the affected space. I can inform you from expertise that chigger bites itch so much, however you’ll be able to put your self in danger in case you break the pores and skin on the chunk, probably resulting in an an infection. When you do scratch or break the pores and skin, wash the world totally with cleaning soap and water.

If the itching will get to be an excessive amount of to bear, strive utilizing an over-the-counter anti-itch cream, hydrocortisone, or antihistamines to cut back itching and ache. Rubbing alcohol and different antiseptics can even assist scale back the signs of chigger bites and decrease your danger of an infection.

Closing Ideas on Easy methods to Stop Chiggers

Whereas they might not be very harmful, chiggers are nonetheless a large nuisance. They’re a number of the itchiest bites I’ve ever had, and so they can undoubtedly put a damper in your summer time out of doors adventures. When you don’t need chigger bites, make sure to use the DIY pest management suggestions above to stop getting them within the first place.

When unsure, think about hiring a pest management knowledgeable to spray your yard for chiggers. Pest management prices might be costly however very worthwhile. When you go the entire season with none itchy chigger bites, you’ll be glad you employed professionals to deal with your pest issues.