On May 2nd Paddle.net posted an article on a cure for chiggers using a vacuum pump to cure the itch.
I have done internet research and have found out that the itch comes from waste left under the skin from the chigger. By the time it itches the chigger is long gone. Old sugggestions about covering the hole with nail polish are bad advice since the chigger is not in your body. I have found NOTHING cures the tich except to scratch until it bleeds. I hope you can provide advice that my internet seach has not provided.
One med site suggests:
First Aid for Chigger Bites
* Treatment consists of reducing discomfort and preventing infection. Household remedies aimed at killing the chigger are unlikely to help with the itching, since the larva frequently have dropped off before treatment is started.
* The affected area should be kept clean by washing with soap and water.
* A topical hydrocortisone cream, antihistamine, or local anesthetic may be of value in reducing the itching. Consult your physician or pharmacist.
* The wounds should not be scratched, if possible. Clip fingernails short to limit damage to the skin.
* If signs of infection occur, consult your physician.
Rinse w/hydrogen peroxide?
That’d guard against infection if someone did scratch, which I can see being awfully tempting if it relieves the itch. Whether or not it’s a recommended idea.
Nothing really
Man, they really suck. I have not found any cure.
A few years ago I must have walked into a chigger colony…had hundreds of bites all overy my entire body. Probably should have gone to the doctor for a steroid shot (probably the only cure). Man, it was miserable!!!
Best is to avoid them in the first place. Not an option for paddling, but for other applications I try to use duck tape to tape my pants into my boots. Tuck everything in. Use permethrin on your clothes…have found this to help, and bug repellent.
Look for them on your skin when out of the woods. You can actually see the little bastards crawling on you…sometimes can feel them to. Pick them off. Water/baths don’t help much.
Have tried a bleach bath, and one using dog flea shampoo
Matt
Glad to live
in Montana ! I have never seen a chigger or any fleas or roaches here either, just a few skeeters and ticks. I worry about poison ivy though !
The best treatment is prevention.
Myself, I don’t get out of the vehicle in Southwestern Arkansas.
The itch of a chigger is supernatural
and the best prevention for me has been to use permethrin on my clothes and boots. It will wash off after repeated dunkings but can last for a week in the field. Once the little darlings have set up shop under my skin I manage the itch with Sting Ease. If I don’t scratch they will go away in a week or two. Much agreed, they are insidious bastards.
Augustus Dogmaticus
chiggers
the actual cause of the itch is an intense inflamatory reaction to chigger body fluids left when the chigger itself is smushed, usually by clothing, which is why the the “bites” show up at belt lines etc. the best thing when you’re in chigger territory, is to bathe right away when you get home. if i’m working outside in nc or walking/birding in meadows (chiggers love grass) i hit the hot tub and toss my clothes in the wash as soon as I get home. even so, i am a chigger (all biting things) magnet, and of all the “bites” chiggers are by far and away the worst. I rather be stung by a yellow jacket than have a bunch of chigger bites. The only think I know that helps once you’ve got chigfers is to get a prescription for temovate gel from your family doc. It is the highest potency topical steriod available and, if applied, 2-3 x per day, will greatly reduce the inflamatory response. OTC hydrocortisone is like pissing in the ocean, basically, worthless. Or you could move to Montana (I used to live in Hardin before coming to NC), but it is tough to paddle year round in the north country.
Liquid Bandaid
I paddle and fish in an area where I will almost always get chiggers if I forget to spray with Deet. For a long time, I just suffered and tried every remedy possible. Then, I found a solution that works for me. As soon as I see the first sign of a chigger bite, I apply a liquid bandaid like “New Skin.” It’s worked every time I’ve used it without fail.
Take a benadryl
cuts the itching.