# Chiggers 101



## campntn (Feb 20, 2005)

Chiggers 101
As I sit here, itching/scratching everything that I own, I feel the need to share some chiggeresque information with my fellow campers out there. 
After a nice hike thru the Natchez Trace park, my son Anthony and I decided to â€œSIT A SPELLâ€ by the lake. Those nice soft pine needles looked enticing, so we plopped ourselves down and watched the water in the lake awhile. We talked about the boats, summerâ€™s passing and what kind of fish were in the water. Little did we know, that as we sat there, musing about the animals in the water, that there were animals below us: Chiggers. Chiggers that were armed with machettes, straws and ladders. They called all their lil irritating friends, formed themselves a lil army, and everyone then politely moved their lil biters onto the nice white skins that just sat down above them.
Now, 5 days later, I can attest to the worst chigger invasion my body has ever suffered. Like a leper, I walk around whelped up mostly below my waist. Iâ€™ve had the concerned southern reminders about nailpolish/bleach/vinegar. Best I can tell the bleach just stinks, the vinegar puckers up the bites and the nail polish..well the nail polish doesnâ€™t blend well with man-hair. Personally, I believe this nail-polish rumor was started by some angry woman mad at her husband and she swore she heard it while at the laundry. Then she laughs as she catches her husband using the bathroom mirror to see where to put clear fingernail polish on his body parts that he canâ€™t see. 
Desperate for some help, I found this article that clears up some misconceptions:
http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/nathis/arthopo/chiggers/
The biggest misconception is that they bury their evil lil noggins in the skin. NOT true.
But, hey, at this point thatâ€™s just a detail. It FEELS like they buried their heads under my skin. It FEELS like they all have Mohawks hairdos and are very content in there just brushing away while inflicting misery
So, I guess the moral of the story is to only sit on soft pine needles in the winter, or unless you have VERY good eyes.

It only itches when I live.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

You would not believe the chemical warfare I prepared to wage when I lived in Atlanta. I had a spray or cream or powder for everything.

When I move (or should say moved by my company) to Idaho the movers would take none of the weapons I had collected to deal with all types of seen and unseen buggers. Well I said I was driving so I would just make room for my arsenal. Well lo and behold 5 years after I moved all of those cans sat unused in the two boxes I had packed with me. Not a bug to be found here (okay there are 3 but they seem to be happy somewhere else besides eating on me).

So I had to finally take the boxes to the dump and guess what, they are a significant hazardous waste here and only collected once a week!!!! The guy said he only sees this stuff from people that move here from the south!

I am sure someone that grew up here will say the bugs eat you alive here but they just dont really know what eaten alive is until they try to sit outside by the pool and watch the sun go down in Atlanta!

When I saw the topic heading chiggers 101 I thought first of Atlanta then this must be in the jokes section but then remembered that we people from all over the place on this site. All I can say been there, done that and have the tee shirt to prove it but better you then me. You would not believe how nice it is not to have to chase bugs when camping.

One last note on this. We do have Yellow jackets that are a real pain in the rear end for about 2 weeks the end of August but hey I can live with that.


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

Yup, been there...done that, still got the scars.


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

I'm with Jim and Andy..........

Been there, done that, bought the tee shirt, still have the scars, and had to go to the Doctor twice to get rid of them!!!!!!

The first doc my wife took me to was one of those immediate care facilities. The doc was not from around here and started questioning who my "partners" were.







This idiot thought I had "scabies".







I finally had to get a nurse in to translate and explain that there was no itching above the knee. He gave me some cream and sent me on my way!
















Two weeks later the things were still there.......Went to another doc and he gave me some wonderful cream that "knocked them right out".

It has been almost 10 years......Boy, it is still a nightmare!!!!!!









Happy Outbacking!

Tim action


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I think I'll stay up here in Jersey. The property taxes may be out of sight here, but it seems worth it compared to what you went thru









Mike


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> It only itches when I live.


campntn,

On our last trip to the state park, the grandkids built a "fort" in a small clearing in the woods right next to the campsite. Came home with some unwanted souvenirs. You gussed it. CHIGGERS!

And guess where? Yep, you're right. shy These were the Texas type, too. Scientific name---Genitalia itchyallova.

Glad I didn't sit down when I visited their fort! Felt sorry for the kids, though.

Best of luck to you.

Mark


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## kmcfetters (May 7, 2005)

I had gone deer hunting a few weeks ago and the guy I went with got them really bad. He had never heard of them, but he found a remedy from someone. It was soak in a really hot bath----he says you see them float to the top of the water---I haven't tried it yet though.


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## silesiaone (Nov 20, 2004)

Simple fix for men, shave a narrow strip lengthwise on leg. Start a fire on one side of strip and stab them with an ice pick as they try to escape.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

And I thought mosquitoes sucked...oh, they do.


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

NDJollyMon said:


> And I thought mosquitoes sucked...oh, they do.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, but they disappeared with your first frost back in August right?


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## Devildog (Sep 8, 2005)

Campntn, I spent 8 years in the Marine Corps and had my share of chiggers, mosquitos, and any other nuisance you can think of! I am with CamperAndy, these things in the south are almost like a disease, I definitely envy those out west and in the northern states that don't have to deal with it!!!


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Chiggers - Never heard these fellows before - Are they a flee?? or tic??

Us northern campers have to deal with:

1 - Black flys
2 - Deer flys
3 - Mosquitoes
4 - Bigger Mosquitoes
5 - Black Flies
6 - Oh Ya more black flies

Thor


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Chiggers?

Them little varmits don't like the rain in the PNW. I was 12 before I ever even saw one (on camping trip of course!!)


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Chiggers?

Them little varmits don't like the rain in the PNW. I was 12 before I ever even saw one (on camping trip of course!!)


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

I lived in dayton, oh for a few years. Got chiggers while clearing some brush. Nasty little buggers. Got to admit that the nail polish trick did work.

Like Andy said -- not many nasty bugs in Idaho. You can actually sit outside in comfort all evening long. We also don't have humidity, lots of people, lots of rain, hurricanes, earthquakes, mud slides, or even all that much snow. We have recently seen an infestation of Californian's, but they tend to leave soon after discovering we also don't have latte's.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

LMAO !!! Any of you guys try that "fire & ice (pick)" chigger eradication method yet? PHOTOS - I WANT PHOTOS!!!









My only encounter with Chiggers was in TX many years ago - flat on my back (when I wasn't back scratching like a bear) for a week with chigger bites EVERYWHERE! Definitely a memorable experience - but, I'm with Thor - come to the North(east) in early Spring. To add even more insult after a very long, snowy winter (without being able to play with the TT), we have the pleasure of

1 - Black flys
2 - Deer flys
3 - Mosquitoes
4 - Bigger Mosquitoes
5 - Black Flies
6 - Oh Ya, more black flies
7 - Thor - you forgot the horse flys

...even the Moose run out of the woods to get away from the black flys (and the mosquitos only seem to get bigger as the summer moves on.)

So when's the rally scheduled for down East?


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Wolfwood

Thanks, I did forget about the horse flies. We should have a poll on which bug drives you the most crazy









Thor


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