My first case for 2025, almost a year to the day from my prior report in 2024.Happy Chigger Season. Here I am again to report my first case of chiggers.
Doing a 48 acre survey update today with one of my guys in Franklin Township, Gloucester County in a hardwood forest with a light understory. Not chigger territory in my mind, but the chiggers thought otherwise. Of course, my guy told me on our way there that the he had next to no spray in the truck, as we were almost there. I still thought we should be okay and did not stop to buy any.
Our biggest problem on arrival was clouds of Asian Tiger mosquitoes coming out of the leaves like a fog. I was getting bit in my neck ears and arms almost instantly. I went back to the truck and got the can, with almost no propellant and about an ounce of juice, and we dribbled it onto our hands. I wiped it wherever I could and went back in. It was a little better but not that effective.
At lunch I got some 25% deet Deep Woods Off at a CVS (=$$$) and I sprayed my head, upper body and arms like I was spray painting old patio furniture. Still, I was not considering chiggers as a potential issue so I did not spray my pants or cuffs.. The mosquitoes were still unbearable but the bites were fewer. We headed back to the office a little early and it wasn't until I was halfway home that I started feeling the scourge of those little bastards. Both ankles inside 8" leather boots were on fire.
As soon as I walked in my door I soaked a paper towel in alcohol and wiped about 15 chiggers off of my my ankles. The damage was done because I felt the bite twenty minutes beforehand. Now I can look forward to about a week of itching. I use Sarna Sensitive for the itch and it works well. Original Sarna is loaded with camphor oil and makes you smell like your grandmother's winter clothes closet. It works a little better than Sarna Sensitive which has no order. I found Sarna through a YouTube dermatologist about 5 years ago when I was having a bad bout with eczema and it really bolstered my faith in all YouTube medical advice. And, I save a lot of money by not having to pay mediocre doctors for otherwise free advice.
So, after starting this post about 8 years ago, I appear to be developing some reliable data. And that is, that chiggers do not become a problem until August. I argue with one of my hunting buddies every year during spring turkey season that there are no chiggers in April. He insists that he has gotten them earlier than that. I say NO WAY. Larval ticks maybe, but not chiggers.
If anyone needs me, I'll be in the woods dripping with Deet until about November.
This one was a bit of a surprise too, working on top of a maintained lawn on the edge of a hardwood swamp in Gibbsboro. Bob PBX did some work for us in this general area a year or so ago for swamp pink studies.. I did a half-hearted spray around my boots when I get out of my truck. I walked over to join two guys on a drilling rig that we hired. I was there for soil boring and bearing tests. We were there till about 10:45 AM and I felt my first itching at 2:00 PM. Came home from work and found about 12 around my ankles and on the lower part of my calf. Rubbed most of them off with Coarse paper towel and alcohol. I then manually scraped the stragglers with my fingernail. And thenm a screaming hot shower.
I sincerely dislike these little bastards.
