Chigger Bites...! ouch!

misclaims

Explorer
Oct 10, 2008
115
0
56
little egg harbor
Ok.. so I take the new red devil (Jeep Wrangler Unlimited) in the woods for an inaguaral run. Get out.. walk around.. take some pics.. and now have chigger bites all over. Have gotten them in the past and yes it eventually stops.. but does anyone have a "quick fix" antidote to this? :confused:
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,877
8,588
I saw a family man stopped along the side of the road this weeekend walking around his car in weeds that I am sure had chiggers in them. I bet he knew nothing about them untii now :)

I hear epsom salt makes it feel better.

Guy
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,649
2,561
60
millville nj
www.youtube.com
I saw a family man stopped along the side of the road this weeekend walking around his car in weeds that I am sure had chiggers in them. I bet he knew nothing about them untii now :)

I hear epsom salt makes it feel better.

Guy

Epsom salts are the way to go.get the bath water as hot as you can stand it.pour in a couple pints of salt,stir,get in.it will instantly itch like crazy.scratch till hearts content.rip em open.then get out.after it dries your chigger problems should be over.you may have to repeat once in bad cases.the ecstasy of scratching in hot water is almost worth getting chiggers.
Al
 
Rubbing alcohol on the ankles, wash and dry. Done.

My city wife won't let me take her back to Wading River again. Said the bees just weren't worth the bother. "Honey, I says, those are mosquitoes".


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MarkBNJ

Piney
Jun 17, 2007
1,875
73
Long Valley, NJ
www.markbetz.net
I think it's important to let them itch the full four or five weeks. It's part of the pine barrens experience. I have about a dozen on my right ankle and calf. They're almost completely healed, and they still itch! You have to admire that level of effectiveness.
 

PINEY MIKE

Explorer
Jan 30, 2009
707
25
Bamber Lake
Thought I'd bring this thread back to life. With the last few days hitting the 50s, I was able to attract a few ticks last weekend while hiking the woods. Its probably too early for chiggers, but I was curious if they'd be around now that some ticks have surfaced. Time to get some more frontline for the pooch already.
 

Spung-Man

Explorer
Jan 5, 2009
994
707
64
Richland, NJ
www.researchgate.net
Old-timey Cures

The local farmer’s cure for both poison ivy and chigger bites is buckhorn plantain (Plantago lanceolata), a “white-man’s footprint” weed that escaped Europe. First, pick a fistful of fresh leaves, clasp hands, and roll the vegetation into a little green wet mass. Then lift the rounded ball between fingers and rub the crushed greenery over offending itchy blisters until the affected skin is reasonably agitated. When finished, wait about a minute or two until a yellow-tinted watery exudate appears. Repeat the beginning steps with fresh material and gently wipe away any remaining exudate. The best part is that you get to scratch during the remedy!

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) was used as a poultice, and was known by its Ukrainian moniker “bobka.” To stanch a cut, first cover the wound with a spider web. Next place layers of whole bobka leaves over the afflicted area, then bandage. Periodically change the dressing. In boots, bobka provided blister control. For an ulcer, bobka was employed as a cooked potherb much like spinach, although I cannot vouch for its efficacy.

Chiggers and poison ivy are now commonplace in western Atlantic County, both were rarely encountered during the 1960s. My first real case of chigger bites occurred during 1978 when a senior in high school. Poison ivy and ground hogs were almost unheard of until the ‘80s. Be warned, my wife can twist-up the buckhorn plantain’s wiry flower stalk and snap-off its bullet-shaped flower head with deadly accuracy.

Spung-Man
 

kayak karl

Explorer
Sep 18, 2008
495
79
69
Swedesboro, NJ
if you find a chigger bite, the bug is gone. they eat your skin not your blood. wiping down with ammonia helps draw out poison. Calamine lotion can help with itch. i know first hand (or foot)

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woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,342
328
Near Mt. Misery
Kayak Karl,

I only experienced chiggers once. I disagree with your theory about if one discovers a bite then chigger is gone. I stayed up all night with the creepy crawlers and dug them out one by one using various instruments & magnifieing glass. They don't just bite you & jump off, they either dig in deeper or crawl to a tastier spot & bite in again & again. You must be thinking of some other insect! I used everything at my disposal, bleach, vaseline, hot water with ferocious scraping, tweezers, fillet knife. NEVER AGAIN, I NEVER GET OUT OF THE BOAT!

Mike :cry:

It's not Karl's theroy. I believe it is fact. Ive had chiggers dozens of times. I think the coagulated blood makes it appear that the chigger is still there.
 
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