Chiggers.

[noinwi]

Are chiggers the same thing as no-see-ums? I am constantly getting bitten by something I can't see(I'm not crazy!) and it's not fleas. They're small enough to come in through the screens and I assume are attracted to the computer light. Sometimes I get a glimpse of something fly past my face. I feel them biting me on my face and once in a while I'll get a big welt if it's close to my eye. Some nights are worse than others, especially if it's been raining. Most of the bites don't show up right away but usually the next morning I can see clusters of little bites here and there around my waist, under my arms, the usual moist areas. If I'm outside for any length of time I have to wear something that doesn't hang away from my body or I get tons of bites(unless I spray up well). It takes a couple of days for the itching to peak(the bites hurt and itch at the same time)then they heal quickly after that. It goes on pretty much all year around here, but in Wisconsin I got some relief during the winter.
Anyway, just wondering if they're the same thing...or if I really am crazy...

[bjbebs]

What you describe sounds like a buffalo gnat. I've never seen them out after dark so I'm not sure. We live near water and they can be fierce during mating season, which is now.
There is a product called Buggins. It's all natural, no Deet.
My wife is very much prone to their bites. After spraying down they leave her alone.
This might also work for chiggers but have never tried it.
Buffalo gnat bites seem to be larger than chigger bites but don't last as long.
There more like a welt than a bite at least on me.

[Labradors2]

No see ums fly, but chiggers have to crawl. Both are horrid, but chigger bites last (and itch) forever.

Linda

[Starlight]

How you feeling this morning Worth? Were you able to do or find anything to get you some relief?

Grrrrrrrr. No-See-Ums I think are worse than chiggers. They are so bad here especially right now. No more flip flops. I have to wear shoes and socks or my feet and legs will itch for hours on end unless I spray the heck out of myself with the Off. Even then I have to reapply every so often as the spray doesn't seem to last to long with the No-See-Um's.

[b54red]

I hate chiggers and douse myself with deet bug spray every morning when I go out in the garden in late spring and summer and haven't had even one bite in years. It also helps with the mosquitoes which will carry me away at daylight or evening if I'm not doused well. With some of the bad things mosquitoes are carrying now it is worth the aggravation of having to shower as soon as I get in and well worth it in the case of chiggers which can make life miserable for a week or so.

Bill

[lrussillo]

What a major drag. Don't know if it will help, but I use ammonia on mosquito and spider bites--it neutralizes the poison and stops the itching.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by lrussillo

What a major drag. Don't know if it will help, but I use ammonia on mosquito and spider bites--it neutralizes the poison and stops the itching.

Well I now have one right on my left nipple.
I put Windex on it and it still itches.

People were coming down with head colds at work when I left and now I think I have one.
This is compounding the aggravation I am going through.

Worth

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Sun City Linda

Probably better than shingles.....

It's pretty miserable. Not like shingles but imagine the worst itching ever. I had them once in the Army on my legs and I swear they itched for 6 months!

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Starlight

How you feeling this morning Worth? Were you able to do or find anything to get you some relief?

Grrrrrrrr. No-See-Ums I think are worse than chiggers. They are so bad here especially right now. No more flip flops. I have to wear shoes and socks or my feet and legs will itch for hours on end unless I spray the heck out of myself with the Off. Even then I have to reapply every so often as the spray doesn't seem to last to long with the No-See-Um's.

We have them bad, too.
I wonder if sulphur on the pasture and trails would help with them. It works great for ticks, mites and chiggers.
I have found that skin so soft combined with other sprays help. Right now I'm using 40% deer because the gnats are so bad. My horse is covered head to knees and has a rash on her legs from them.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by lrussillo

What a major drag. Don't know if it will help, but I use ammonia on mosquito and spider bites--it neutralizes the poison and stops the itching.

That is good to know. Thanks for sharing. I am always covered in spider bites. Sometimes it is so bad I wonder if I will wake up a spider woman. Spiders are very good for the gardens and so I have slews of them all over. I hate walking into webs all the times. Them little black jumping ones can really take a chunk out of you.

Awwwwwwwwwww Worth. You really having a hard time of it right now. I sure hope things settle down and you can get back to feeling like yourself.

Windex??? That's a new idea. If I was itchy all over I would be trying anything under the sun I could.

[rhines81]

All you can do about chigger bites is treat the itch. Calamine lotion externally and Benadryl internally. Other than that, try your best not to scratch because it can cause infection.
As my mom used to tell me ... "It'll all get better before you are married". She was right, my life was great up to that point!
Divorced and happy again now!

Oh yeah, that's right ... we were talking about chiggers. Sorry for drifting off topic there.

[Mojave]

Do these little terrorists bite our pets too?

[noinwi]

Do these little terrorists bite our pets too?

I've been wondering the same thing. We treat our pets for fleas and they don't have ear mites but they all have itchy ears. It can't be that they all have ear infections...their ears don't smell, have little to no gunk, but all 6 cats and the dog have itchy ears. That's the first thing they want when jumping into our laps is to have their ears rubbed, like...forever. Sometimes when a cat comes in and jumps in my lap I start to get bit...like some little bitey things have hitched a ride on its fur. Not fleas...I can see and feel fleas.

[Tracydr]

Ear mites and midges will bite dogs. I think midges may be the no-see-ums we have right now. My pony has sweet itch, which is caused by them. She lacerated her cornea a few weeks ago trying to scratch.

[rhines81]

Yes, dogs and cats get chiggers too, just like us. Chiggers aren't like fleas and they don't jump from one host to the other to feed. If you and your pets have them, then you each have your own personal collection.
And you won't feel chiggers bite ... you'll feel the itch a day or two afterward from their feeding tube and enzymes that they inject to soften up your skin tissues so they can eat them.