Chiggers are insects which are very small in size and the larvae grow up in the grass usually. Attaching themselves to anything, the larvae secrete digestive enzymes and feed on the host. They dissolve the tissues of the host with their pores and grow. They grow by taking advantage of their host and grow bigger and then lay their own eggs. These live on several types of plants. So if you work in your garden, you could get bitten by one of them. The chigger’s bite becomes red surrounding the area that is bitten and becomes itchy. These wounds take more than 2 weeks to heal. Taking a few of these preventive steps or remedies can help you get rid of chiggers.
Cut any tall grass during the warmer season as chiggers attach themselves to the grass and feed and breed there. Brim the foliage with soapy water solution every week for a month long. Indoors plants affected with chiggers should be kept apart outside the house away from the reach of children and humans in general. Also give the grass the same treatment.
A good way to treat chigger bites from taking ominous proportions is washing yourself with soap and water once the chigger bites you. Chigger bites can be prevented by using repellents. So when you visit a chigger infested place in the garden apply repellants like powders containing sulphur. Apply any repellent powder which is available in the markets in different chemical compound forms. Use it on clothing as well as shoes.
Next keep enough clothing on the body so that there is no part of the body exposed to the Chiggers or the eggs will attach themselves to your skin. Wear long socks that overlap over your pants thus covering up the leg area. When you return, wash your clothes with warm water and soap.
Then, use compounds which contain diethyl-m-tolumide. This is usefully effective to finish off the larvae as well. This can also be used to launder the pants, shirts and shoes as well as wash pets with.
Using products like Citronella that is oil-based act an effective repellent of Chiggers. These may be used in soap and other repellants. While these are normally used to ward off mosquitoes, they are effective against Chiggers and their larvae.
You can use rubber gloves for gardening purposes that way it would prevent contact with the infestation.
Once you get back indoors after treating your garden for chigger infestation, wash yourself with soap and water as you could be carrying a few larvae on your body or clothes. Also wash the clothes with boiling hot water and detergent. Sensitive areas like the back of the ears and arm pits as well as skin of the waist and neck should be thoroughly washed. Rinse well the area between the fingers and toes extra carefully so that the larvae do not remain hidden there. You should scrub yourself with a lot of soap and a loofah to get the larvae especially out of the sensitive areas of your skin. Use a hair dryer directly on the affected area and blow dry with heated air of a temperature that you can tolerate. The Chiggers will drop similar to the way lice respond to heat.
In case you get bitten by Chiggers, the bites get red colored and itch very much. Scratching the bite exposes it to the air and it can get severely infected. Therefore, these bites should be washed with shampoo used to remove lice or by applying a lot of petroleum jelly. You may also use nail polish of a transparent nature, or apply a little extract of green tea. Apply rash cream available in the market for diaper rashes on the bites to get rid of the itching. You can use some home remedies too. Dissolve some aspirin in water and apply to the bites. Take vitamin E of strength 400 IU and get relief in about 20 minutes. The bites will vanish and the itching will disappear.
