Don't let chiggers send you indoors
Put your left foot in, take your left foot out, put your left foot in and hope the chiggers all shake off. Anyone who spends time in the outdoors in Missouri will eventually experience the excruciating itch of tiny chiggers. You don't know you've run into them until hours later and when you realize it, it's too late. Red, itchy bumps consume the area where the chiggers latched on.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) website, mdc.mo.gov, chiggers survive best in brushy, grassy or weedy areas that retain some moisture during the day. I know this to be true based on my own experience with chiggers this week. Sunday evening, I sat in a camp chair watching my son's baseball game. The park was freshly mowed and I didn't think twice about placing my chair on the shady hill in the grass where I could get a good view of the baseball field. Monday morning, my legs were covered in chigger bites from my knees down to my feet.
Sunday was hot and humid, the perfect scenario for these biting insects that are most active in afternoons and when the ground temperature is about 77-86F. Knowing that chiggers avoid objects hotter than 99F, I should've placed my camp chair on the sunbaked rocks because they are usually chigger-free.
I've wondered this week, what are these critters good for besides making me miserable? They're certainly a pest to humans. The itch and allergic reaction to these bites have left me capable of thinking of little else this week. However, according to the MDC, it's the young chiggers that pose the threat of bites to us. Adult chigger mites are harmless to humans, feeding on insects and their eggs -even mosquito eggs-as well as on smaller mites. Anything that helps limit the population of mosquitos is worth having around. If only these adult chiggers provided an alternative food source to their children than human and animal flesh.
To limit exposure to chiggers as you enjoy this last portion of the warm weather season, take some precautions and learn from my mistake. Reduce the number of chiggers that reach your skin by wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants, socks and shoes. Flip flops or sandals will not protect you against chiggers. If you're like me and are extremely sensitive to chigger bites, pretreat your clothes with a commercial aerosol containing the pesticide permethrin or an insect repellent containing DEET.
There are many home remedies for treating chigger bites including covering the bite with clear nail polish, using apple cider vinegar, and applying tea tree oil and lavender oil to the bites. I tried the tea tree oil and lavender, but in my case I required stronger allergy medicines to get the reaction under control. Next time I'll be better prepared to enjoy my outdoor time and avoid the ever tiny yet pesky adolescent chiggers. After all, even chiggers aren't going to dissuade me from spending the gorgeous Missouri autumn season outdoors as much as possible.
Respond to this blog
Posting a comment requires a subscription.