I am spending time in the garden and am getting lots of Chigger bites.
The little pests are active in August and are invisible to the human eye .
You only know they have bitten you several hours later .
Very itchy bites .
Am presently in love with the Anthisan cream and have several tubes of it around the house !
I don’t usually react to insect bites but these wiltshire Chiggers mean business.
I had never heard of Chiggers before, Muddy, had to go and google. They sound most unpleasant little beasties.
What Are the Signs of Chigger Bites? Chigger bites are itchy red bumps that can look like pimples, blisters, or small hives. They are usually found around the waist, ankles, or in warm skin folds. They get bigger and itchier over several days, and often appear in groups.
Chiggers typically will not survive on humans more than three days. Chigger larvae attach to a host, but they do not burrow into the flesh. The itching from a chigger bite does not begin until three or more hours after the feeding.
Your body responds by hardening skin cells around the saliva, creating a tube, or a stylostome through which the chigger sucks the host’s body fluids. Chiggers can stay attached and feeding for several days. Usually they last about 4 days before falling off.
I have never heard of chiggers either :shock: and just googled them. They look like tiny red spiders and I have certainly seen critters like them in the garden, whether they are chiggers or something else I don’t know. I got a bite on my ankle the other day, maybe it was a chigger bite, Antishan dealt with it
Saw this link when I googled, shows various bug bites.
I believe the dogs can get bitten by these little critters if they run in the fields at harvest time too, can’t they?
Muddy, I get badly bitten every summer by anthing and everything outside. My Mum used to be the same. Blighters even get inside my clothing to get me.
It is thought it is something to do with your blood group I believe. The last 3 summers I have to get Penicillin quickly, as some bites swell alarmingly.
Anyway, this year I have finally found what works for me.
BiCarabonate of Soda. Soothes almost instantly.
Just get a tiny amount - about quarter/half a teaspoonful of the powder, mix literally a few drops of water to make it into a thick paste, and splatter it on the bite. Bliss.
It’s not a repellent, but it sure does soothe quickly after they’ve got you.
Give it a try and see how you get on - and good luck.