How to Recognize Chigger Bites

Chiggers are the larvae of the harvest mite and if you get bitten by one you'll start to suffer from intense itching within a few hours, often around your torso. A quick examination will reveal weeping red welts characteristic of chigger bites.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hydrocortisone Creams
• Clear Nail Polishes
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Antibacterial Ointments
• Soap
• Anti-lice Shampoos For Normal Hair

1. See "How to Avoid Chigger Bites" under Related eHows. It's always better to prevent bites than to deal with their aftermath.

2. Check the site of the itching. If chiggers have bitten, you will see red welts beginning to form.

3. Clean the site carefully and apply a hydrocortisone cream to treat the itching. Calamine lotion may also work.

4. Use a commercial product such as Chigarid or Chigg-away to treat the bites.

5. Keep the site clean and dry, and watch it carefully for signs of secondary infection.

Tips & Warnings

• The discomfort from chigger bites can last up to two weeks, even though the chiggers may have dropped off or been removed.
• Chiggers are not known to spread any diseases in the United States.
• Other popular ways of treating chigger bites include applying anti-lice shampoo to the affected area and leaving it on overnight; brushing clear nail polish over the bites; or smearing petroleum jelly over the bites. These have been used with varying degrees of success, but you should contact your health care professional before proceeding.
• If you scratch your chigger bites and don't keep the site clean and dry, you may develop a secondary bacterial infection. If this occurs, apply an antibacterial ointment. See your doctor if the infection does not improve.

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[Vallill]

on 7/28/2008 Hey BeingArtsy... sounds to me like you may have bed bugs.. if you have seen them on your bed frame. Where did you get your mattress? Mattresses can get infested with them if: say you live in an apartment and you have a neighbor that has them.. or somebody came to your house to visit and brought them with them, not intentionally I would hope. The only way to get rid of them if you want to keep your current mattress would be to get a special sealed bed cover, I have seen them for sale on the internet,, just search bed bugs. Good luck!!

[BeingArtsy]

on 6/22/2008 I've seen them on my wood bed frame. I keep getting bit and have washed my sheets and mattress covers repeatedly. How do you get rid of them once you see them in your home?

on 11/22/2005 A warm, soapy bath is the solution to getting rid of chiggers. Since they don't burrow into the skin, applying nail polish and things of the sort are actually an old wives tale. Apply anti-itch cream and do your best not to scratch until the itching stops!

Use the following link to learn more about chiggers:
http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/nathis/arthopo/chiggers/

on 11/22/2005 A chigger bite looks like a little red bump. If you stretch the skin around it, the redness will become white and a dark speck about the size of the tip of a toothpick will be seen. It can be scrapped off with a toothpick then treated as described.