ALERT: I really do not like chiggers, and the language contained herein reflects my dislike. If you are offended by swearing, you may not want to read this post. Feel free to contact me for a cleaned up version.
When Steve and I took off down a trail through the Ocala National Forest a couple months ago, we were looking forward to seeing new sights and having new experiences on the trail. And we did, because the ONF never disappoints! BUT . . .
What we did not expect — and an experience I cannot recommend — was to get home and suddenly begin itching on our legs and around our waists. I don’t mean like a mosquito bite…I’m talking about the kind of overwhelming itching sensation that cannot be ignored. Along with this, we noticed horrible red spots and welts. We began frantically scratching and trying to figure out what the heck was going on.
You know that I will drop what I’m doing to Google ANYTHING, and there was never a more rewarding Google search than “Why is my skin on fire and what are these red marks?”
We soon learned that we had offered up our poor bodies as feasting sites for chiggers. When I was a kid, my cousin told me that chiggers burrow into the skin and live there until they die. The real story is even more gross, but fascinating, so I’ll share what I’ve learned.
Chiggers are the larva of a mite. That’s right! They are just tiny little babies, and so they should be cute and cuddly. They are neither of those things. They are vicious feeding machines. They’re also known as Redbugs, because they are red and they are bugs. So small that you can see them only if you have very good eyesight and a magnifying glass.
Medicinenet.com says of these beasts, “They are red in color and may be best appreciated when clustered in groups on the skin.” Ha ha ha! Appreciated? I would not call what we were feeling appreciation. It was more like panic and an irrepressible urge to tarantella. The itch is just indescribably hellish. It is worse than mosquitoes, worse than psoriasis, worse than poison ivy.
So why does the itch begin only after they have found their way into your socks and waistline? Well, this is where things get really yucky. Because they are such little guys, they can’t directly eat us alive. Rather, they affix their biting parts onto our skin and inject us with digestive enzymes. These enzymes cause our skin to actually decompose — and turn red and itchy. Now, the chigger grows a “stylostome” which is a hardened tube through which it slurps up our decomposing bodies. DisGUSting!
Most of the websites I looked at say the itching should ease after a couple of days and the red areas should resolve within a couple of weeks. Well. I believe they were being optomistic. Personally, I itched for a week and had noticeable spots over a month later (this may be age related; I have noticed that my skin takes much longer to fully heal than it did when I was 40 or 50).
The most important information I can share with you about chiggers is: HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS INFERNAL ITCHING STOP?
I ran into these little bastards again on one of my panhandle camping trips, and woke at 3 AM in tears because the itching was so horrible. It’s bad enough to wake up at 3 AM, but even worse to be in a tent with no modern conveniences and nothing to distract you from the worst itching ever and no sympathetic husband to whisper sweet nothings into your ear while you scratch. But here is what I discovered over the next two days:
Frozen cubes of oatmeal can be taken into the bathhouse shower and rubbed on the itching skin while you run cold water over your entire body. Both the cold and the oatmeal are comforting and really do work to relieve the itch. However, you will be faced with an awful mess to clean up. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR GROSS OATMEAL IN THE SHOWER FOR ANOTHER CAMPER TO FIND OR FOR THE CAMP HOSTS TO CLEAN UP. I know you’re feeling absolutely wretched, but really. It looks like vomit. Be a nice camper and clean up after yourself.
Any oatmeal lotion, even the cheap stuff from Dollar General, will help considerably – I mean, I love Aveeno but desperation is desperation and must be allayed. Generic Benadryl, known as diphenhydramine, is also available at the local Dollar General. Buy some. Take it after dinner and you will sleep through the night with no chigger-induced misery. I would suggest taking it the next morning, too, but it knocks me out and I don’t want to miss a minute of fun while I’m camping. I do not generally advise shopping at the Dollar General or Family Dollar joints, as I believe they were invented to keep poor people poor, but they are often your only option in remote areas. I do not find cortisone creams helpful, but give them a shot if you have some on hand…it might work for you.
Chiggers aren’t known to carry disease, but the bites CAN become infected, so make sure you’re keeping your skin clean and dry.
I now know that I need to wear long pants when I’m hiking in pleasant weather (chiggers prefer temperatures above 60 and below 100 Fahrenheit). I’ve also begun changing clothes immediately after a hike when possible, and washing my hiking clothes to dislodge any nasty little buggers that may be on my clothes. I also tuck my pants into my socks and my shirt into my pants. Here’s to hoping I never meet another chigger as long as I live.