How long will it take for them to die?

8/31/2008 8:41:37 PM

Quote :

"One commonly known remedy for chigger bites is to apply nail polish to reduce itchiness. This does not kill the chigger or treat the bite in any way. It simply seals the area off from the air, which keeps the sore from itching so badly. If you want to apply something to relieve itching, it's much better to use a salve or cream that contains antihistamines"

8/31/2008 8:42:43 PM

8/31/2008 8:43:10 PM

how the fuck does fingernail polish NOT kill those things?

8/31/2008 8:43:50 PM

8/31/2008 8:43:55 PM

FAIL

8/31/2008 8:44:03 PM

Quote :

"One of the biggest myths or misconceptions about chiggers is that they can burrow under your skin and drink your blood. This leads to the common treatment for chiggers of putting clear nail polish on chigger bites to suffocate the chiggers. Since chiggers don't actually burrow under your skin, this 'treatment' is unnecessary."

8/31/2008 8:45:02 PM

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/dermatologytopics/a/06_chiggers.htm

Quote :

"One of the biggest myths or misconceptions about chiggers is that they can burrow under your skin and drink your blood. This leads to the common treatment for chiggers of putting clear nail polish on chigger bites to suffocate the chiggers. Since chiggers don't actually burrow under your skin, this 'treatment' is unnecessary. "

Dammit, should have done a little research instead of listening to my redneck sister.

8/31/2008 8:46:19 PM

can you quote something on how the chemicals dont kill them?^^

[Edited on August 31, 2008 at 8:46 PM. Reason : .]

8/31/2008 8:46:34 PM

Still looking, although I hear that coating the legs in bleach mixed with water will kill them.

But apparently they're not even under the skin at all, so there's no bugs to be killed, just brushed off. And I've been fucking scratching my legs constantly for a week now.

Heh, now the polish has dried, and I have 37 purple splotches all over my legs.

8/31/2008 8:48:25 PM

The chemicals may kill the chigger over time, but the chigger isn't what is causing your itch.

Quote :

"The only ultimate cure is time, since there is nothing you can do to dislodge the chigger's feeding tube, the true cause of your itch. You must simply wait until your body breaks down and absorbs the foreign object."

So even if you manage to kill the chigger, the feeding tube is still stuck in you

8/31/2008 8:49:21 PM

there is an ointment..i think it's called chigger ex..white bottle, red lid, white ointment



works like jeebus

8/31/2008 8:49:41 PM

ew.

8/31/2008 8:49:42 PM

hmmm...wonder if a salt scrub would work...might exfoliate enough to get the "feeding tube" out

8/31/2008 8:50:09 PM

^^^ I tried that stuff once and it didn't do a damn thing for me

8/31/2008 8:50:56 PM

Yeah but then you've just rubbed salt into open wounds

8/31/2008 8:51:09 PM

poor Skwinkle

8/31/2008 8:51:51 PM

I don't mind rubbing salt into the wounds and hurting for a little while if it'll cure the things permanently, you know?

8/31/2008 8:52:37 PM

haha..."skinkle"


^^^i hardly consider chigger bites to be "wounds"..

[Edited on August 31, 2008 at 8:52 PM. Reason : .]

8/31/2008 8:52:48 PM

At this point, I've scratched several so much they bleed and have swollen to the size of my pinky tip. I'd call that a mosquito-level wound at least.

8/31/2008 8:53:53 PM

Quote :

"CHIGGER BITE WOUNDS"

8/31/2008 8:54:45 PM

i dont consider mosquito bites to be wounds...idk i have a high tolerance to pain etc so to me a "wound" is something that bleeds a lot etc

8/31/2008 8:55:15 PM

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/chigger3.htm

ewwww

8/31/2008 8:55:35 PM

Quote :

" it dies before molting"

Into what?

Plus, I shower every single day with hot water and scrub a lot. Why hasn't this worked?

8/31/2008 8:56:55 PM

That thing gets deep

8/31/2008 8:58:56 PM

Quote :

" The other source of itching is the stylostome itself. It causes irritation and discomfort until the body's immune and lymphatic systems dissolve it and carry it away"

Well this is different from what I read about those things being permanent.

8/31/2008 8:59:53 PM

BURN THAT FUCKING THING

8/31/2008 9:04:29 PM

Quote :

"KILL'T WITH FIRE"

8/31/2008 9:14:55 PM

One of the biggest myths or misconceptions about chiggers is that they can burrow under your skin and drink your blood. This leads to the common treatment for chiggers of putting clear nail polish on chigger bites to suffocate the chiggers. Since chiggers don't actually burrow under your skin, this 'treatment' is unnecessary.

8/31/2008 9:15:25 PM

9/1/2008 8:42:51 PM

as already mentioned, nail polish doesnt do shit

i consider myself an expert on chigger bites considering my most recent experience with them

i recommend chigger rid... i learned of it much too late but word on the street is that its good

stop taking hot showers, it just makes you watch to itch like a motherfucker. i seriously considered buying sandpaper and rubbing it all over my bites to get relief. my doc told me to take cool showers and to wear natural loose fitting fibers

i had over 100 bites and eventually had to take steroids to make the swelling go down. the size of your pinky tip is pretty big but i looked like i had been pelted by golf balls the bites grew so big. i also got some topical steroid cream and some other shit. nothing really make it stop for long and i'd wake in the middle of the night itching my bites to bleed

my body also went into serious stress mode and i had to take shit to take the edge off because i was feeling fucking anxious all the time and thats not normal for me. it was some rx sized dose of benadryl and some other shit, forget the name.

this shit happened july 14 and i still have marks... fucking chiggers highjacked my summer

good luck

[Edited on September 1, 2008 at 9:10 PM. Reason : sdklfjdksjf]

9/1/2008 9:05:38 PM

9/1/2008 9:09:44 PM

The polish doesn't kill them. The fact is by the time you start itching and having bumps they are already gone. The chiggers lay their eggs in your skin and the young chiggers basically feed of your flesh. The itching you are feeling is an allergic reaction to them feeding. The polish doesnt, for all practical purposes, do anything at. At least that is what I learned in enotomolgy.

9/1/2008 9:52:04 PM

chiggers are a daily nuisance for me. last year i got so lit up that my legs basically looked like there were scabs all over them. i remember when i took my yearly trip to the keys, at a restaurant i overheard someone say "damn, what the fuck happened to your legs?"

well. first of all, my best piece of advice is dont itch them. i know, it sounds impossible, but when you scratch the bites, it only makes the itchiness worse. mine flare up right when i go to bed, and of course, if i relent and start itching, it turns into 10 minutes...20 minutes...30 minutes of nonstop itching. suck it up, grit your teeth, and do all you can to resist itching.

secondly, be proactive. if you're doing things that expose you to chiggers, protect yourself. i now use permanone on my boots. nothing else i have done has been more effective than this. you can buy it for like $5 at walmart. you spray it on your gear at least 4 hours before wearing it. this leads to the down side: it's a carcinogen. that's why you dont spray directly on yourself. but it kills pretty much all insects on contact...ticks, mosquitoes, and chiggers. theres also the option of 100% DEET, but i hate that stuff and use it only in extreme cases of mosquitoes. spray permanone on your foot gear, and it's good for around 2 weeks, plus or minus.

third of all, if you already have bites, most shit besides what a doctor can get you wont work. as wolfy said, the bites last for-fucking-ever. i get bit by ticks and chiggers all the time, and the effects of the bites last about the same time...roughly a month. the after-bite shit is basically just ammonia and will not work unless you've already scratched the sore open. even then, it only gives a few minutes of relief. a better method of short-term relief, as opposed to what wolfy mentioned, is soaking in real hot water. basically, pour water as hot as you can tolerate without actually burning yourself. it purges the histamines in the bite, or some technical shit like that. it will give you maybe 10-15 minutes of relief.

but basically, my strongest suggestion is to not scratch your itch. it sounds impossible, but it will give you the quickest overall relief. then go out and buy permanone, spray your shit down the night before you go out, and profit from the fact that you're killing all the chiggers that would otherwise leave you itching restlessly.

[Edited on September 1, 2008 at 10:40 PM. Reason : .]

9/1/2008 10:38:57 PM

my pet peeve: interchanging "itch" and "scratch"

proofread folks

9/1/2008 10:40:04 PM

chiggers dont bother me because i'm tough

9/1/2008 10:46:23 PM

a lot of the bites on my feet have already scarred waiting to see what the ones on my legs and thighs are going to do

dont itch!! ^^^ is so right! its so hard NOT to itch but seriously you dont want scars all over

you can SLAP the bites. not quite like itching but gives you some relief

and crazy enough.. one thing that helped me a lot was vicks vapor rub on the bites. the cooling effect helps alleviate some of the itch

seriously i tried every fucking thing, who the hell puts vicks vapor rub on chigger bites?!?! i did!

go generic though, you'll use a lot!

you might have to see a doctor though.

[Edited on September 1, 2008 at 10:52 PM. Reason : kdjfksdjf]

9/1/2008 10:51:57 PM

YOU DONT ITCH SOMETHING

YOU FUCKING SCRATCH IT

YOU LEGS ITCH, YOU SCRATCH THEM

DO YOU LEGS SCRATCH AND THEN YOU ITCH THEM?

GOD DAMN PEOPLE

9/1/2008 10:52:59 PM

Quote :

"how the fuck does fingernail polish NOT kill those things?"

i've seen chiggers that can take like 5 bullets to the head and stil live.

9/1/2008 10:53:22 PM

itch scratch who gives a fuck

stop being so easy to troll by revealing what makes you tick

9/1/2008 11:05:56 PM

this thread makes me want to itch myself.

9/1/2008 11:14:00 PM

you should have just ignored him.

9/2/2008 8:26:12 AM

never gotten them and fuck if im not scared of these assholes now

9/16/2008 11:28:37 PM

bastards got my legs good. i think they were around my bee boxes. been dealing with them all week.

6/17/2017 10:11:26 AM

you gotta make sure to shower after being in the woods or working in the yards, soap and water will get them off you

then burn your clothes and a few acres around where you got chiggers because fuck those bastards, don't leave any survivors

6/17/2017 10:36:36 AM

Til chiggers don't actually burrow into your skin

6/18/2017 12:22:31 AM

This might help

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombiculosis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombiculidae#Handling_chigger_bites


[Edited on June 18, 2017 at 1:23 AM. Reason : ]

6/18/2017 1:21:46 AM

that's our word

6/18/2017 1:26:32 AM

I don't think I've had a chigger since I was 15.

But up until then...I was a fucking magnet.

6/18/2017 7:06:37 AM

I've read at least three different theories for what exactly the bug does to your skin in this tread, only one of which was backed by any sort of interwebnet research.

1) Animal still under your skin, so suffocate it with nail polish

2) Animal "feeding tube" still in your skin causing irritation, so just suck it up and do your best to minimize the irritation. (backed by a few sources)

And my personal favorite, b/c I hadn't heard it before
3) Animal LAYS EGGS under your skin, and the young feed on your flesh! Followed by the poster of this theory saying he

Quote :

"learned it in [entomology]"

I love southern wisdom!

6/18/2017 8:51:52 AM