Ate up a week ago...still driving me bonkers. Anti-itch creams and Benadryl somewhat effective, but can't get the bites to go away. Any tips?

Afraid this one's just a tincture of time. You could try using some hydrocortisone cream.

My grandmother made use take a bath in Clorox bleach and water when we had tons of chigger bites. Probably why I'm so tough today... and white. Not sure what it does for the chiggers though.

I've tried epsom salt baths...may give the bleach bath a shot.

Just pee on it. Chiggers are basically land jellyfish.

Try vinegar -- specifically apple cider vinegar -- before bleach.

Never had them this bad...and these jokers found their way to some unfortunate destinations!

Don't scratch

I got absolutely destroyed by chiggers a couple of years ago and tried everything under the sun to relieve the itching.

The one thing I found that worked best sounds completely nuts, and I never would have believed it before then, but I was desperate enough to try it and it totally helped.

Get a hair dryer, turn it on with the heat, and hold it right up near the chiggers bite. You have to let the heat build up for 5-10 seconds. The chigger bite itch/pain will build up and intensify really quickly to the point that you pretty much can't handle it anymore, then as soon as you remove the heat, it just fades away. It's almost like you're overloading it or something.

I've heard a few different theories on how it works. One is that you're overloading the itch/pain sensors to the point that they short out or something (I don't buy this), and the other is that you're actually denaturing the protein in the chigger saliva that actually causes the histamine reaction. I've never found any conclusive proof either way, all I can say is that it totally works.

They even sell a little contraption now that's basically a 9v battery powering a small incandescent bulb that does the same thing as the blow dryer. You're supposed to put it right up against the chigger bite.

Give it a try. Thank me later.

I've found that if I refrain from scratching for the first 24-48 hours, it goes away. I'll use a cortisone cream a couple times a day for 2-3 days.

It's too late now, but taking a good hot shower immediately after you've been exposed can help reduce the number of
Bites.

By the time you feel the bite they are no longer attached so things like clear nail polish don't actually suffocate the chigger, but still might work.

Gunter12 said:

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Never had them this bad...and these jokers found their way to some unfortunate destinations!

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#pantyline (and beyond)

The high heat works for mosquitoes and ants. Something about the heat breaking down the proteins. For mosquitoes, the proteins that keep your blood from clotting. I would run hot water from the coffee maker, use a metal spoon, and hold it to the itch for as long as I could.

Hot shower, benadryl, topical steroids

Grandpa said to rub sand and alcohol on them. Then they will get drunk and throw rocks at each other

They way I understand chigger bites is the red mark left is the bite and the chigger is gone.

Benadryl cream

Don't know why it works, but the bleach bath works. You don't have to put a whole lot in either, maybe 2 cups in a bath. After I'd always take a normal shower to get the bleach smell off.

My grandmother used to work for a pharmacy years ago and they used to make a mix of the following items that worked great:

Bottle of rubbing alcohol
Around 20 aspirin tablets
1 block of camfor

Stasco said:

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I got absolutely destroyed by chiggers a couple of years ago and tried everything under the sun to relieve the itching.

The one thing I found that worked best sounds completely nuts, and I never would have believed it before then, but I was desperate enough to try it and it totally helped.

Get a hair dryer, turn it on with the heat, and hold it right up near the chiggers bite. You have to let the heat build up for 5-10 seconds. The chigger bite itch/pain will build up and intensify really quickly to the point that you pretty much can't handle it anymore, then as soon as you remove the heat, it just fades away. It's almost like you're overloading it or something.

I've heard a few different theories on how it works. One is that you're overloading the itch/pain sensors to the point that they short out or something (I don't buy this), and the other is that you're actually denaturing the protein in the chigger saliva that actually causes the histamine reaction. I've never found any conclusive proof either way, all I can say is that it totally works.

They even sell a little contraption now that's basically a 9v battery powering a small incandescent bulb that does the same thing as the blow dryer. You're supposed to put it right up against the chigger bite.

Give it a try. Thank me later.

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Most proteins denature at higher temps (or over longer time periods) than what you'd be able to tolerate. The effect you speak of probably has more to do with rapid vasodilation and blood flow to the area. Interesting that this works, I'll have to try it the next time I get bit up.

RCR06 said:

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Don't know why it works, but the bleach bath works. You don't have to put a whole lot in either, maybe 2 cups in a bath. After I'd always take a normal shower to get the bleach smell off.

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So essentially I could just go swim in my pool?

Also, the best treatment by far is, next time you get out in the woods or the grass, spray the hell out of your socks, shoes, and lower legs with repellent. I've never gotten a bite when I've sprayed down before going out. And the deer never seem to mind the smell.

Chiggerex from Walmart works good

Gunter12 said:

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I've tried epsom salt baths...may give the bleach bath a shot.

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This. ...got into 'em pretty badly a couple of years ago. Did the epsom salt bath - water as hot as I could stand it and soaked for a long time. That worked very well for me.

16 oz of bleach in a tub is Probably a higher concentration than your pool chlorine levels.

See, now I'm curious about the math. I keep my pool right around 3ppm.

A tub holds a max of what 30 gallons? (This apperently varies widely depending on your tub....)

Typical bath would probably be 15 gallons for displacement...

16 oz of bleach is an 8th of a gallon, so out of 15 gallons your looking at 0.008. That's a lot more than in the realm of ppm, that's 8 ppt at 15 gallons and 4 ppt at 30 gallons.

chigger dex, or clear nail polish. Paint the bitten area and no more itch and it will clear up. Been doing this for years.

Damn, didn't think it would be that much. But I do think there is something to it regarding bleach...I have noticed that if I get chewed up before I swim, I notice relief pretty quick after I swim.

But maybe it is just because my mind gets taken off of it.

Don't quote on me this. I'm a biologist not a math guy.

Side note concerning taking a bleach bath.

Over 20 years ago, I got "ate up" by poison ivy/oak. Ate up is an under statement. After 3 or 4 days of suffering and trying everything, I took a bleach bath.

The poison ivy dried up within hours. My skin pealed for days after from the effect of the bleach.

So, don't get carried away with the amount of bleach.

Quit whining, nancy. You needed new skin anyways.

2 cups of bleach in 15 gallons in the tub will give you a chlorine residual of around 800 ppm...

1 oz bleace in small bath.

Like a boss

nail polish?

what i've heard

I dab bleach on a cotton ball and apply directly to the bites. Burns like crazy for a while but usually takes care of it. That said, I've never been covered in bites, just maybe 5-10 on each leg at a time.