Ticks And Chiggers, What To Do/use?

[Raistlin]

Okay, so here is the thing. I live in Missouri which is completely overrun with ticks and chiggers. I have used various things before with little or no success in keeping these things off me. For example last year my wife and I went blackberry picking. By the time we got home that afternoon (only a few hours out mind you) we were covered completely with chiggers anyplace clothes were touching. In my case I was wearing shorts, socks/shoes. Needless to say it was not a pleasing experience for either of us.

So my question is what are some things others are using to keep the biting critters off and what is the success rate of said products?

I understand mosquitoes are not fond of eucalyptus so I am thinking maybe that might work with other critters as well, any thoughts on this?

Thanks

Raistlin

[Auspex]

I used to do breeding bird surveys, many of which were conducted in heavy tick & chigger country (and I am extremely allergic to their bites). The only way I lived to tell this was by making a "poison suit": hat, long-sleeved shirt, pants, and socks, treated with permethrin (available at most sport/adventure stores). With the cuffs tucked into the socks, and a coat of 50% DEET on all exposed skin, I was all but unmolested.

When used as directed, permethrin is safe, and will persist through 5 or 6 launderings.

[FossilDAWG]

I have had some success using sulfur powder, liberally dusted onto long pants/long sleeved shirt. When I lived in Arizona, I wasn't sure if it was the sulfur or the copious amounts of sweat (due to the clothing) that did the trick.

You can also use permethrin, sprayed onto clothing. No need (and not recommended) to apply it directly to your skin.

DEET is good for mosquitoes and other biting flies (though less so for no-see-ems), but it doesn't do much against ticks.

Don

[Hipockets]

diesel fuel works, If your not a smoker.

[Boneman007]

Whatever you do, use something to combat the ticks.

About 5 years ago, I was fossil hunting in the South Sulpher river. 14 days later I was came home from work with a fever of a 100. Within 2 hours it was 108. I spent almost 2 weeks in the Hospital. They said I was hours from death. It took me almost a full year to recover from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I spent 4 months will all my pain nerves on full blast. Noone should go through what I went through.

If it hadnt finally let up I would not be here now.

So be careful with those little suckers.

Edited April 3, 2012 by Boneman007

[32fordboy]

Man, the ticks around here must be brutes. Some supposed things I heared about permethrin after lots of research:

Small doses can kill cats.

It works because it is a neuro toxin, which is why you don't want it on your skin.

Supposedly it will kill ticks on contact.

I can verify the last one isn't necessarily true. We put some directly on a tick and the tick kept truckin' on. However, we put it on our shoes and backpacks and got no ticks. Supposedly DEET does not work for ticks at all.

I have no cats, so can't verify that one.

Also, if you get a tick with its head buried in your body, don't use the hot needle or burn method to get rid of him. Supposedly, the heat can cause the bacterial liquid that causes lyme disease to expand and semi-vaporize, causing it to expell from the tick easier. Not sure if I believe it, but I'm not willing to find out.

One method I've heared to try was to put vaseline on the tick and it will unbury itself when it can't get oxygen. I can't verify that one, either.

The best method I read was to go to the doc and have the doc cut the tick out.

Please note all the "supposedlies" in the above sentences.

[Fruitbat]

The powdered sulfur does work if it is dusted liberally around all openings in your clothing. I lived in Lebanon, Missouri for a couple of years and had the same experience as Raistlin did after picking blackberries. I have since observed that practically ANY blackberry/strawberry/boysenberry/etc. patch is a real haven for chiggers...obviously because there are plenty of critters that will show up to feed and end up becoming chigger lunch themselves. Sulfer also seems to do a reasonable job of repelling ticks...though I have picked up a couple of the nasty little hitchikers even with sulfur in place.

-Joe

[Bullsnake]

When I mushroom hunt, I spray heavily with Deep Woods Off especially around pants and shirt cuffs, beltline, and neck. It seems to work well for the chiggers, but only slightly deters the ticks.

The best thing to do is take a shower asap, and check yourself over really well, and wash clothes right away.

Luckily, I don't have to do much woods trekking for fossils around here.

[mikecable]

When I found out that Deep Woods Off, with a lot of DEET, melts a nylon tent, I quit using it. I'll take my chances.

[sixgill pete]

if your going out into the "wild" always wear long pants tucked into your socks. Long sleeve shirt. use a good grade 50% deet spray on your clothes and skin. But if you put it on your face it is gonna feel hot. ticks, chiggers( we call them redbugs here in NC) look for openings in your clothes. Spray it on liberally and often.

[Raistlin]

Hmm I guess I am goning to have to not wear shorts then. I am not sure I can use the stuff that can kill cats as I have a few LOL. Maybe I can just soak my clothes in deepwoods off though.

I swear the chiggers here are ruthless they eat me alive.

The areas I am thinking might produce fossils are not the problem, it is the walk to them that is. Of course the creek beds are safe at least from the crawling critters.

[wRick]

I have two pairs of these, I like em a lot, I got em on sale. But I havent really put the insect repellent characteristics to a scientific test yet.

http://www.rei.com/product/810046/exofficio-bugsaway-ziwa-convertible-pants-mens-30-inseam

Legs zip off so when your out of bug danger you can coll off a little better, but they're actually great at wicking moisture away and drying when they get wet.

I also haven't tried this product, which was developed at NCSU and I heard a lot about during its development:

http://www.bioud.com/

http://esa.confex.com/esa/2006/techprogram/paper_25844.htm

which is supposed to be better than DEETagainst mosquitoes, safer, and also repel ticks.

I need to go out and get some now that it's finally for sale.

[Raistlin]

I have two pairs of these, I like em a lot, I got em on sale. But I havent really put the insect repellent characteristics to a scientific test yet.

http://www.rei.com/p...-mens-30-inseam

Legs zip off so when your out of bug danger you can coll off a little better, but they're actually great at wicking moisture away and drying when they get wet.

I also haven't tried this product, which was developed at NCSU and I heard a lot about during its development:

http://www.bioud.com/

http://esa.confex.co...paper_25844.htm

which is supposed to be better than DEETagainst mosquitoes, safer, and also repel ticks.

I need to go out and get some now that it's finally for sale.

I might order a bottle of this stuff, if I can find out it keeps chiggers away.

http://www.homs.com/products/biteblocker®_biteblocker®-xtreme-sportsman-pump-spray-6-oz-bottle.html

Those little horrors flat out eat me alive.

[Auspex]

I just called Chapel Hill and left a message inquiring about becoming a dealer for their BioUD stuff. It's a promising product.

[ashcraft]

I bought a pair of the tall snake chaps boots, and even at 6'5" they nearly go to my knee. I tuck my pants into them, and my shirt into my pants, with a good belt. Then I put a dose of repellant around where they clothing meets each other. This works very well, and I have had little touble with either chiggers or ticks.

Brent Ashcraft

[Raistlin]

LOL you are a giant to me. I am a whole 5'8". Did you get the snake boots local or on the web?

[ashcraft]

LOL you are a giant to me. I am a whole 5'8". Did you get the snake boots local or on the web?

I ordered them at Faust's, in Cape. Where a little over a hundred dollars as I recall, but I hate chiggers.

Brent Ashcraft

[Fishbait]

I've found the best treatment for chigger bites is clear nail polish. Coat each bite. Sulphur works well but you need to dust any part of your clothing that is going to touch the ground including the seat of your pants and knees. Best treatment I ever found was a mixture of chlorodane and sulphur. Washing your clothes right away is important unless you want to find some bug running toward you the next morning while you are making coffee. That actually happened to me once after being in the woods in East Texas. Yes, it was a spotted tick. He didn't survive the coffee pot but neither did the coffee pot survive the tick.

Paul

[ashcraft]

Chlorodane? Wow, hard core.

Brent Ashcraft

[Raistlin]

The EPA banned all uses of chlordane in 1988.

Exposure to chlordane metabolites may be associated with testicular cancer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlordane

I think I will take a chigger bite.

I have to admit I had not heard of the stuff until now, scary stuff LOL.

Robert

[ashcraft]

I actually have some, I just don't skin apply. The greatest termite poison ever, just because it has a little chlorine in it and doesn't break down, it got a bad rap. That and the testicular cancer thing.

It don't think it is illegal to own, just to make in the US for domestic use. You can still occasionally find it in old hardware stores and such.

Brent Ashcraft

Edited April 7, 2012 by ashcraft

[Herb]

Sulfur powder on your lower legs and pants cuffs will help keep chiggers off. Washing your legs with a soap that is used to get rid of lice and letting it dry on your skin before you go out will help also. Permethrin sprayed only on your clothes will help. Tuck your pants into your socks and spray the heck out of them. Wash down with a dandruff shampoo as soon as you can, the medicine seems to run them off. Wash your clothes as soon as possible. Chiggers don't become active until the weather gets to about 80 degrees. Hunt weedy areas in the winter or late fall, early spring. Stay out of tall grasses, especially along roads, they really seem to like these areas.

I had about 200 chigger bites on me one time, it was like the 4th level of Hades.

[flyersfan805]

I have found the best tick repellent is to run really, really fast until I get to a clearing where I can stop and check the legs..lol then break out the oxygen tanks and recover.

[Herb]

FYI,Chlorodane, heptachlor, dieldrin, DDT, haldane, lindane. Do not get them on your skin. May be hazardous to your health. :startle:

[lordpiney]

ive found that the best way to rid yourself of chiggers, is to step into standing water periodically while your hunting. as im generally wearing shorts during the times of the year when they are bad, it's not much of a problem. if there's no water where your hunting, wear a knee-high pair of pantyhose instead of socks. they cant bite through the pantyhose.