Seeing a chigger with naked eyes is almost impossible, but you'll be scratching for days after you get bit. And another banger is that a chigger isn’t even an insect. They’re immature mites, so they are super tiny-just 1/150th of an inch.
Unless you’re carrying a magnifying glass, spotting a chigger is highly unlikely. Despite being difficult to trace, we have some information to offer on getting rid of chiggers. Read this full blog and get ideas on how to kick them out for good!
How to Get Rid of Chigger Naturally?
There are many ways through which you can get rid of chiggers. We have enlisted some of the natural ways to get rid of chiggers for good.
1. Mow the Lawn
Chiggers prefer to hide in shady but damp places and nothing could beat the lawn as their ideal hiding space. So mowing the lawn regularly as short as possible will eliminate the hiding spot for chiggers. Make sure you keep your grasses.
2. Aerate your Lawn
Aeration is the process of creating small holes in the soil, which breaks up compacted areas and allows better air circulation and water drainage. Through aeration, there is better air circulation and better sunlight that promotes healthy drying of soil. After aeration, the place won't be damp enough to support the chiggers' habitat.
Bushes, vegetation, and uncontrolled weeds can also be another best spots for chiggers to hide. So you want to reconsider maintaining your landscapes and giving it a new look. By regularly maintaining your yard, you're also reducing the number of places where chiggers can lurk. This is one proactive method to get rid of those irritating and itching bugs.
4. Keep Animals out of your Yard
Keeping animals out of the yard to simply put is to eliminate the food sources of chiggers. Aside from humans, the most preferred source of food for chiggers is animals host. So keeping animals out of the yard will likely reduce the chances of chigger infestation in your yard. The potential hosts could be rats, birds, squirrels, etc
5. Remove Trash From your Lawns
As previously mentioned, chiggers like moist, dark, and damp places. Trashes provide them with an ideal hiding spot. Removing your trashes from garden and lawns can help to get rid of chiggers to some extent.
6. Use Essential oils
Essential oils like lavender oil, tea oil, peppermint oil are known to deter the chiggers effectively. You can simply combine some drops of oils into water and spray it around the places you often get chigger bites. This spray will help to control and get rid of chiggers to some extent.
One of the easiest but underrated hacks is using garlic spray. Garlic has natural compounds that help to get rid of chiggers most naturally. You just need to get 2-4 clovers of garlic, you can smash them, or using a whole clover also works perfectly fine. Next up, mix it with water and spray it in your yard. It helps to deter the chiggers very effectively.
8. Use Eucalyptus Leaves
Eucalyptus Leaves have a strong scent which is disliked by the chiggers. This is by far the easiest method to get rid of chiggers naturally. All you need to do is get some eucalyptus leaves and simply scatter them in your garden. This shall easily deter the chiggers from your lawn.
9. Plant Chigger repelling Plants
By planting lavender and tea plants in your garden, you can naturally keep chiggers away from your yard. Their powerful scents and textures is loathed by chiggers. Both plants do well in sunny, well-draining soil, which makes them useful for your garden. Placing these herbs strategically in your garden can help keep chiggers and also provide visual appeal.
10. Increase Sunlight
Chiggers don't enjoy sunbathing or as we can say they stay away from bright sunlight. Simply by pruning bushes and trees that provide the most shade, you can increase the amount of sunlight that your yard receives. The more the sunlight, the lesser the chiggers.
Getting rid of one headache by introducing another one is not often preferred by people around the world. But if you are fine with ants, centipedes, and lizards crawling in your yard, you have another effective solution for getting rid of chiggers. All these mentioned ones are the natural predators of the chiggers.
12. Use Cinnamon powder
As much as the humans have favoritism towards cinnamon, it is as equally disliked by the chiggers. You can sprinkle the cinnamon powder around your yard and effectively get rid of chiggers. However, make sure you sprinkle the cinnamon powder frequently as they are washed away easily.
How To Get Rid of Chiggers Chemically?
We have also enlisted some of the chemical ways to get rid of Chiggers.
13. Use Products Containing Bifenthrin
Bifenthrin is a kind of chemical that is toxic to chiggers. When chiggers come in contact with bifenthrin it affects their nervous system. The effect on the nervous system leads to paralysis of chiggers which ultimately results in their death of them.
Along with bifenthrin, you can also go for products that contain Carbaryl, Cyfluthrin, Cyhalothrin, Diazinon, Malathion, or Permethrin. All of these chemicals react the same way by disrupting the nervous system, paralyzing and eventually leading to the death of chiggers.
Using items that have vinegar in them can be a successful and eco-friendly method to prevent chiggers from entering your garden. Vinegar, due to its powerful acidity, produces a setting that chiggers perceive as uncomfortable and unwelcoming.
Mix vinegar with water and apply it in areas frequented by chiggers to successfully deter them.
15. Use Products containing Sulfur
Sulfur is renowned for its power against chiggers in successfully deterring them. You can get commercial sulfur powder which you can spray in your garden space or buy products that have sulfur in their components.
16. Use Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth is one of the products that is beloved for its amazing action against different pests. It works against chiggers just fine as well. Once the chiggers come in contact with DE, it dehydrates the chiggers eventually leading to death. DE extracts out every last bit of moisture from the chigger's body. How cruel does it sound!
How To Get Rid of Chiggers Professionally?
Apart from natural and chemical methods of getting rid of chiggers, you can employ professional ways to get rid of them;
These methods of treatment are usually administered by Seasonal Pest Control. Book a preventative service with a service specialist and they will apply the 'right products' on your lawn. Following up with your routine lawn care services provider will help keep treatment effective, support long-term results, and guarantee a healthy, chigger-free lawn.
18. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Integrative Pest Control is a combination of various methods. Attempting to tactically manage pests, across broader landscapes. Professionals in pest control use alternative (malicious) or chemical treatment to eliminate chiggers with minimum environmental harm.
To reduce the size of such patches, be as intentional about dodging bites as about offering meals to wild
19. Aeration and lawn Maintainance
Aeration is the process of creating small holes in the soil, which breaks up compacted areas and allows better air circulation and water drainage. Through aeration, there is better air circulation and better sunlight that promotes healthy drying of soil. After aeration, the place won't be damp enough to support the chiggers' habitat.
Along with that, you need to follow up by maintaining your lawn as well.
20. Curative Treatments
For active chigger infestations, professionals can apply curative treatments that provide immediate relief. These treatments target and kill existing chiggers, preventing further bites and irritation. Contact a pest control service to schedule a curative treatment application at the optimal time, usually in late spring or early summer.
Signs of Chiggers
Pets Scratching Continuously
If you notice your pets scratching or biting regularly, particularly on their legs, abdomen, and ears it could be due to chiggers. Because chiggers are little bugs that live mainly in grassy and weedy areas, if your pets have been running through the yard they may bring chiggers into the house.
As chigger bites, pets can also get very uncomfortable from itching even this much itchy like the way humans feel. If you notice your pets scratching more than the norm following playing outside, chiggers may be to blame.
Location Specific Symptoms
If you start seeing red and itchy bumps on your skin, after going to the beautiful green ground, maybe chigger larvae are to blame. They love to live in these environments and when you pass by their home on foot they may take hold in or on you with knife-like sharpness So if you have red bumps or blisters after going there, it may be chiggers that got you.
If you get bitten by chiggers, you'll often find that the bites appear in clusters or lines. This is because chiggers tend to attach themselves in groups.
You'll usually see these bites in places where your clothes fit tightly, like around your waist, ankles, armpits, groin, and behind your knees. These areas provide easy access for the chiggers to latch onto your skin and are often where they end up causing the most irritation.
Extensive Itching
Chigger bites result in an extreme itch and are a well-known hassle. itching from chigger bites usually begins a couple of hours after the bite and can last several days. Chiggers bite the skin and inject saliva, which breaks down skin cells when they chew on you.
It is this extraction of skin cells that causes such severe itching. The inflammatory response from your body to combat the chigger spit won't allow you to stop scratching.
Swelling and Inflammation
When chiggers bite, they inject their saliva masterfully into your skin. Your body's immune system reacts, making the bite area swell and become inflamed. While this type of swelling is what your body employs to effectively combat the offending invader, the injured tissue can manifest as a red seal forming a pimple on the skin.
The puffiness and redness are pretty common and come with the intense itch of chigger bites as well just for fun.
How to Prevent Chiggers from Returning?
Even after applying 100s of measures, once chiggers find a more favorable condition they will return back to your place without any second thought! We have listed some ways to prevent chiggers from returning back.
Using insect repellent is one of the most effective ways to prevent chiggers from returning back. Insect repellents don't always have to be harmful chemicals. You can easily utilize lavender plants, peppermint plants, and similar plants as a DIY chigger repellent.
In the presence of these repellent, chiggers would prefer to stay away!
Garden Maintainance
A healthy, well-maintained lawn is often hated by chiggers as it doesn't provide ample hiding spots for them. Keeping up with lawn maintenance leads to a decrease in the attractiveness of the area for chiggers. Ensure your grass is cut low and eliminate any thick vegetation that could provide hiding spots for chiggers.
Eliminate Food Sources
Keeping animals out of the yard to simply put is to eliminate the food sources of chiggers. Aside from humans, the most preferred source of food for chiggers is animals host. So keeping animals out of the yard will likely reduce the chances of chigger infestation in your yard. The potential hosts could be rats, birds, squirrels, or even your pet dogs.
Keeping animals away from the yard not only eliminates food sources for chiggers but also removes the animals from the danger of chigger bite.
Barrier Control
These treatments are typically applied by the pest controllers. Schedule a preventative treatment with a professional service, and they will apply the appropriate products to your lawn. Following their maintenance advice will help ensure the effectiveness of the treatment and maintain a healthy, chiggers-free lawn.
Chigger Bite
Unlike mosquito bites, which appear as raised welts, chigger bites result in small light red bumps or blisters known as wheals. Chiggers inject a fluid into the skin that liquefies skin cells for digestion; they do not consume blood. Although chigger bites may look inflamed, they are not contagious.
The red marks from chigger bites might take some time to disappear. They may fade within a few days if you’re lucky, but for some, it could take up to a couple of weeks. To reduce itching, it’s crucial to apply a cream or ointment containing hydrocortisone to the affected area. Excessive scratching can lead to infection of the bumps, some of which may resemble blisters.
How do they Bite?
Chiggers take up on any chance they get to bite. Once they get inside your dress, they choose a suitable patch of skin. They then make holes in the skin and inject their saliva. The saliva causes burning and itching gradually leading to inflammation and swelling.
Why do they do this?
To a chigger, the now-liquid cells represent food. A chigger may stay stuck to your skin for several days as it feasts.
Do chiggers crawl beneath your skin?
You've undoubtedly heard this before, but it's just not true. Chiggers have weakened mouth muscles. They can grab onto you but not go any further. This myth most likely originated because, when a chigger bite becomes red and bulges, it might begin to encircle the chigger itself.
Look for a DEET-based insect repellent and apply it on clothes (such as socks) and bare skin. Alternatively, there are sulfur-based anti-chigger products that you can get to pour over your clothes as well as the body.
Otherwise, use distilled vinegar to spray clothes or skin before going outdoors. Essential oils such as citronella tea tree peppermint lavender lemongrass or thyme (diluted by following the instructions on the label) also work well in repelling chiggers.
When using chigger repellent, pay special attention to feet, ankles and calves. In less than half an hour, a chigger can move from within your shoe up to your waistband if it is hot.
Cover skin.
No access = no bites for these creatures! Jackets with long sleeves should cover arms completely while pantyhose are perfect leggings covering legs and ankles altogether; Use on tall boots and wearing high socks (or even three pairs). Tuck pants into socks (the outermost pair if you're wearing several)
Choose Hard Surfaces
Hard surfaces should be chosen when you are outdoors, avoid walking in vegetation. Select a plant-free biking or hiking track and chiggers will not be met. In natural settings for hiking stay in the path center and do not let it touch your legs.
Skip the shadow
Chiggers detest bright sunlight. Avoiding gloomy regions reduces your chances of obtaining chiggers.
Brush them aside
If it's too hot to cover your entire body in clothing, take a 30-minute break to brush your skin and get rid of chiggers. Rub aggressively, especially where chiggers like to hide: waistbands, sock tops, and underarms.
Once inside, take a hot shower as soon as possible. Use plenty of suds and thoroughly cleanse your skin with a washcloth. Chiggers may walk around on you for hours before stopping to eat. Scrubbing your skin might help remove any chiggers that are already on you.
Treatment for chigger Bite
If you suspect you've been among chiggers, conduct a thorough body check. You may see little red spots moving swiftly or sticking to your skin. The first step is to take a bath or shower and cleanse your skin with soap and water. This removes any chiggers that are still on you.
To destroy any bugs that are still lingering around, wash your clothes and any blankets or towels that have come into contact with the ground with hot water. Then, apply an over-the-counter anti-itch cream or ointment on your bites, such as menthol, calamine lotion, or hydrocortisone. Taking antihistamines or applying a cold compress might also provide comfort.
In case of Rare Conditions
Chigger bites normally heal on their own. However, if yours are still bothering you after a few days, consult your doctor. In rare circumstances, steroid injections may be required to relieve itching and swelling. If your bites get infected, your doctor may recommend that you take antibiotics.
