# I am working on a problem you boat fisherman don't have.



## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

I spend a lot of time fishing on the shore line. Both saltwater and fresh water. I have to find a way to keep the chiggers off of me. I heard it takes 1 to 3 weeks for them to stop itching and die. If any one knows what I should do/try That would be nice. I bought a can of Deep Woods this morning and sprayed on my legs. LOL! This won't stop me from fishing almost every morning. This morning I hooked a real large pickerel at the marina and lost it. How about them O's. Ain't the beer cold!!


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## captmikestarrett (Apr 28, 2004)

Do not wear socks and spray your legs before fishing.. 

Capt Mike


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## ESRob (May 17, 2014)

DEET.
Gotta have it.

How'bout dem O's!!


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

ESRob said:


> DEET.
> Gotta have it.
> 
> How'bout dem O's!!


 LOL! I am full of it. Deet that is.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

captmikestarrett said:


> Do not wear socks and spray your legs before fishing..
> 
> Capt Mike


 I did that for the first time this morning. Going crappie fishing tomorrow morning, chiggers or not. Thanks Capt.! Not many crappie fisherman out there in this hot weather. I'm lucky, I found them. That's my job now. LOL!


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## slogg (Aug 7, 2010)

andypat said:


> I did that for the first time this morning. Going crappie fishing tomorrow morning, chiggers or not. Thanks Capt.! Not many crappie fisherman out there in this hot weather. I'm lucky, I found them. That's my job now. LOL!


I got chiggers for the first time last summer fishing with my pops in PA. We both got 'em actually. The itch subsides a bit after week 2. Not much though. By week 4 it should really start calming down, but i still had red bumps more than a month later, and the scars stayed about a year. Worse than poison ivy by tenfold.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Got chiggers? Here's an old school solution. Go to the store and buy a bar of brown Octagon soap. Lather up with it, leave it on for about 5 minutes then scrub it off. Guaranteed to work.  BTW ditch the socks


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## whenican (Feb 21, 2013)

Hey Andy,
Get yourself the cheap nylon chest waders w/ the booties attached....it will keep the chiggers & poison ivy off of you...& the ticks. I've had all 3 at the same time before I got my waders. Good luck!


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## whenican (Feb 21, 2013)

I forgot to add: thx Catman...I will look for that soap you mentioned before driving back to OC's saltwater for a dip in the water to dry up the poison ivy. I cannot stand the itching from the skeeters & chiggers either. The things we endure for our love of fishing, eh?


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

slogg9 said:


> I got chiggers for the first time last summer fishing with my pops in PA. We both got 'em actually. The itch subsides a bit after week 2. Not much though. By week 4 it should really start calming down, but i still had red bumps more than a month later, and the scars stayed about a year. Worse than poison ivy by tenfold.


 Yes that is what I had last year, and a little right now that has me worried.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

catman said:


> Got chiggers? Here's an old school solution. Go to the store and buy a bar of brown Octagon soap. Lather up with it, leave it on for about 5 minutes then scrub it off. Guaranteed to work. BTW ditch the socks


 I never wear socks, never in summer. Thanks catman, I will have deet on my legs this morning while crappie fishing. PS. My best fishing days site says poor fishing day today. I am going to try and prove them wrong. LOL!


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

whenican said:


> i forgot to add: Thx catman...i will look for that soap you mentioned before driving back to oc's saltwater for a dip in the water to dry up the poison ivy. I cannot stand the itching from the skeeters & chiggers either. The things we endure for our love of fishing, eh?


 lol! X2


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## CYT (Nov 9, 2015)

For chiggers: apply clear nail polish to the bite. Smothers and kills them in minutes.

An old southern remedy.


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## Solesolace (Sep 14, 2015)

By the time the itch shows up, the actual bugs are long gone. So, best remedy would be avoiding them in the first place. Wear long pants/high boots and soak them in DEET. For some odd reason, I'm the only member of my family that doesn't seem to be bothered by them.


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## QBALL (Jun 26, 2014)

Avon skin so soft used to work wonders when training in the field for ticks and chiggers and fleas as a repellent. Once you get them do what cyt said. Dont think id wanna scratch for 4 weeks while they feed. Kill them suckers.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

QBALL said:


> Avon skin so soft used to work wonders when training in the field for ticks and chiggers and fleas as a repellent. Once you get them do what cyt said. Dont think id wanna scratch for 4 weeks while they feed. Kill them suckers.


"Q" you're 100% right. There are many dangers to using DEET. Check our this web site. http://www.mercola.com/article/pesticides/deet.htm In addition to using Avon skin so soft I use Downy fabric softener sheets. Just take a few sheets and rub it over your exposed skin. It keeps all those nasty critters away and it's 100% safe. When I get home I still wash my feet, ankles & legs with Octagon bar soap.


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

slogg9 said:


> I got chiggers for the first time last summer fishing with my pops in PA. We both got 'em actually. The itch subsides a bit after week 2. Not much though. By week 4 it should really start calming down, but i still had red bumps more than a month later, and the scars stayed about a year. Worse than poison ivy by tenfold.


This is what I experienced about 15 years ago. I did not know there was a cure. I just itched and itched for about three weeks to a month.

I seem to remember the red marks contain the larvae that were implanted by the Chigger parent critter, Edit.. sorry this is a South American Jungle parasite, the Chigger itch is just a reaction to the Chigger Toxin.

If anyone has the Jungle parasite that lives in the skin and looks like a caterpillar, please respond

I got involved with the chiggers by wearing only a pair of shorts/no shirt/flip flops on a warm Spring day, In Maryland walking the opposite side of the C&O Canal from the towpath, in the woods. I was bass fishing and evidently I was the first human to walk that side in quite a long time as the Chiggers were really glad I showed up I got about two hundred bites mostly on my legs....

Some Southern folks I know spoke of a Chigger Bush, but they never really let me know what the bush actually looks like


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## BubbaHoTep (May 26, 2008)

Garboman said:


> . . . .Some Southern folks I know spoke of a Chigger Bush, but they never really let me know what the bush actually looks like


http://www.smliv.com/perspectives/the-queen-the-chiggers/

Queen Anne's Lace

http://www.whkp.com/dave-s-blog/655-queen-anne-s-lace-aka-chigger-weed.html

They grew all over the fields, and we had to be really careful when we played outside.

I don't know exactly how all that works (like some people not having any reaction to poison ivy), but my dad can grab QAL and not break out. I've itched for weeks before as well.


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## ESRob (May 17, 2014)

I hate to say it, but the nail polish remedy is an old wives tale.


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## whenican (Feb 21, 2013)

Hey Catman,
The Octagon soap is no longer made(must be because it works). Is there an alternative that works?


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

whenican said:


> Hey Catman,
> The Octagon soap is no longer made(must be because it works). Is there an alternative that works?


Sure it is. If you can't find it FELS-NAPTHA works just as good. Both are available on Amazon.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Wonder why the Health Department or who ever is in charge don't band the sale of Deet. They put bands and restrictions on everything else. I wonder if anyone died yet from Deet?


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## ncdead (Jun 16, 2015)

andypat said:


> Wonder why the Health Department or who ever is in charge don't band the sale of Deet. They put bands and restrictions on everything else. I wonder if anyone died yet from Deet?


I don't mind spraying it on my clothes and shoes, mostly for ticks on the farm but I hate spraying it on my skin for the skeeters. Can't be healthy. It's poison.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

andypat said:


> Wonder why the Health Department or who ever is in charge don't band the sale of Deet. They put bands and restrictions on everything else. I wonder if anyone died yet from Deet?


The problem is that over 95% of the insect repellent on the market contains DEET. Remember when we were kids and DDT was a household name and every house had one of these?








It's the same thing with DEET today.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Yes I remember that. Why don't they out law deet. That is what I want to know. Catman, after reading your post I jumped in the shower to warsh off the deet I sprayed on my legs this morning. Thanks!


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

andypat said:


> Yes I remember that. Why don't they out law deet. That is what I want to know. Catman, after reading your post I jumped in the shower to warsh off the deet I sprayed on my legs this morning. Thanks!


People die everyday from cancer caused by smoking cigarettes and they're not banned because of the tobacco company lobbyists. I'm guessing it's the same thing with DEET.


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## ncdead (Jun 16, 2015)

I remember being in a huge campground on the eastern shore of Virginia when I was kid in the late seventies and every night a truck would come around spraying the mosquitos.....a huge fog with the kids running along behind....great entertainment. Odd to think of it now. Anything that kills insects can't be good for people.


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## ncdead (Jun 16, 2015)

It's strange...I hear you guys talking about chiggers. I grew up on a farm tromping through the woods, down by the pond, outside constantly, since I was able to walk. I got covered up in ticks every year but I don't recall ever having chiggers. Thank god...sounds awful.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

ncdead said:


> It's strange...I hear you guys talking about chiggers. I grew up on a farm tromping through the woods, down by the pond, outside constantly, since I was able to walk. I got covered up in ticks every year but I don't recall ever having chiggers. Thank god...sounds awful.


Sounds familiar. As a kid I spent most of the day playing in the woods and fields. Mom was always getting ticks off me, treating for poison ivy and bee stings but I don't ever remember having chiggers.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

catman said:


> People die everyday from cancer caused by smoking cigarettes and they're not banned because of the tobacco company lobbyists. I'm guessing it's the same thing with DEET.


Yes, that is probably the reason.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

catman said:


> Sounds familiar. As a kid I spent most of the day playing in the woods and fields. Mom was always getting ticks off me, treating for poison ivy and bee stings but I don't ever remember having chiggers.


 Been fishing since I was a little kid, and never got chiggers in my life until I moved and fished out of Federalsburg MD. fishing from shore.


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## ncdead (Jun 16, 2015)

Y'all have me curious about chiggers...do they dig in under the skin and are they visible? I've always heard of chiggers but have no firsthand knowledge about them.


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

We have them here and I grew up in areas where they were thick, you may can see them if you find em when they first bite but they drop off shortly after the bite ..... I've probably had a thousand over my lifetime and have had several this summer, I stay in the bush a lot ..... the answer to not getting chigger bites is not spending anymore than a hour or so in their environment, wear least cloths possible, wear boots up to your knees ...... then when you get home, haul butt to a hot shower with strong bacterial soap, repeat sudsing up twice. A Chigger is almost invisible they're so small, they have to find the tender areas to bite, those parts that never see sun and it takes a couple hrs, maybe for them to find those area ...... it works for me and I'm in Chigger territory a lot .... but I have had 4 or 5 this summer ...... my father use to say, if a Chigger were the size of a bee, it would kill you instantly ........ powerful poison in that little beast, I hate em ....... they don't get under the skin ncdead and that white flower that someone posted is truly what I grew up calling a Chigger weed and I still call em Chigger weeds ....


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

CHIGGER


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## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

If you guys are stupid enough to wear shorts and flip flops in an area that is infested with red bugs, aka chiggers then you deserve exactly what you get.. Lots of pain, itching and scratching, and scaring.. There is no cure ... They don't burrow into your skin so nail polish doesn't work , nor does chlorine bleach, kerosene or anything else... All you can do is wash affected area with a good antibacterial soap and exfoliate your skin every few days... And endure the rest.. With a Benedryl cream to help eas the itching a bit. 

Wear long lightweight pants and boots treated with Permethrin solution ...Tuck your pants into your boots. 

If the area is that important to you bring along a backpack sprayer and treat it thoroughly with Bifen...


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

When I moved to Hatteras I met something I hate worse than a Chigger, those little ticks .... we got the big tick up here, I can deal with those but that Dang little tick will bury it's head in some odd place and almost impossible to get the head out compared to the big ticks up here in the hills .... I'll take Chiggers any day over them sea ticks ..... Chiggers are not dangerous, I remember one time after picking berry when I was a kid .... I counted 16 Chigger bites the next day ..... you do a lot of scratching for a while and most of the time in all the wrong places ...


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## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

River ... I know exactly what you mean about those "nail ticks" and where they can get..Turkey Season before last one found its way to "My Boys" ....They are not exclusive to Hatteras..my skin reacts really bad to any sort of tick bite... Fortunately it was not attached for any long length of time ... Lucky For Me! This season I chose to Drum Fish at The Point...I've killed enough Turkeys


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Never had any chiggers on my boat or on my pier, just flies.


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## PandaBearJeff (Aug 19, 2013)

Wait. wait. I like where this is going. 

I was raised in the suburbs but played outdoors for the majority of my childhood. I didn't go deep into woods neither, but when i go fishing i always bring bug spray. I never really paid much attention to bug repellent, kinda just take whatever is laying around the house. 
The Today i learned segment goes to DEET being terrible for you. If you guys don't use something with DEET, what do you use? Almost all the generic brands like OFF, and what not found at Walmart all contain DEET. 

My cousin has tried some sort of Tree oils but i forget, and im not sure if it actually worked. Avon has been recommended. Dryer sheets? Pemethrin? Only spray DEET on clothes? 

And to sum up chigger aftermath. Just use Octagon soap or Fels Naptha?

Any personal experiences on those citronella candles? Or The OFF Coils? How do you guys prep for a night out deep in the woods when it comes to taking on bugs. I'm reading a lot of brands, i have never ever heard or seen before. I want to know how you guys do, and i am very curious.


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## PandaBearJeff (Aug 19, 2013)

Well i've been reading up on the EPA website, and it seems like DEET is fine.... well as deemed by them. The EPA is pretty legit, and in my opinion... somewhat credible... They've done testing and only found minor toxicity in small animals, and birds No proof that it is toxic to humans when applied to skin. I don't want to go on a witch hunt, and i am all for being aware as i am a skeptical person. But, i don't think DEET is as evil as some of you make it out to be. I'm hip with the whole all natural and the logic that if it kills bugs that it would harm us. But it doesn't kill bugs, it just repels them. So they cannot smell us, and therefore do not bite us. DEET is also, the best thing humans have invented when it comes to repelling insects. The BEST thing we have. When it came to 10 hr long duration of needed repellent, nothing beat 100% DEET on the EPA registered products. All Oils seem to top off at 7 hours. I also understand, that if it didn't pose a problem, the instructions wouldn't say to wash off immediately when returning indoors, etc. May be for other reasons, other than long term duration on skin. Like it getting wiped around and ending up in your eyes or getting ingested. 

this has still opened my eyes to trying some other cool altneratives like Tree of eucalyptus lemon oil, and citronella oil, and Avon. 

I would still like to hear how you guys do whether it includes DEET or not.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Jeff said " i've been reading up on the EPA website, and it seems like DEET is fine.... well as deemed by them. The EPA is pretty legit, and in my opinion... somewhat credible... They've done testing and only found minor toxicity in small animals, and birds No proof that it is toxic to humans when applied to skin." That's what our government told us when I was in Viet Nam about Agent Orange.


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## ESRob (May 17, 2014)

I subject myself to enough chemicals that I aint skeert of a bit of deet.
I also rarely heed to seafood consumption advisories.
Crossed the street without looking before too...

But that's just me. I'm a rebel like that. A wild man.


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## snapperfc (Nov 22, 2013)

PandaBearJeff said:


> I would still like to hear how you guys do whether it includes DEET or not.


When I'm out where I think there will be flies,ticks, or now chiggers I wear Permethrin treated clothes top to bottom. Socks, pants, shirt, hat. Permethrin is not toxic to humans(so say the experts) as the molecules are too large to absorb into the skin, however it kills the pests. Careful though because its highly toxic to fish so I try to avoid getting the clothes in the water. Its also toxic to cats. Columbia, Ex Officio and others make pretreated clothes that are good for up to seventy washes. I also use "Repel" on exposed areas. It works decently just need to reapply often. Made from those natural oils.


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## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

You forgot one thing... Letw the solution dry before you put the clothes on, because the fluid can absorb into your skin. You can buy the pre made solution in bass pro or Cabela's .. I have the concentrate and a formula to make the exact same thing .. I also use it to treat my dog kennel as the dried surface is not toxic to animals either..


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## PandaBearJeff (Aug 19, 2013)

catman said:


> Jeff said " i've been reading up on the EPA website, and it seems like DEET is fine.... well as deemed by them. The EPA is pretty legit, and in my opinion... somewhat credible... They've done testing and only found minor toxicity in small animals, and birds No proof that it is toxic to humans when applied to skin." That's what our government told us when I was in Viet Nam about Agent Orange.


I'm still a skeptical person, and i take consideration to what you have to say. I am all for trusting how you feel, humans are not retarded. And when something we don't like is on our skin, you can just tell. You guys have the most experience and have had more insect repellent on your body than i will ever have. Everyone just seemed to jump on the DEET is evil train, and i wanted to be the devils advocate.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

esrob said:


> i subject myself to enough chemicals that i aint skeert of a bit of deet.
> I also rarely heed to seafood consumption advisories.
> Crossed the street without looking before too...
> 
> But that's just me. I'm a rebel like that. A wild man.


 lol!


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

After all these years, he died of Deet poisoning. RIP old man. Getting ready to go fishing right now. Might just spray some on my shoes.


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## ncdead (Jun 16, 2015)

River said:


> When I moved to Hatteras I met something I hate worse than a Chigger, those little ticks .... we got the big tick up here, I can deal with those but that Dang little tick will bury it's head in some odd place and almost impossible to get the head out compared to the big ticks up here in the hills .... I'll take Chiggers any day over them sea ticks ..... Chiggers are not dangerous, I remember one time after picking berry when I was a kid .... I counted 16 Chigger bites the next day ..... you do a lot of scratching for a while and most of the time in all the wrong places ...


We had those on the farm in Virginia. We called them seed ticks and they were the worst. They were barely visible and you literally had to scratch them off. Somehow they had the ability to get underneath socks and boots and onto the tops of your feet. Some days dozens if not hundreds of them but rarely above the knees. The itching would drive you insane.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

DaBig2na
A lot of us never knew about chiggers until we got them. No way I am going to dress like you said. I will take my chances with long pants and a little bug spray. Thanks for the lesson. I don't think we are stupid.


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