Chiggers and Chigger Bites... Spawn of Satan? Perhaps. Camping at Uwharrie

Decided to take a great trip to UWharrie.   

There we could go camping and four wheeling in the Jeeps.

Great idea!   

Great fun!

Then of course, my husband got bitten by a spider and we all got chigger bites.

I am still just reading up on all kinds of wierd and wild ways to treat or prevent chigger bites.

Of course this is too little too late.


I was going to be adventurous and wear shorts.


Mistake #1.    Don't wear shorts.

Mistake #2.    I felt like something was biting my ankles, 

but I was in my tent, tired, 11 pm, so I went to sleep. I should have taken a shower &scrubbed them little varmints off !

Mistake #3.    At some points I wore sandals and never applied bug repellent.  Don't wear sandals, and DO wear bug repellant!

Mistake #4.    I wore the same pants....during the day I would wear one pair of pants or shorts, then at night wear some pajama's.   Mistake, the next day I would use the same pair.  Bring lots of changes of clothing.

The bites showed up on a Sunday morning.

We went hiking anyway!

 By Monday morning the bites were horrible and itchy.
I read up on all kinds of ways to treat the itch.

The blisters were itchy!

 I tried a paste of baking soda.  Some little relief.

I went to work.   The itch intensified.   That is when a co worker informed me that Chiggers are Satan's Spawn.   And there is no relief from the itch!
I went home.  I tried the vaporub and salt concoction.
I woke up in the night itching like crazy and throwing up.
By Tuesday I was miserable.
The welts had become similar to those of poison ivy.
The itch was crazy!
I tried:   Witch Hazel, Rubbing Alcohol, Campho Phenique, even Instant Ear-Dry, then Neosporin, and

              Hydrogen Peroxide.  Of course Benadryl.   (I did not try nail polish          because, before when I got chigger bites that didn't do me any good.)
   No relief.  I did not try an Epsom Salt Soak because there was too much of me that needed to soak.... and that would mean I would have to wash the bathtub!  I did not try ChiggerX because that would mean going out in 90 degree heat to get it.  heat makes the bites itch like crazy!

But by Thursday I was okay enough to go to work, I just made sure I wore clothing that was loose, as well as shoes that did not rub.

I read about a sergeant that made his men eat matches after lighting them, supposedly because the sulphur in the match would keep the buggers away.

I have heard to use listerine, deodorant, or toothpaste on the bites!

I have read to keep the little bastards off of you to:

Stay on the trail!  Avoid high grass and vegetation.
Apply Dawn, or Sulphur, keep yourself totally covered with clothing,
take a shower after being out, scrub yourself, change all your clothing and wash the clothes immediately.   I have heard of ChiggerX , Eurax, Chig-Away.   Use a bug repellent which has DEET.  Apply every two hours.  I have been told to stay inside when it is a certain temperature that the chiggers love.  I have been told to eat lots of raw garlic (which curiously has alot of sulphur!), lots of vitamin B. I have read that you can outfit yourself in Ex-Officio's line of clothing that is pretreated with permethrin.   The treatment lasts through 70 washings.  .

I am afraid I will probably have another run in with these horrible creatures.  Seeing as I do love being outdoors.  I think I may investigate buying some:
Dawn,
ChiggerX,
Sulphur.

Who knows, maybe my co-worker was right, maybe they really are spawns of Satan!