Hunting & Fishing My solution to ticks/chiggers

[ddavis]

While I occasionally get ticks, I am a MAGNET for chiggers/red bugs. Anytime I go hunting or even walking through a grassy field I would have to deal with the itchy bites for days afterward. I found Permethrin works pretty well, but I don't care to spray it on my clothes and wait for it to dry every time I wanted to go out.

My solution was to get a pair of gaiters and soak the crap out of them with Permethrin, then wear them over whatever pants I wear out to the field. Snakes are prevalent in S. Texas so I figured they might as well provide protection from fangs too.

I ended up with these:

http://www.turtleskin.com/Snake-Gaiters.aspx

They are not cheap, but should last practically forever. They keep cactus out of my shins, will give me some protection from snakes, and most importantly, prevent chigger bites!

I've been using them for about a year now and have not been bitten by anything (other than mosquitoes!) since I started wearing them. Other than being hot in the summer, they are soft enough to be pretty comfortable for the puncture protection that they provide.



 

 

[flounderv2]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

Not a bad idea, especially if you have snakes in your area.

 

[Chopperguy]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

I like the idea.

I do wear my safari gaiters when bird hunting here. Has the added bonus of keeping the stickers off my socks.

 

[Nathaniel4545]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

2 thumbs up! lived in texas for 2.5 years and I know too well about the chiggers!

 

[battlestick]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

I may have to try these. We pig hunt alot at night during the summer. These would last through several pairs of boots.

Thanks for the good info.

 

[Casey Simpson]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

Nice ass. (just teasing you about the pose)
Consuming garlic, curry, cayenne and other herbs and spices repels them too. Notice how mosquitos are attracted to some and not others? Its because of what they've been eating.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ddavis</div><div class="ubbcode-body">While I occasionally get ticks, I am a MAGNET for chiggers/red bugs. Anytime I go hunting or even walking through a grassy field I would have to deal with the itchy bites for days afterward. I found Permethrin works pretty well, but I don't care to spray it on my clothes and wait for it to dry every time I wanted to go out.

My solution was to get a pair of gaiters and soak the crap out of them with Permethrin, then wear them over whatever pants I wear out to the field. Snakes are prevalent in S. Texas so I figured they might as well provide protection from fangs too.

I ended up with these:

http://www.turtleskin.com/Snake-Gaiters.aspx

They are not cheap, but should last practically forever. They keep cactus out of my shins, will give me some protection from snakes, and most importantly, prevent chigger bites!

I've been using them for about a year now and have not been bitten by anything (other than mosquitoes!) since I started wearing them. Other than being hot in the summer, they are soft enough to be pretty comfortable for the puncture protection that they provide.



</div></div>

 

[ddavis]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Casey Simpson</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Nice ass. (just teasing you about the pose)
Consuming garlic, curry, cayenne and other herbs and spices repels them to. Notice how misqitoes are attracted to some and not others? Its because of what they've been eating.
</div></div>

Guess I need to start eating more coon-ass food!

 

[Casey Simpson]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers



Another approach to repelling mosquitoes is to take 100 mg of vitamin B-1 (thiamine). The original research on this was done in the 1940s and doesn't meet today's standards. But we recently heard from a reader who found it very effective: "Twenty years ago, my husband and I went backpacking in the High Sierras with three friends. It was an extremely wet year with a lot of snow melting.
"On the east side, we had many good places to camp. But on the west side, there wasn't a dry spot to be found. Where there wasn't snow, there were soggy marshes, ponds, and swollen streams. It was mosquito heaven!
"Anticipating such conditions, my husband and I began taking a daily vitamin B-1 supplement two weeks before the trip. No one else in our group believed in this advice, and they all stuck with conventional insect repellent.
"Never in my life (and I grew up in New Jersey) had I seen so many mosquitoes. They hovered in thick black blankets over every square inch of our bodies. They tried to enter every available orifice, making it unpleasant to eat, drink water, or go to the bathroom. It was so horrible that after two days on that side of the mountain, we gave up and retreated to the east side.
"My husband and I had only seven mosquito bites between us after those two nightmarish days. Our three friends, however, were literally covered with bites. One woman had more than 50 bites on a small section of her shoulder. There was a solid row of bites along the part of her hair. Each of the three was similarly blanketed with bites. The evidence I've provided is purely anecdotal, not scientific, but it was enough to prove to me the value of vitamin B-1 for keeping mosquitoes from thinking you're a good target."
The theory is that oral doses of vitamin B-1 create a smell at the level of the skin that mosquitoes don't like. But some people report that what once worked well is less effective against some species of mosquito. Personal body chemistry may also have something to do with effectiveness.
Garlic capsules also have their enthusiasts, but the odor might discourage people as much as mosquitoes.
Home-made insect repellent can be put together using 1 tablespoon citronella oil, 2 cups white vinegar, 1 cup water and 1 cup Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil.
A product called Bite Blocker contains soybean, coconut and geranium oils. In a Canadian study, Bite Blocker repelled mosquitoes better than citronella and a brand with a low concentration of the effective chemical repellent DEET.
No insect repellent, even DEET, is one hundred percent effective. To relieve itching, a prescription-strength steroid cream may work, but applying hot water (uncomfortable, but not scalding) for a few seconds relieves itching for an hour or more.
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/05/17/natural-mosquito-repellants/

 

[RADcustom]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

Your use of the "ch" word is appalling and racist. The more acceptable term is "chigros" or "reds". Please make a note of it.

 

[ddavis]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RADcustom</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Your use of the "ch" word is appalling and racist. The more acceptable term is "chigros" or "reds". Please make a note of it. </div></div>

Note taken. Now that I think about it, coon-ass probably is too. Raccoon-posterior is the better choice.

 

[pwc001]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ddavis</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Casey Simpson</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Nice ass. (just teasing you about the pose)
Consuming garlic, curry, cayenne and other herbs and spices repels them to. Notice how misqitoes are attracted to some and not others? Its because of what they've been eating.
</div></div>

Guess I need to start eating more coon-ass food!

</div></div>

Guess they do not like beer and Tabasco then, because they rarely bother me.

 

[WillAdams]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

RADcustom, KMA !! Do a friggin search for "chigger" even better how about a report from a Univ ?
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2100.html

What a dumbmass.

 

[CASDB]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he was being facetious.

 

[RADcustom]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Will</div><div class="ubbcode-body">RADcustom, KMA !! Do a friggin search for "chigger" even better how about a report from a Univ ?
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2100.html

What a dumbmass. </div></div>

I guess I should have used a

or something to show I was joking.

Lighten up, Francis.

Here is a link for you too.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dumbass
Note the spelling.

 

[RADcustom]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ddavis</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RADcustom</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Your use of the "ch" word is appalling and racist. The more acceptable term is "chigros" or "reds". Please make a note of it. </div></div>

Note taken. Now that I think about it, coon-ass probably is too. Raccoon-posterior is the better choice. </div></div>

No, coon-ass is acceptable for the ones I know.

There's even a club.

 

[pwc001]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Will</div><div class="ubbcode-body">RADcustom, KMA !! Do a friggin search for "chigger" even better how about a report from a Univ ?
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2100.html

What a dumbmass. </div></div>

Cool down, he was kidding. Damn.

 

[HonkeyMcGee88]

Re: My solution to ticks/chiggers

Should say other than being hot in the summer and the winter. I went to the lease yesterday and was sweating all day. It's the middle of December, WTF.