Chigger Bite Prevention

Chiggers can administer nasty bites that lead to a lot of discomfort and pain. That is why chigger bite prevention becomes important. Read the following article for some methods on keeping these pesky creatures at bay.

Chigger bites can get very very bad for a human. Why? 'Coz these bites can lead to a number of skin disorders. Unlike a mosquito or bed bug bite, these insects render such potent bites that they are not merely limited to the surface of the skin but affect the person's health as well. That is why chigger bite prevention becomes important for everyone. The following article tells you how you should go through this process and what you should be doing for preventing chigger bites.

The Workings of Chiggers

Chiggers are these pesky little creatures (also known as red mites) that belong to the spider family and are red in color. They are usually invisible to the naked eye. So what exactly do these chiggers do that's got them on to our hate list? First things first - not all chiggers are bad. The adult and nymph stages of the chiggers are not really a threat to us humans at all. It is when they are in the larval stage that they can create havoc because they need nutrients from the human and animal body to proceed to the nymph stage. To get the nutrients, the larva attaches itself to the skin or the hair follicle of a human or animal and administers an insect bite whereby it injects a digestive enzyme into the body to break down skin cells. This results in the hardening of the skin and the formation of a tube like structure (stylostome) through which they suck the nutrients for prolonged periods. The digestive enzyme and saliva that they inject into the skin can lead to a lot of skin problems like itching in both, humans and animals and chigger bite symptoms will develop. And that is why chigger bite prevention becomes important. The remainder of this article will give you some essential tips on how to go about the process of chigger bite prevention and how to get rid of chiggers effectively.

Getting Rid of Chiggers

Understand that chigger bites are bad, not only to look at, but to suffer from as well. That's why these tips on chigger bite prevention are meant to help. Here are some of the ways in which you can prevent chigger bites:

Avoid Breeding Grounds

Chiggers thrive in areas that are wet and grassy and are therefore found in fields, around lakes, creeks and forests. So whenever you are in their prime breeding grounds, make sure that you do not sit down which makes it easy for them to get to you. And as far as possible try and avoid going into those areas. If you cannot avoid a visit, then stick to the trails and do not wander into the thick grasslands.

Chigger Repellents

Several types of chigger repellents are readily available at all medical stores. Use them on your clothes and shoes before going into a chigger infested area so that you avoid their infestation in the first place.

Safety Clothing

Make sure that you wear clothes that cover your skin completely. Which also includes caps, socks and if possible, gloves. Check to ensure that the clothes have no gaps from where the chiggers can enter. After you pass through a potential chigger infested area, make sure you immediately have a hot bath and soak your clothes in a sanitizer liquid.

Bathing

Many a times people will not realize that they've been bitten by chiggers until there are a host of chigger bites that prove otherwise. The best way to avoid this is to have a hot water bath immediately after you have visited a potentially dangerous area (chigger wise). Take special care to thoroughly lather yourself and wash your hair too. More often than not, this will help to get rid of the chiggers, if any have attached themselves to the folds of your skin and render any chigger bite treatment useless.

Chigger bite prevention is made easier when you know what the different factors are that you should be looking into for ways to get rid of chiggers. I hope this article will help in making you aware of how to save yourselves the ordeal of dealing with chigger bites.