How Kentuckians Can Deal With Those Inevitable Chigger Bites

I've already complained about this summer's unforgiving heat and humidity;  I won't belabor that issue. So I'll complain about something else...chiggers. They are in love with me this summer, and I would like that one-sided relationship to end.

But it's more specific than little old me. The word is apparently out in Chigger World that my right leg is fine dining. In just the past month, I've hosted four of those little suckers right around my knee. What's more, I've come to the conclusion that chigger bites itch worse than mosquito bites.

How Chiggers Bite

Let's start with dispelling the myth that chiggers burrow into your skin. They don't. However, what they do might sound even worse. (It did to me.) Instead, chiggers latch onto your skin, liquefying cells as they inject enzymes. That's where the itch comes from. Again, I think that sounds worse. But other than a truly annoying skin irritation, they're harmless. But you still want to avoid them. Here's a tutorial that's sure to make you itch.

Keeping Chiggers at Bay

The first thing you need to do is trim any tall grass in your yard or in areas of your property where you walk regularly. That's where they hang out, lying in wait.

If you do go for a walk, say, on a wooded trail, make sure it's cleared and that nothing brushes against your leg like vegetation. Long pant legs are also recommended, but a hard pill to swallow in the heat of the summer.

Chigger Remedies

There are repellent sprays containing DEET that will keep them off of you. And when you come back in, and you feel like you've been susceptible to chiggers, take a shower and put a bar of soap to work.

I've been applying hand sanitizer to the bites, and it's taken the itch away. But it might not for everyone. Also, that time-honored home remedy of putting fingernail polish on a bite to "smother" the chigger is not so honorable. For one thing, as we mentioned before, they are not beneath your skin.

Figuratively, though, they can get under your skin, as they have mine. As I write this, I feel like I'm due for a fifth bite in under a month. I'll see you at the drugstore counter.