Ticks and Chiggers

Burrowing Parasitic insects

Anyone who has spent some time in the woods has either had ticks or chiggers or at least knows about them. If you don't, you would sooner or later.  

   Ticks bury their head into your flesh and hold on for dear life and are virtually impossible to remove by pulling without tearing off their heads, which remain under you skin and become festered or even infected. The head is tiny and so is the body before it become engorged with blood, and a leftover head can be worse than the tick taking its fill and then dropping off to lay it's eggs on some bush, where another victim will someday brush against, starting the cycle al over. However it is best to remove the tick as soon as it is discovered to reduce the possibility of tick fever; Rocky mountain tick Spotted Fever, or Lyme  disease. These diseases can be debilitating or even deadly. Even if you don't contact a disease you will be uncomfortable and a large number of them will drain your strength. 

Ticks can be found anywhere a host dropped them. In fields forest and highland. 

Young or deflated ticks may be even smaller than these  

     the engorged ticks body is huge but his head stays tiny.

May not be actual size depending on your monitor settings

The young or deflated  are extremely small and difficult to see, that is until they have fed on blood then they get huge; about the size of a kernal of corn or even an old trail standby "Corn nuts". You may see several close together where they were rubbed off a branch all together but usually there will be one here and another there.

   Chiggers on the other hand tunnel right down into your skin layer where they grow. multiply and can raise holy heck. Most chigger are so tiny you will never see them but you will know that they are there. Red welts form where they are residing and are extremely itchy. Some varieties such as the larger ones they have in the tropical regions of Central America can cripple a person in a couple of days if not removed surgically, even if it has to be "camp surgery".  Chigger are most commonly found in moist areas and can be picked up when sitting or laying on the ground or even just walking.  
A chigger infestation - click on image Each red bump is where a chigger burrowed in.

How to combat these critters

Prevention

Avoid  rubbing against brush or laying down on vegetation as much as possible.
Glance down at your legs and arms from time to time.
Wear long pants that are tucked into the socks or leggings or taping your pants cuffs shut.
Long-sleeved shirt tucked securely into the pants and secured with a belt.
Clothing should be light in color making it easier to spot ticks.
Perform tick checks regularly, especially those dark, moist areas and behind the ears.
Chiggers tend to attack skin that is normally protected and soft.
DEET based insect repellent applied to the skin will help but may make you feel overheated. Spray around your ankles with a repellant.
Permethrin repellent applied directly to clothing, tents, sleeping bags and any surface other than skin may stop them before the get to you.

What to do if you get these guys

Both chiggers and ticks will usually back out  if  a little kerosene or barbecue lighting fluid is rubbed on them and allowed to soak in. Do not go near fire while using flammable fluids such as in the next methods.  Some people will place the glowing end of a twig out of the campfire on ticks or even drip melted wax on them. Wart medicines and glues (PVC glue) work quite well. For chiggers you can use Head and Shoulder Shampoo that contains Pyrithione and Zinc, just dab a little on each raised area.
While not technically insects they need to have the pores in their body exposed to air and if you can find a safe way to smother them, then you may have little trouble removing them. Manually removing ticks is difficult and this is where you need you tweezers as recommended in your day pack first aid kit. Some people like the Sawyer's Tick Plier (813 /725-1177) as you can easily slide the jaws beneath the body and extract the tick without squeezing the tick's body or cutting the tick. When using the tweezers get as close as possible to the head, slowly pull the tick away from the skin without twisting or jerking.  

Chiggers because of their tiny size, are nearly impossible to tell if anything is having an effect on them and you may succeed without even knowing it. The chigger affected area will stay red and irritated for days. The itching will lessen  sooner if you were successful in treating them.

Once you have removed the ticks and chiggers, check the bite area to be sure none of the tick is still attached and then wash the areas with soap and water. Apply an antiseptic to the wound.

 Use caution with flammable fluids and insecticides.

  Permethrin-based products are designed to repel and kill arthropods or crawling insects, making them the preferred repellent for ticks. The currently available products will remain effective, repelling and killing mosquitoes, ticks and chiggers, for two weeks and through two launderings.

Permethrin-based products are sold under the following brand names: Permanone by Wisconsin Pharmacal (800/558-6614); and Permethrin Tick Repellent or Duranon, both by Coulston Products Inc. (800/445-9927).

See the other Pages we have on Safety

         back to top 

Click here to make wut2c.com your homepage 

   Go to top      Build an Itinerary

  About wut2.com       Advertise with us        Link to Us        Contact us     Report Errors         Job Opportunities          Legal           Copyright