Do you have any chiggers bites from the last time you went hunting? Are you here to find out how to avoid chiggers while hunting?
Can you prepare to repel chiggers in advance? What can you do if they are persistent? How can we keep them away?
In this article, we’ll devote our time and attention to Avoid Chiggers While Hunting.
How to Avoid Chiggers While Hunting
Wear long sleeved clothes that were already treated with a bug spray like Permethrin well before you put them on. Tuck everything in and do not expose your skin. Avoid hot and humid afternoons where chiggers thrive.
Choose to hunt earlier in the day when temperatures are between 42-77 degrees Fahrenheit. Use sulfur powder to avoid chemical applications and watch where you are sitting.
Top 5 Ways To Avoid Ticks And Chiggers
When avoiding chiggers in nature, while hunting or trekking through the wilderness, we can take some precautions and pre-emptive actions such as:
- Wear long socks and tuck your pants into each one
- Your shirts should also be tucked into your pants to not expose your waist.
- Light colored clothes help you see chiggers better.
- Permethrin is a bug repellent that works as a spray on your clothes.
- Take a shower, hose yourself off or douse water on yourself from a bottle as soon as you are complete.
Chigger bites are awful, but they are avoidable. Covering up any exposed skin is essential. Gloves, long sleeves, long boots and all skin coverings are highly recommended.
The lighter your clothes, the easier it is to see them. Carry Permethrin or other Deet products that repel chiggers. Protecting yourself by planning ahead will save you from the frustration and irritation of chigger bites.
Why Do Chiggers Affect Hunters?
Chiggers are the larva of mites. They don’t carry diseases like ticks, but they stick to your skin and clothes. The itchy feeling is awful and avoiding their bites are crucial.
These red bugs are found in areas that are:
- warm
- moist
- humid
- through brush
- in bushes
- tall grass
- weeds
- swamps
- forests
- marches
Hunters routinely stay still in chigger hotspots. This gives them ample time to attach to their clothes and bodies. The more humid the weather, the higher the likelihood of hunters being exposed to common chigger hangouts.
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6 Ways To Avoid Chiggers While Hunting
- Watch where you sit
- Plan to go out when chiggers are not so active
- Dress well to resist chiggers
- Use spray repellent
- Dust with sulfur powder
- Scrub and shower immediately
1. Watch Where You Sit
Avoid making contact directly with the ground. A folding chair, stool or blanket is better than sitting on a log or stump. These natural seating areas are where chiggers routinely wait to hop aboard a warm body and begin biting.
2. Plan to go out when chiggers are not so active
Chiggers are more active when the weather is humid. Spring and summer afternoons where the temperature is between 77-86 degrees Fahrenheit brings chiggers out in droves.
Hunting when the weather is under 60 degrees Fahrenheit keep chiggers dormant. When the temperature drops under 42 degrees Fahrenheit, chiggers will die off.
3. Dress Well To Avoid Chiggers
- Wear long pants and long sleeved shirts
- Reduce any openings where skin is exposed
- Pull up socks and tuck your pants into them.
- Trek in long boots
4. Use Spray Repellent
Choose Permethrin spray or other DEET products to keep chiggers away. Make sure you are spraying on your sock line, waistline and especially around the ankles. If you apply it directly on your skin, wash it off immediately when your day of hunting is complete.
5. Dust With Sulfur Powder
Use powdered sulfur and dust your clothes with it. This is a better alternative to chemical applications. The downside is that you will smell like stinky rotting eggs. If the smells is a lesser enemy than persistent scratching, sulfur is a great option.
6. Scrub and shower
Take a shower, scrub your skin and use warm water. Any chiggers that may have found their way on your skin will release and fall off. Since chiggers don’t burrow under the skin like mites, they will fall off easier with gentle scrubbing and warm water.
What To Do When A Chigger Bites
If you are bitten by chiggers, use either:
- hydrocortisone
- calamine lotion
Scratching will make things worse. You may spread it and it could cause a bacterial infection.
Visit a doctor if you end up with a fever or intense swelling. It may be due to an allergic reaction to the creams, sprays or scratching. The bite itself doesn’t contain any toxic poison.
Does Octagon Soap For Chiggers?
Octagon soap works doesn’t smell great, but it works well to prevent chiggers. It is brown in color and available online or in some grocery stores.
You can use this soap in the shower before you go out for a day of hunting. When you return, use it again with a heavy lather. Turn the water off and lather for 5 minutes before washing it off.
Chiggers will be repelled by the odor of this soap that remains on your skin when you return to hunt the following day.
Does Petroleum Jelly Work For Chiggers?
This is a trick I learned from some hunters who wear rubber boots. The boots themselves are thick. At the top of the boots, begin spreading petroleum jelly. Then, tuck your pants into your boots.
Chiggers won’t make it past the petroleum jelly to attempt getting through where your boots and socks meet.
There is no foul odor and petroleum jelly is easy to obtain. Apply and use without worrying about spraying toxic chemicals on yourself every hour.
Does Permethrin Spray Work For Chiggers?
Spray Permethrin spray on your clothes to keep chiggers away. It doesn’t smell too great and chiggers will be repelled by it. Your sweat or water will wash if off. You will need to reapply throughout the day.
Soak your clothes with bug spray before hunting. Let the spray dry on your clothes for up to four hours. Spray it on your clothes before you wear them.
One application can last on dry clothes that aren’t being washed for up to 6 weeks. Keep in mind that you are treating your clothes the way you would treat wood. This is the best way to use Permethrin spray.
Conclusion
We hope that the next time you spend most of your time in tall grass, through brush and around forests that contain chiggers, your clothes are treated with bug spray and your skin is not exposed. Chigger bites get worse with scratching, but they carry no poison.
Thanks for visiting ThePestManagement.com for the best information to help you to make the pest control process easy, safe & affordable.
