Tick prevention

[WinterDeere]

I have often wondered how difficult it must be for those with darker skin tone to find ticks on themselves. They stand out pretty well on light colored skin, but it would seem they would blend in pretty well with dark skin.

I suspect most find them by feel, before sight. I know I do, and I'm English-German... not exactly dark.

 

[lman]

Mostly a southern problem, as I understand it. But you've got a bunch of posters from PA, NY, VT, and CT on this thread!

I remember hearing of chiggers from a friend as a kid, he was from Georgia, but I've never actually seen one.

When I was a kid, we went to Kentucky one summer and I had some severe itching and was told it was chiggers but I never saw them. I don't think you can see them unless you have microscopic eyes.

 

[WinterDeere]

When I was a kid, we went to Kentucky one summer and I had some severe itching and was told it was chiggers but I never saw them. I don't think you can see them unless you have microscopic eyes.

I guess if you spent time in a place where they were common, you'd know that! But it's aside from the point.

Very first hit on Google, to "chiggers primary habitat":

I checked the next three as well, none mentioned the American Northeast. If they exist at all up here, they certainly aren't common.

A polar bear was once spotted as far south as Fort Yukon, but don't count on ever finding one there, yourself!

 

[Bocephous]

Don't overlook what many say "The only good snake is a dead snake". Barn cats are also good rodent control but prey on birds as well.

I leave snakes alone, generally speaking. Water snakes in my pond sometimes get the machete, but garter snakes in my yard are entirely safe from me.

 

[WinterDeere]

Same. The many garter and few corn or black snakes I've seen, I've let them all live. I have hit a garter with the mower once, felt real bad about it, as the poor guy seemed to be just napping by the woodpile when I rolled up on him too fast.

That said, my great-grandfather was killed by a local rattler, and my dad has come across local copperhead nests. If I ever saw either of those in my yard, it'd be a shotgun target, but I never have.

 

[garry1p]

In the south I should think anyone who has picked wild blackberry's knows they are chigger condos.

Deet works good for keeping chiggers off however, once on and itching like crazy I wet a paper towel and dab Clorox on the area. Nail polish has never worked for me but a lot of people say it works.

 

[ponytug]

I was in the nail polish camp myself, but even with that it is/was a multi day itch. I came across something that is prescription use only, and really pricey, but as an off label use cuts the chigger reaction to a few minutes of itch, and no wheals.

@WinterDeere I'm glad that you haven't experienced chiggers personally. May you always be so fortunate. I've encountered them in Massachusetts and north, so they are around, even if they aren't common where you are. So, I read the "low" on the map above as "present", but not "omnipresent". A google search for chiggers and Pennsylvania turns up lots of folks saying that they are around. Perhaps your property is dry enough to not have very many?

All the best, Peter

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Chiggers bite and leave which is why fingernail polish doesn't work. They're basically tiny red spiders and those and ticks love me. Permethrin works but I forget to use it which is why by July my lily white skin is red and bleeding...head to toe even my junk.
I finally resort to a wire brush and Lava soap.
I've had Lyme disease twice and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever once (that I know of) and I keep a bottle of Doxycyclene next to my tweezers.
Virginia has every kind of terrible creature, poison ivy, creeper...you name it.
When settlers landed at Jamestown in 1607 I'm sure the natives thought let these idiots have this he((-hole.

 

[Highlandr]

Chiggers bite and leave which is why fingernail polish doesn't work. They're basically tiny red spiders

Yep. By the time you itch they've dropped off.

They're actually mites... in the larval stage.

Trombiculidae - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I use a product from Sawyer called Picaridin.

-----------------------

Picaridin is a highly effective, synthetic insect repellent designed to be applied directly to the skin or clothing. It is modeled after piperine, a natural compound found in black pepper plants. It provides long-lasting protection against mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, gnats, and chiggers.

Key Features and Benefits
Picaridin is a popular alternative to DEET due to its user-friendly properties.

Gear-Safe: Unlike DEET, picaridin will not melt or damage plastics, synthetics, fishing lines, or sunglasses.

Comfortable to Wear: It is odorless, non-greasy, and generally less likely to cause skin irritation.

Safety: It is safe for the whole family, including pregnant women and children over 6 months of age.

How It Works
Rather than killing insects, picaridin works by creating a vapor barrier on the skin that blocks insects' receptors. This prevents them from smelling or finding you, making it an excellent tool for preventing vector-borne diseases like Zika, West Nile, and Lyme disease.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Yep. By the time you itch they've dropped off.

They're actually mites... in the larval stage.

Trombiculidae - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I use a product from Sawyer called Picaridin.

Picaridin is a highly effective, synthetic insect repellent designed to be applied directly to the skin or clothing. It is modeled after piperine, a natural compound found in black pepper plants. It provides long-lasting protection against mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, gnats, and chiggers.

Key Features and Benefits
Picaridin is a popular alternative to DEET due to its user-friendly properties.

Gear-Safe: Unlike DEET, picaridin will not melt or damage plastics, synthetics, fishing lines, or sunglasses.

Comfortable to Wear: It is odorless, non-greasy, and generally less likely to cause skin irritation.

Safety: It is safe for the whole family, including pregnant women and children over 6 months of age.

How It Works
Rather than killing insects, picaridin works by creating a vapor barrier on the skin that blocks insects' receptors. This prevents them from smelling or finding you, making it an excellent tool for preventing vector-borne diseases like Zika, West Nile, and Lyme disease.

Thanks...I have that also...forget to use it.
I read where Lyme can cause brain damage which probably explains why I now stutter, trip over stuff & forget putting on chemicals or sprays.
Chiggers must have sneaked onto the Ark unnoticed.

 

[WinterDeere]

Chiggers must have sneaked onto the Ark unnoticed.

 

[dlctcg]

I have posted on this subject multiple times before; as it has affected our lives for many years.

We use both the Sawyer Premium 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent & the Sawyer Permethrin Insect Repellent for Clothing with good results. I also spray our immediate yard area & our garden area with CedarCide (cedar oil spray) & it has made a big difference in those areas; also spray garlic oil at the same time (for different pests).

If we are in the woods or working in the driveway we use a combination of the Sawyer products & CedarCide products on ourselves & the dogs (CedarCide is human / pet friendly & it works). We unfortunately live in the state Lyme got it's name from; and due to Lyme (& the other co-infections) not being found / or correctly diagnosed my wife has been suffering for 16+ years with permanent neurological complication to the point that we need a transport chair to get her around on a regular basis....this is someone that ran her own physically demanding company, worked out 5 days a week & then walked the dogs a mile plus when she got home prior & now cannot always finish a complete thought in a sentence.

I have used the cotton ball / Permethrin / toilet paper rolls & I think it helps... so do barn cats & bucket traps... & chickens...

But, stay diligent in Tick prevention... if you never hear of CedarCide look into it for yourself. We have been using it for 12+ yrs with the results to keep us using the product.

 

[Highlandr]

+1 for CedarCide.

I had forgotten about it. We used it on us and the dog when we had a dog.

 

[Bearsixty7]

We have ticks pretty bad on the property in SW Missouri we bought in 2024. The place has an old barn that works well to keep the tractor and some implements in. The problem was every time I did an implement change or put the tractor away for the day, I had lots of ticks. I spread about 3 bags of Granular pest control stuff from Lowe's around the barn and the next day, no ticks on me. Didn't get any from there all last year either. I'll spread more when we go up in a few weeks hoping an annual treatment will be effective.
Then for working in the woods and fields we tried the Sawyer Permethrin spray last year on 2 sets of clothes each for my wife and I, retreating after every 7 washings and that really seemed to work. We may have found only 2 or 3 on us all year and they were crawling when spotted, none had attached that I recall.
I just received more bottles for treating our clothes for this year.

I like the cotton ball trick and will try a few of those around the barn. Is the Sawyer Permethrin spray I have the right stuff to use?

 

[John_Mc]

I like the cotton ball trick and will try a few of those around the barn. Is the Sawyer Permethrin spray I have the right stuff to use?

If you are making the tick tubes (cotton balls soaked with permethrin), you need a 7% solution. The stuff you spray on clothing is generally 0.5%.

 

[RayIN]

Plenty of chiggers in KY! Very common if you wore shorts and rolled around in the grass. We'd put clear nail polish and similar stuff on the bites to "smother" them, but we actually never saw a chigger either. Kinda like the Florida "no-seeums".

Chiggers are actually tiny mite larve. Loggers call them turkey ticks for some reason.
ref: Chiggers and Their Control
When I was a kid, dad would wet a couple rags with diesel fuel then tie them around my ankles, outside my clothing. I could pick berries all day without getting a chigger bite.
Then DEET came along and no more diesel fuel rags.

 

[WinterDeere]

Then DEET came along and no more diesel fuel rags.

"Son, just stay away from the camp fire!"

 

[bmaverick]

How to get rids of nasty insects like ants, ticks, flies, etc.

Yet, do not place around the gardens or flowers. This will keep pollinators away.

The insects are repelled by an electrical static charge in the air. The insects determine it's a threat and will stay back. It's very effective for 25FT for each one placed.

Notice there is no height mentioned. The shorter types work for insects near the ground. Taller types up to 3FT take care of both ground and flying insects.
This is old school science our great grandparents and grandparents used.

IF you make the same device above at 3FT with only copper wound wire and no zinc, the device changes into an antenna. Having it within 6 inches of a garden plant trunk to the roots will bring in cosmic low frequencies for the plant to thrive. This again is very old school tech of electroculture gardening. Often utilized for at least a few thousand years until the WW1/2 came about. It's the large giant pumpkin secret to win at the county fairs!

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

^^^
Thanks and very interesting!
It doesn't say but in wrapping the two wires up wooden dowel they're close but don't touch at the ends?

 

[Bearsixty7]

If you are making the tick tubes (cotton balls soaked with permethrin), you need a 7% solution. The stuff you spray on clothing is generally 0.5%.

I haven't found any 7%, will 10% work? Tractor Supply and amazon have that.