Helptionary!

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These little red arachnids are so small that they are difficult to spot. They usually thrive in gardens and in the forest, and have a highly irritating bite. What is worse, when there is a chigger infestation in your yard, they will breed very fast and the problem can get out of control. When a person is bitten by chiggers, it is difficult to take them off and the bites need to be treated.

To get rid of chiggers, you can use insecticidal spray on and around plants within your home and garden. There are some that choose to spray the plants with organic soap, which will effectively choke the chiggers and place an end to their life cycle. Iodize salt will also work in getting rid of chiggers from any area, just place on a thick layer of salt on the infested soil, wait for 3 days, and sweep up the salt. You can plant herbs like lavender and pennyroyal that will act like as an insect repellant and keep the chiggers away.

If you have been bitten by chiggers, the leaves of the pennyroyal can be made into an infusion and be used to wash away any itchiness from chigger bites. The best thing to do after getting bitten by chiggers is to take of all items of clothing and soak in hot sudsy water with bleach, then to take a bath with either a tea rinse, head lice shampoo, or sulfur, lye or lavender soap. There is a common misconception that using bleach will help, it does work but it is not safe to use at all. Treat chigger bites by using witch hazel or hydrocortisone cream after bathing.

To prevent getting bitten by chiggers, you can wear protective, loose clothing. Powder your shoes with sulfur or products that contain DEET, take a bath in lavender soap, or apply citronella oil to your body to repel the insects before taking a trek out to the woods. Carry with you some rubbing alcohol in your first aid kit so you can immediately pour this onto a chigger bite.