Have you ever been out enjoying your yard and then had the misfortune of getting a bite on your feet or ankles that wouldn’t quit itching? You likely had a run-in with chiggers.
Thankfully, there are ways to get rid of chiggers in your yard and enjoy life outdoors without having to furiously scratch your irritated skin. This article tells you everything you need to know about chiggers, from how to get rid of chiggers in your yard to how to treat bites.
What are chiggers?
Chiggers are tiny parasitic arachnids that resemble ticks, but they are red, orange, or yellow; six-legged; and the size of a grain of sand that only grows up to 1/50 of an inch. This makes them barely visible to the naked eye.
Chiggers are known by many names:
- Berry bugs
- Harvest lice
- Harvest mites
- Red bugs
- Scrub mites
Adult chiggers don’t bite; it is juvenile chiggers who pose a problem, as the larvae are the ones that cause painful itches.
They won’t harm your lawn in particular, but they can annoy you. However, you usually won’t even know that chiggers are around until you get bitten and start feeling the urge to scratch.
Chiggers are most active during the summer months when it’s warm or humid outside. Typically, chiggers often latch on to animal hosts, but humans also can become hosts for chiggers if they brush up against foliage where a chigger is hiding.
Here’s how chiggers attack:
- The chigger larvae attach themselves to your skin and bite you. They are too small for the actual bite to hurt. Still, the saliva in their bite releases digestive enzymes that break down your skin cells, turning them into mush and allowing the chiggers to suck them.
- The bite will leave a red, hardened, and itchy bump (or bumps) on your skin.
- They usually attack in groups, so if you see those red spots, carefully check if you have any more on other parts of your body.
- Once chiggers mature from the larval form, they become nymphs (usually after three days). Then, they drop from the host to the ground and change their feeding habits to other insects.
Luckily, chiggers are not known to carry infectious diseases, although their painful bites are bothersome enough.
How to get rid of chiggers naturally
There are a few natural ways to get rid of these pests that won’t harm the environment around your home or leave harmful residues behind on furniture and other items.
Tip: If you know there’s a chigger infestation on your lawn, wear pantyhose underneath your clothes, or tuck your pant leg inside your socks before starting your chigger extermination. If possible, use repellent containing DEET.
Mow your lawn
Tall grasses are hot spots for chiggers to hang out in while they wait for their next human meal. Here are a few lawn care practices that can help you limit the number of chiggers in your yard:
- Frequent mowing.
- Trim shrubs, bushes, and any other overgrown vegetation to reduce shady areas.
- Get rid of debris, leaf litter, and wood piles.
- Give special attention to tall grasses around your pet houses.
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth is a natural remedy that can help you eliminate chiggers. It’s an all-natural, non-toxic product made from the fossilized remains of diatoms — microscopic algae that live in freshwater.
Diatomaceous earth kills chiggers by dehydrating them and preventing their bodily fluids from circulating properly or by slicing them with its sharp granules.
You can easily buy this product at most garden centers or on Amazon, and it’s very straightforward to apply. Just put on some gloves and sprinkle it over hot spots areas where there are tall grasses, shade, shrubs, or dog houses.
Apply sulfur powder
Sulfur won’t kill chiggers, but it can disrupt their metabolism and repel them away from your yard if used at the correct proportions. A light application can spread chiggers to other areas of your yard instead of completely removing them.
Dust 1 pound of powder sulfur in your lawn per 500 square feet to keep chiggers out of your yard.
To protect yourself from chigger bites, you also can dust your clothing or shoes with sulfur powder.
Warning: Sulfur can poison pets if eaten, so it’s best to choose another pest control method if you have four-legged friends walking around your yard.
Use essential oils
Essential oils can be a natural way to shoo chiggers out of your yard. Some chigger repellent oils are already premade, but it’s also possible to make your own.
Here are some essential oils that are effective methods for keeping chiggers away from your lawn:
- Citronella
- Eucalyptus
- Geranium
- Lavender
- Lemongrass
- Peppermint oil
- Tea tree
- Thyme
Aside from essential oils, apple cider vinegar is also something you can try. Mix some apple cider vinegar with water and then spray it around the perimeter of your yard to discourage chiggers from lurking in your lawn.
Discourage wildlife in your yard
An indirect way to keep chiggers out of your lawn is to scare away wildlife, since animals are the most common host for chiggers, including critters such as:
- Amphibians
- Birds
- Small mammals
- Reptiles
To prevent wildlife from entering your yard – and bringing chiggers with them – here are some things you can do that will make your yard less welcoming:
- Remove water sources. Cover or remove outdoor containers of water such as pet bowls, bird baths, or empty buckets or pots that might fill up with water when it rains.
- Get rid of all food sources. Make sure your trash cans are tightly sealed, don’t leave pet food sitting outside, and pick up any fallen fruit or nuts in your yard.
- Trim back vegetative growth. Mowed grass and trimmed bushes reduce the amount of spaces where wildlife and bugs can hide.
Remove sources of shade
Since they don’t like the intensity of direct sunlight, chiggers prefer shaded areas, so making sure your lawn gets plenty of sun exposure each day will keep chiggers away.
Trimming back trees or bushy shrubbery can reduce the amount of shade in your lawn. Look for other objects that shade your lawn during the day and see if it’s possible to remove them.
How to get rid of chiggers with inorganic chemicals
If you’ve ever tried to get rid of chiggers on your lawn, you know how difficult they can be to defeat. Sometimes the natural methods don’t work. Here’s how you can use chemicals to get rid of chiggers:
Use insecticides
Insecticides are more helpful in getting rid of chiggers when applied directly to the areas where they tend to hang out, such as tall grasses, places with low sunlight, and around dog houses.
Search for liquid insecticide products containing one of the following chemicals:
- Bifenthrin
- Carbaryl
- Cyfluthrin
- Cyhalothrin
- Diazinon
- Permethrin
Always check to make sure the pesticide will kill chiggers to ensure you get the best results without harming other animals or plants in your yard. Also, always read instructions and wear protective clothing when applying any kind of chemical to your lawn.
How to prevent chiggers on your lawn
Harvest mites love to lurk in grassy areas overgrown with weeds or dense brush, which is why regular lawn maintenance is important for keeping chiggers away.
For yard pest control, you can prevent chiggers from appearing on your lawn and from making you afraid to go outdoors by following these landscaping tips:
- Mow your grass frequently
- Chiggers especially dislike sunny areas, so trim shrubs and bushes back
- Get rid of weeds
- Remove debris, dead leaves, and woodpiles
- Get rid of the trash that can collect moisture (newspapers, food wrappers, plastic bags)
How to identify chiggers
If you think you have chiggers in your yard, there’s a simple way to find out, using a piece of black cardboard.
- Prop a piece of black cardboard upright in an area that you suspect is a chigger hotspot. Wait a little while. After a few minutes, the chiggers (if there are any) will move toward the cardboard.
- Inspect the cardboard for chiggers. It will be easier to see them, as they will appear as small reddish dots moving across the black cardboard surface. You can use a magnifying glass to confirm that what you are seeing is tiny chiggers.
If chiggers appear on the cardboard, use the methods listed in this article to eliminate them.
How to prevent chigger bites
Personal protection is critical when dealing with chiggers. Here’s how you can protect yourself from their bites:
- Avoid walking through overgrown, unmowed grass lawns or wooded areas.
- If you’re going to hike or walk through tall grass areas, use insect repellent containing diethyltoluamide (DEET), and reapply every two to three hours.
- Wear insect-repellent clothing, such as shirts with long sleeves and long pants tucked into tall socks. Try not to leave any exposed skin.
- Wear pantyhose underneath your clothes.
- Take a shower with hot water immediately after hiking or going through tall grasses, and scrub yourself with a washcloth.
- Wash and dry your clothes on high heat.
- If you cannot take a hot shower after walking through overgrown areas, rub your skin with a dry towel.
Chiggers don’t live long, so there is no reason to treat the inside of the house for them, since they will only last a few days before dying or dropping off.
Signs of chigger bites
If a family member or pet has been scratching their legs, torso, or neck lately, there is a chance that chiggers have bitten them.
The most common symptom of chigger bites is intense itching. Other symptoms include:
- Red bumps
- Blisters
- Hives (raised red welts)
- Swelling around the bite site
- Itching lasts for several days to weeks after the bite
How to treat chigger bites
If you get bit by a chigger, there’s no need to panic. The first thing you should do is wash the bite with warm, soapy water to remove chiggers that might be clinging to your skin.
Then you can treat the affected area and the itching associated with chigger bites with the following over-the-counter products:
- Benzocaine ointment is a topical anesthetic that works by blocking the nerves in your skin from sending pain signals to your brain.
- Hydrocortisone cream is a steroid that relieves swelling, itching, and inflammation caused by chigger bites.
- Calamine lotion soothes the itching from chigger bites by cooling down your skin and removing excess moisture from your pores.
- Oral antihistamines can reduce your body’s allergic reaction and relieve itching. Benadryl is effective for dealing with chigger bites.
Applying a cold compress or a cold washcloth to chigger bites can provide relief to your irritated skin.
Tip: Avoid scratching the red bumps so you don’t end up breaking your skin and causing an infection.
FAQ about chiggers
Do chiggers burrow into your skin?
Contrary to popular belief, chiggers do not burrow into human skin or suck our blood. Instead, they bite into the skin and secrete enzymes that break down the skin’s cells so that they can feed on them.
Does rubbing alcohol kill chiggers?
Home remedies used to suffocate chiggers, such as rubbing alcohol and applying nail polish, are ineffective since chiggers don’t burrow into the skin.
How long do chiggers live on you?
Chiggers can live on humans for up to four days. However, the stinginess of their bites will usually stay for about two weeks.
When to hire a professional
Chiggers are annoying and painful, but with a bit of diligence, you can avoid them altogether. As long as you take the right preventative measures, you can live a chigger-free existence and hopefully won’t have to worry about these pesky creatures irritating your skin any time soon.
If your lawn needs some care to ensure it is not a place where chiggers thrive, Lawn Love can connect you with a local lawn care professional who can deal with your chigger problem and make your turf less attractive to these irksome pests.
Main photo credit: Alan R Walker | CC BY-SA 4.0 | via Wikimedia Commons
