chiggers and Ticks Oh My !

[Lynn Cremona]

http://horsehints.org/Chigger.htm
lists various forms of addressing chigger bites

re Tick removal
Problem with applying something like Vaseline is that it causes the Tick to vomit into its host.
there are a number of tools (can also use a tweezer) for the purpose of removing a tick
these tools squeeze the Tick at its neck causing it to let go, then you can remove the entire tick

https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-basics ... k-removal/
http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/abo ... k-removal/

re Chigger Bites

Chiggers are unique among mites affecting humans and animals in that the immature stage (the larva) is the only parasitic stage. The six-legged larva may attach itself to a variety of hosts to feed. Once engorged, it leaves the host to become a nymph and eventually an adult; both nymph and adult are eight-legged. It is likely that nymphs and adults feed on insect eggs or small, soft and inactive soil invertebrates. The common North American chiggers require 50 to 70 days to develop from egg to adult

Typical host-seeking behavior by the larva consists of congregating in a shaded area near the top of an object in close contact with the earth, such as a blade of grass or a fallen leaf. Here they are activated by an increase in carbon dioxide as a vertebrate host approaches.

People who have been outdoors in chigger-infested vegetated areas may suffer intense itching 3 to 6 hours after exposure, followed by a dermatitis (skin inflammation).
A careful search of the skin after a trip through tall grass, weeds, or berry brambles will reveal minute, red mites, either moving fast or attached to the skin (really hard to see).
The itching is usually along sock tops, behind the knee, around the waistband, or other places where clothing fits tightly, although most bites occur below the knees. The itching may persist for many days.

Chigger larvae do not burrow into the skin, nor do they feed primarily on blood.

Their food usually consists of watery elements of tissue broken down by their digestive fluids; a few blood cells may be ingested. During larval feeding, the skin of the host becomes hardened, and a tube forms in which the mouthparts remain until feeding stops. It is probably the action of the digestive fluid that causes itching at the site of mouthpart attachment.

Skin Care
You may not know that you have been attacked by chiggers until welts appear and itching begins. Take a bath as soon as possible upon returning from a chigger-infested area. Apply a thick lather, rinse, and then repeat. This action kills most attached chiggers and ones not yet attached. Next, apply an antiseptic to the welts; this kills any remaining chiggers and prevents infection.
Destroying the chiggers reduces the itching but does not stop it. The fluid injected by the chiggers causes the itching, and no practical way to remove it has been found.
Conventional Treatment
For temporary relief of itching, apply ointments that contain benzocaine, hydrocortisone, or those used for relief of Poison Ivy itching.

and then there are our remedies for Inflammation from stings and bites
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