Chigger Bites

I posted a few days ago about it being blackberry and chigger season.  I’ve been pretty successful in avoiding chigger bites by putting on a repellant before going out to pick blackberries or do other things in the garden or yard.  I don’t use the chemical repellants because of all of the nasty stuff they put into them.  We get a product that contains several essential oils.  It is called Buzz Away and contains citronella oil, essential oils of cedarwood, peppermint, lemongrass, and eucalyptus as well as purified water, grain alcohol and castor oil.  The most effective repellant, according to several websites, and one we used at home when I was growing up is powdered sulfur dusted onto ones clothes.

 

A few days ago I went out to prune my black raspberry bushes and get the new canes tied up.  I sprayed my pants legs and shirt with the Buzz Away as usual.  But, for some reason I got bunches of chigger bites.  Connie thinks maybe I didn’t shake the bottle before spraying it or perhaps the little beasties were thicker and hungrier than usual.  The following photos, not glamorous, show my legs about two days after picking up the little critters.

  These are just the welts.  I haven’t been scratching them---although the urge to do so is pretty strong.  They itch worse at times more than at others.  One just must wait until they clear up, sometimes a week or 10 days.

Oh, I’ve been out since picking some more blackberries and the repellant seems to have worked.  Thankfully!