# EEE GADS...HELP CHIGGERS, What to do?



## LEFSElover (Aug 30, 2007)

oh my lord, just got in shower to rinse color off of hair.
I have little things, 4 of them, in me/on my skin but "in" my skin.
I looked them up and they are chiggers from me sitting in this vacant yard, where we were looking at a home for sale.  sat on the driveway and watched hubby walk the property, who knew I was being climbed on?  YIKES!  I saw little things on my jeans and took them off but have been told of chiggers before by a neighbor who was originally from Tennessee.

I finger nailed them out/off my skin, looked at them under a very powerful magnifying glass and THEY WERE MOVING.  This is a full 24 hours after leaving Tennessee.  Now I have red bumps where they 'were'.  I flushed them.

Am I okay?  What to do with the red bumps they left?  I read to sufficate them with clear nail polish like you do ring worm.  Oh my gosh, I am in horror..........

help with any advice please, freaking out here...


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## kitchenelf (Aug 30, 2007)

I'm clueless but here is a link.  I'm sure you have looked them up though.

Sorry!!!!!!!!  I wish I had more advice.


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## Katie H (Aug 30, 2007)

LEFSE, this is the best I could come up with to help remedy your problem.  Get better.  We have chiggers here.  They're crappy little dudes.


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## LEFSElover (Aug 30, 2007)

thanks to you both.  I did look up online what they looked like, googled it.  one link says probably can't be seen by the naked eye.  I could see them, and feel them as they are like little raised freckles almost.  anyway, I see by reading these I've already done wrong by scratching them off with my nails.  I found 3 more around my waistband area.  Oh gee yeah!  I'm gonna dot each of the areas with clear nail polish and pray hard that it'll be over soon.


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 30, 2007)

It's been a while since I have gotten these things. We call them red bugs. Anyway, Lysol, dabbed on seems to kill them instantly. Sometimes after blackberry picking we would take a bath with Lysol added to the water just to be cautious. It does stink, but it does work!

Have Fun (?)


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## Barbara L (Aug 30, 2007)

When we went on our yearly vacations to Missouri I always got a lot of chiggers. One year I counted 34 when I left. Most didn't last long but I had a couple hit a major blood supply and I had them a very long time. I tried the fingernail polish and I think it helped with some.

The thing to remember is to not walk around in tall grasses (you can have your yard sprayed for them) and not to wear a lot of tight clothing. They like to get in tight places, like under elastic. 

Barbara


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 30, 2007)

Miss Barbara...I think our chigger population has been diminished somewhat due to Southern Fire Ants. Or at least I don't get very often. Stepping a nice ant hill, is fun! fun! fun!


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## Barbara L (Aug 30, 2007)

LEFSElover said:


> I did look up online what they looked like, googled it. one link says probably can't be seen by the naked eye. I could see them,


I never could see them--and I had better vision than most--(unless there were a lot of them together, like under a chicken's wing), but my grandmother could see them.  Of course, she could also walk through a pasture and pluck 4-leaf clovers like crazy.  I have never found one in my life!

Barbara


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## Barbara L (Aug 30, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:


> Miss Barbara...I think our chigger population has been diminished somewhat due to Southern Fire Ants. Or at least I don't get very often. Stepping a nice ant hill, is fun! fun! fun!


I think I'd take chiggers any day! I HATE fire ants. Twice they have caught me by surprise and I didn't notice until a lot of them were up my jeans legs. I looked like a nut running into the house. Thank goodness no one could see me ripping all my clothes off on the way to the shower--I really looked like a nut by then (the first time was at a friend's house)!

Barbara
P.S. For anyone who has never experienced fire ants, if you wonder why I was racing for the showers like a lunatic--well they don't call them fire ants for nothing!


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## expatgirl (Aug 31, 2007)

Come to Kazakhstan---no chiggers, ants, fleas, or termites -----too freezing cold for them  minus 40 here in the winter!!!!!  But believe it or not we have seagulls, flies, and mosquitoes during the warm months---go figure.  I do fondly remember chigger bites, however.  I hope that you find relief soon.  Applying a hot cloth as much as you could stand also helped relieve the itching.  Same with mosquito bites.


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## GrillingFool (Aug 31, 2007)

Fire ants.... painful.
Running barefoot from fire ants through a yard infested
with needle sharp spiky weeds.... torturous!


I painted a lot of chiggers as a Boy Scout. If I 
remember, calamine lotion is helpful for the itching.
I THINK there are products targeted toward them in
drug stores like Walgreen's. Not sure, but I think so.


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 31, 2007)

I have gotten in them so bad, that I would come out of my jeans, shoes and socks...with neighbors looking on....


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## Rom (Aug 31, 2007)

i have no idea what chiggers are because we don't have them (i don't think)
(we do have flies, mosquito and seasgulls though hehe and lotsss of spiders :S and ants and termites and fleas) but this post made my skin CRAWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (pardon the pun) i am still sitting here like cringing lol
i hope u get id of those nasty sounding things!


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## expatgirl (Aug 31, 2007)

Rom said:


> i have no idea what chiggers are because we don't have them (i don't think)
> (we do have flies, mosquito and seasgulls though hehe and lotsss of spiders :S and ants and termites and fleas) but this post made my skin CRAWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (pardon the pun) i am still sitting here like cringing lol
> i hope u get id of those nasty sounding things!



Well, Rom, should one of those little critters ever hop a boat to your side of the world they would soon take over---they love warm, hot places.  They are very tiny mites that burrow under your skin and they cause horrible itching and for most people reds bumps. They are miserable.  I used to catch grasshoppers as a kid and see them hanging on for the ride.


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## GrillingFool (Aug 31, 2007)

http://users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/literary/chiggers.html

A humorous but accurate chigger story!


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## Rom (Aug 31, 2007)

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh expatgirl *cringessssssssssssssss* they kinda sound like ticks, get stuck in your skin, oh mannn i should not have come in this thread LOL


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## expatgirl (Aug 31, 2007)

GrillingFool said:


> http://users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/literary/chiggers.html
> 
> A humorous but accurate chigger story!



Too funny, GrillingFool, thanks for the site.


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## Rom (Aug 31, 2007)

u lost me when they started puking....


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## expatgirl (Aug 31, 2007)

why am I itching now?


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## Rom (Aug 31, 2007)

been walking in any long grass there expatgirl  thats not a chigger sitting their, puking its way into ur hair follicle is it ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (just made myself sick LOL)


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## AllenOK (Aug 31, 2007)

Oh Great.  Thanks for reminding me.  The place we're moving to has about an acre of yard, and most of the back yard is 3' high and hasn't been mowed all summer.  Once we get in, I've got to mow what I can, then start on the high stuff, with a walk-behind self-propelled mulcher-mower.  This is going to be interesting.  I guess I'll be buying a ZTR mower next year with my tax refund.


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 31, 2007)

Check out this site I bought the Clean Green and the limestone powder.
A few weeks ago I thought I was geting bedbug bites I couldnt find any but Im sure thats what it was I had huge itchy welts I washed bedding and sprayed bed with the mix they recommended and the problem dissapeared overnight.They also have a recipe making a mix with water for your skin.Check the link for Mites actually the whole site is interesting.This is great stuff and all natural.
http://naturalginesis.com


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## Constance (Aug 31, 2007)

There is a product called Chigger Rid, which you apply like nail polish. It works great. You can also use Benedryl or Cortisone cream to help with the itch.

If you spray with Deet before going out, it will help keep them off.


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## expatgirl (Aug 31, 2007)

May you not be blessed with chiggers, AllenOk, the next time you mow.  Good luck on your move.


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## sparrowgrass (Aug 31, 2007)

We have many, many chiggers here in MO.  By the time they begin to itch, the chigger itself is long gone--the itch is a reaction to the chemicals in the the nasty little buggers saliva.

Prevention is key.  Keep lawns mowed, stay out of high weeds and grass, especially if the temp is over 80 degrees.  If you do decide to go blackberry picking, use DEET repellent before you go out, and take a shower the instant you come back home, with lots of soap.  

If you can't get to a shower, you can try rubbing your skin and clothing quite firmly, as if you were drying off after a shower.  Chiggers have soft bodies, and rubbing crushes them.

Benadryl tablets and cortisone creme work for the itching.  Sometimes people get soooo many they get a weepy red rash, like poison ivy.  Then it is time for the doc and some prescription "big guns".

If you think the above sounds like the voice of experience, you are right.


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## LEFSElover (Aug 31, 2007)

GrillingFool said:


> http://users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/literary/chiggers.html
> 
> A humorous but accurate chigger story!


oh gad this is hysterical.  I sent it to my chigger bit husband too


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## Alix (Aug 31, 2007)

Oooooooooooookay then. I am now grateful indeed to be living in a northern climate where we don't have chiggers. EWWWW! I will say that my SIL lives in Africa and they routinely dig out the chiggers and then do something else (peroxide?) when they're out. Maybe they are a different variety though. 

Hope you get this handled soon Lefse, nasty nasty!


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## LEFSElover (Aug 31, 2007)

well as most say, by the time you feel the itch the bugger is long gone.  how long before they dislodge?  because I've dislodged them myself.  no itching.  so do I not have chigger bites?  what were those little buggers that were in/on my skin and my dolls?
I'm now on my way to Wal Mart [as per a very dear friend's suggestion on here] to get Deet for our vehicle that brought us home from the airport and for our luggage just in case they're living large in there too.  Gad, SO NOT MOVING TO FRANKLIN TENNESSEE
Oh and fire ants, oh yea, I know those little creeps too.  Never ever stay at the La Quinta in downtown MSY if ya know what I mean


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## expatgirl (Aug 31, 2007)

Fireants have taken over Texas---no question.  We just try and control them---there is no question of eradicating them---it ain't happening anytime soon.  I'll never forget the time my 2 yr. old daughter was standing in an ant pile (unknown to us) and within seconds her white tights were black with the varmints--she started to scream in pain and I just threw her to the ground and ripped off her tights.  I then rushed her to the tub and put the Aveeno Oatmeal bath in the water.  Thank goodness I reacted in time.  As a preventative I also gave her a teaspoon of benadryl.  Then  I took the tights and put them in a bowl of boiling water----I didn't care it the tights shrunk or not.  Those critters were going to Hades on a one way ticket.  I'll show them what fire is all about.  Ok, I've got that out of my system.

Btw----the Aveeno Oatmeal bath is also great for any insect bites as it has a topical pain reliever in it.  The oatmeal really helps to soothe the irritated skin which you will have with chigger bites.  It's also great for chicken pox as well.


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 31, 2007)

Expatgirl,you should also check the link I left in  my last post it also gets rid of fire ants and tells you how to get the queen so she wont be around to lay more eggs.It also says that medicated body powder or talcum powder repels fire ants I dont know if that works or not.If you get a chance mayby you could put some down on the ground to see if it really works or not.We dont have chiggers,fire ants,roaches and seldom a flea or tick on this part of the ranch but in Texas they do Im curious about the fire ants as they are where I work in Texas.I love experimenting on bad insects with natural stuff to see what happens Food Grade Dimetaceuos(sp?)Earth works good as it slowly eats away their outer skeleton causing them to die it works on any hard shelled insects like roaches and scorpions it's not instant but in time they will die.


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## Barbara L (Aug 31, 2007)

AllenOK said:


> Oh Great. Thanks for reminding me. The place we're moving to has about an acre of yard, and most of the back yard is 3' high and hasn't been mowed all summer. Once we get in, I've got to mow what I can, then start on the high stuff, with a walk-behind self-propelled mulcher-mower. This is going to be interesting. I guess I'll be buying a ZTR mower next year with my tax refund.


Aside from the chiggers, you will need to mow for the snakes anyway.  They like tall grass.  You might consider hiring someone to mow it before you get there.  Someone in the neighborhood surely has a riding mower; otherwise your realtor can find someone.  

Barbara


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## kitchenelf (Aug 31, 2007)

expatgirl said:


> why am I itching now?



Same reason I am I guess!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## expatgirl (Aug 31, 2007)

jpmcgrew said:


> Expatgirl,you should also check the link I left in  my last post it also gets rid of fire ants and tells you how to get the queen so she wont be around to lay more eggs.It also says that medicated body powder or talcum powder repels fire ants I dont know if that works or not.If you get a chance mayby you could put some down on the ground to see if it really works or not.We dont have chiggers,fire ants,roaches and seldom a flea or tick on this part of the ranch but in Texas they do Im curious about the fire ants as they are where I work in Texas.I love experimenting on bad insects with natural stuff to see what happens Food Grade Dimetaceuos(sp?)Earth works good as it slowly eats away their outer skeleton causing them to die it works on any hard shelled insects like roaches and scorpions it's not instant but in time they will die.



Thanks, jpmcgrew!   I'm ready to try anything with the little buggers.  Hope that chiggers don't want to move in, too.  LEFESElover---hope that you get rid of your problem, soon.


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## expatgirl (Aug 31, 2007)

Barbara L said:


> Aside from the chiggers, you will need to mow for the snakes anyway.  They like tall grass.  You might consider hiring someone to mow it before you get there.  Someone in the neighborhood surely has a riding mower; otherwise your realtor can find someone.
> 
> Barbara


Exactly what I was thinking, Barbara---we had the same problem in Lafayette, LA---the backyard had a mile high of grass in the back and our realtor arranged for a team to come in and mow it.  She didn't charge us either.


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## LEFSElover (Aug 31, 2007)

*Breakthrough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!*

Hi lady's and gents.
Guess what?
I took J...Crews advice and looked up the link to that web site.  I read a ton a stuff on there.  Anyway, I called and left a message for the owner/manager to get back to me and she did.
I have a new sweet woman in my life who is all knowing on these danged critters too.
After talking for a year on the phone, I ordered but moreover, she told me it's not chiggers.  It's Seed Ticks.  She said, believe it or not, much better than chiggers.  We had a good laugh and husband's actually breathing again.
Thanks for all the help in here, I knew I could count on your fine folks and to J...crew, a huge old thank you


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## middie (Sep 1, 2007)

Ew man now I'm itchy.


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## Constance (Sep 1, 2007)

Those little bitty ticks can be dangerous if you don't get them out. 
They love to get in my husband's britches, and you could take an "America's Funniest Home Video" of me with tweezers and a flashlight picking those little varmints off his tender parts as he "ooches" and "ouches" and tells me to "Watch out!"


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## expatgirl (Sep 1, 2007)

Constance---Better yet make it into a reality series---I can just imagine  the title now: "What Makes Your Man Tick?"


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## expatgirl (Sep 1, 2007)

or better yet---"How to Tick off Your Man"--


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## AllenOK (Sep 1, 2007)

Barbara L said:


> Aside from the chiggers, you will need to mow for the snakes anyway.  They like tall grass.  You might consider hiring someone to mow it before you get there.  Someone in the neighborhood surely has a riding mower; otherwise your realtor can find someone.
> 
> Barbara



Not just the snakes, but rats and mice as well.  That's my first goal once we get things in, probably even before we really unpack.  It's still on the warm side here, although the morning are cooling off.  I'll probably have to mow in the morning, until it gets a little warm, then unpack in the afternoon (before work), and at night, after work.  I might be able to talk my Dad into bringing his riding mower over, and get it done quick.

I'm gonna have to get some mice traps anyways, probably some snap-traps for the garage and out-building, and glue-boards for inside the house.


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## YT2095 (Sep 1, 2007)

Wow, I astonished reading this, "Chigger" is Not a word you would ever say out loud in Public in the UK!

the Uk / USA language gap seems quite funny at times


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## keltin (Sep 1, 2007)

YT2095 said:


> Wow, I astonished reading this, "Chigger" is Not a word you would ever say out loud in Public in the UK!
> 
> the Uk / USA language gap seems quite funny at times


 
Isn’t that the truth. I found all kinds of oddities between US and UK English while working with UK proof readers. In the UK, they call “blinders” on a horse, “blinkers”. If you want to say “run for it” they say “leg it” (I really like that one!). And just a bunch of other little subtle differences that are rather interesting. Do they still call cigarettes “fags” in the UK or is that defunct now?

If "blinkers" are "blinders" on a horse, then what do you call a turn signal on you car (we call them blinkers here in the South).


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## YT2095 (Sep 1, 2007)

Indicators for a car (or bike)

here`s one though, we still say "fag" for a ciggy, and use "lift for elevator, but you say "Bum" which means to borrow permanently etc...

so in effect, Here if you`re caught Bumming a Fag in a Lift, you get strange looks from folks in the Lobby


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## Constance (Sep 1, 2007)

expatgirl said:


> or better yet---"How to Tick off Your Man"--



 Good one!

Allen, we live in the country, and there are lots of snakes and lots of field mice around, but we've never had any mice in the house. Having a cat helps keeps them out better than anything. It's also important to make sure the house is good and tight. 
Don't kill the snakes...they don't do any harm, and they'll help control the rodent population. Learn how to identify them, though...you don't want any rattle snakes around, mice or no mice.


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## Constance (Sep 1, 2007)

YT2095 said:


> Wow, I astonished reading this, "Chigger" is Not a word you would ever say out loud in Public in the UK!
> 
> the Uk / USA language gap seems quite funny at times



My dad was stationed in Wales during WWII, and he was amused by their expression, "Keep your pecker up", loosely translated as "Keep your chin up".


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## keltin (Sep 1, 2007)

YT2095 said:


> so in effect, Here if you`re caught Bumming a Fag in a Lift, you get strange looks from folks in the Lobby


 
LOL!


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## Fisher's Mom (Sep 1, 2007)

AllenOK said:


> Not just the snakes, but rats and mice as well.
> I'm gonna have to get some mice traps anyways, probably some snap-traps for the garage and out-building, and glue-boards for inside the house.


Allen, if you go to WalMart, go to the pharmacy and get a little bottle of pure peppermint oil and some cotton balls. Mice hate this stuff. If you place a few drops on cotton balls and then place them around, particularly the attic and basement and closets, it will definitely repel mice and it smells nice, too. Also, buy some cheap steel wool. If you stuff it into holes or areas that you know mice gain entrance, they will NOT chew through it. Copper scrubbing pads work, too and they don't rust but they are more expensive. I would also do the traps, etc. but it's much nicer keeping them away than having to deal with their little corpses!


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## Barbara L (Sep 1, 2007)

AllenOK said:


> Not just the snakes, but rats and mice as well. That's my first goal once we get things in, probably even before we really unpack. It's still on the warm side here, although the morning are cooling off. I'll probably have to mow in the morning, until it gets a little warm, then unpack in the afternoon (before work), and at night, after work. I might be able to talk my Dad into bringing his riding mower over, and get it done quick.
> 
> I'm gonna have to get some mice traps anyways, probably some snap-traps for the garage and out-building, and glue-boards for inside the house.


LOL  I was thinking about the mice and rats when I mentioned snakes (that's why the snakes are there!).  

Oh, please, please, please--no glue-boards.  Have you ever seen a mouse on one of them?  I have, when a friend used them.  I won't get into it here, but I would never use them.  

Barbara


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## jpmcgrew (Sep 1, 2007)

Barbara L said:


> LOL I was thinking about the mice and rats when I mentioned snakes (that's why the snakes are there!).
> 
> Oh, please, please, please--no glue-boards. Have you ever seen a mouse on one of them? I have, when a friend used them. I won't get into it here, but I would never use them.
> 
> Barbara


I agree about the glue traps I just dont have the heart to do it.If I hafto get rid of a rat or mouse Id much rather use a trap and kill them instantly alot less guilt for me.


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## keltin (Sep 1, 2007)

Oh good lord, I used a glue trap once, and it was freakin’ horrible. I’ll never, ever, ever use that sadistic piece of junk again. It’s much better to just use a regular trap and end it painlessly. The only up side is, when I used the glue board, after about 20 minutes of work, I was able to get the little guy off the board and let him go in the woods. Still, never again.


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## Katie H (Sep 1, 2007)

Get a cat.


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## LEFSElover (Sep 2, 2007)

I would have given my first cats hyde if I could have caught a mouse or rat a year ago on "anything".  we tried the glue strips, no such luck.

now about the words not meaning the same, my hairdresser friend from London used to say, "Knock me up would ya" meaning to call me up..............


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## justplainbill (Sep 2, 2007)

Try applying some Campho-Phenique


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## Kaddehawk (Sep 7, 2007)

I haven't read all the responses so I don't know if this has come up yet, but we encountered chiggers when I was young and we were on vacation in the south.  The treatment the "locals" used was *Fels Naptha* soap.  Its not always easy to find, but it does work very well.  You just wet it and rub it over the affected area.  It killed the chiggers and was also soothing to the area as far as the itching was concerned.


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## LEFSElover (Sep 7, 2007)

Kaddehawk said:


> I haven't read all the responses so I don't know if this has come up yet, but we encountered chiggers when I was young and we were on vacation in the south. The treatment the "locals" used was *Fels Naptha* soap. Its not always easy to find, but it does work very well. You just wet it and rub it over the affected area. It killed the chiggers and was also soothing to the area as far as the itching was concerned.


I thank you for this.  

I do think our idea of moving to Tennessee is out the window now, we just can't get over the bugs living on us, in our bed, in our car, on  our clothes, etc.  I felt something on my skin yesterday, took it off, laid it on a white sheet of paper to see if it had 'legs'.  very scary, but no, it was a hardened tiny little ball of thread.  Still, I think we're done here.


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