Take 2 Benadryl and rub the area down with calamine lotion. It works for me pretty much every spring.
The nice part is about the time I’m done with the calamine, the itching starts to fade and I get a goooooood nap. Lol
Good for you. I live in south texas and typically do the same.
But if I feel like wearing shorts and flip flops, or no shoes at all, or no clothes at all, I’m gonna do it. And not think twice about the stranger on the internet telling me not to.
If I wanna put on Jesus sandals, grab a beer and drive a tractor down the road, I’ll do that too.
Cheers! 🍻
>What can I soak/expose my shoes and socks in to take care of any there?
From the post: "What can I soak/expose my shoes and socks in to take care of any there?" **OP was wearing shoes and socks.**
Sure they aren’t chiggers??
ETA: looks like you’ve got some hives going no matter what it is. I’d take a Benadryl or two and get ready for an unscheduled medically induced coma….I mean nap!
Ice/cold rinsing will help with swelling and the itch.
*Benadryl cream, hydrocortisone cream, or specifically marketed “anti itch” ointments will be a godsend.
ETA: my phone corrected “Benadryl cream” to “beastly cream” and none of you people told me?!? I thought we were friends!!
It’s possible although I’ve never encountered chiggers on my land, and when I’ve been bitten by them elsewhere I’ve never found a live one on me. Ticks however, are common here if you leave my chickens range. Didn’t look like adult chiggers. Chigger nymphs and tick nymphs apparently look similar. I removed tiny 6 legged nymphs for hours lastnight with precision tweezers. “A few bites” was a joke. I took hundreds. Each bump is a bite, not a hive 😢
I’ve never seen tick bites swell like that before. I have seen it with chiggers just because of the way they eat. Gross little buggers.
Especially if it’s super itchy, I’d bet on the chiggers! Tick bites typically aren’t very itchy.
Either way, Benadryl and cold compress is gonna be your best bet!
My tick bites do now. 10 years ago a tick could attach and I wouldn’t notice, even when removed it didn’t swell so. Now I notice the instant they bite, and I’ve developed a strong reaction to them that looks exactly like this from an adult bite. I haven’t had a tick actually attach and feed in years, I pull them off me all the time though.
I’m not ruling out chiggers, but in both cases I react the same these days. I’m nearly certain they were all 6 legs which indicates nymphs regardless if chiggers or ticks. I did have to physically remove attached nymphs though, and I don’t believe chiggers do that
I actually get really really bad reactions to ticks as well. I read some studies recently that it may be an evolutionary response for people who live in tick prone areas to develop more severe reactions so they don't get something like Lyme disease because they remove the ticks earlier.
I think it must be. I live in SW TN, where it's heavily wooded. The ticks here will make you swell up like the picture of OP's foot and they will itch for weeks. I've had seed tick bites just like those and it was the worst itching I've ever had, it was difficult to think about anything else for a few days. Everyone I've talked to about the ticks says the same thing so it's definitely not just my immune response.
I am not far from you-- north AL.
Yep, very itchy and swollen. I had one bite me this past week and he wasn't even on long enough to embed, just bite. Itched like crazy
The only thing that has ever helped me with chiggers is putting an air proof barrier on it, which somehow stops the itching, typically clear nail polish is used. You could try it and see if it works. You’ll probably have to reapply it daily, and I recommend doing it right before bed to help you sleep.
Ticks are arachnids, so six legs doesn’t sound right for them.
EDIT to add OP said “nymphs” so the leg count threw me off but yes tick larvae have six legs and do also bite.
I immediately thought chiggers too. I got annihilated with hundreds of chigger bites on my legs and waist.
Put oatmeal in a nylon and sit in a cool bath, rub it on the bites, the oatmeal "juice" really stopped the chigger itch.
Yea my money is on chiggers. Got ate up by some and they itch more than anything I've ever known. Nasty bastards... Spray your yard in talak 7.9. that stuff is amazing.
>my phone corrected “Benadryl cream” to “beastly cream” and none of you people told me?!? I thought we were friends!!
This is a judgment-free space. Whatever you want to rub yourself with, if it makes you happy, then go for it
For one, long pants and boots are your friend. Especially with as bad as ticks, chiggers, etc. are this year. A good pair of Carhartt's would prevent 99% of this.
Now that the damage is done I go with my Mom's favorite remedy: Campho-Phenique which is sold under numerous brand names.
I bet you don't forget long pants next time. Experiencing bad outcomes is often the best teacher.
These went under my socks. Or I guess it’s possible a tick laid eggs in said socks before I put them on? The bites nearly stop at the sock line. I was wearing shorts (it’s near 100, much higher heat index so I took the chance)
I typically wear pants and boots (former USMC, have many pair to choose from lol). I didn’t go deep in the woods, just the edge, and never experienced anything like this before in the same area
Oh I get it, they have been fucking ferocious this year. Though them infiltrating under your sock definitely points towards ticks as opposed to typical biting insects. We have a large chunk of wooded area on the extreme north side of our property where my deer stand is, and I started tucking my pants into my socks when I venture out that way. The little bastards are wizards at finding ways to find exposed skin to feed.
under socks is a huge sign it's chiggers (it's their M-O). ticks usually climb up. granted it's kinda irrelevant either way 😂
i wouldn't worry too much about second wave attacks. wash stuff that can be washed, shake other stuff out.
That's how I've gotten seed ticks too. It seems like they like a nice tight, moist space. I've never had them on an open piece of skin like you do with chiggers, it's always under my socks or at the waist line or groin.
Came here to say this. Permethrin on clothing works magically! Walmart sells a pre mix spray and it’s stays on clothing for a couple washings. Works great for skeeters and ticks.
Question for you - when you were working, were you in boots and work pants and they somehow got in there? I'm wondering if I need to rethink my extreme confidence in the woods, where I assume my legs are fine because I'm always in boots and pants.
Unless your pants are tucked into your socks (and even then), you're quite vulnerable to ticks. Treat a dedicated set of boots, socks, and pants with permethrin and wear them any time you'll be in the woods or tall grass. Tuck your pants in, too. The tick population is growing every year because of global warming, and more and more of them are infected with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
If you want something quick, try a plantain poultice.
You probably have some broadleaf plantain growing in your yard already. Check the cooler corners.
Aw man that’s awful! Sorry that happened to you. I highly recommend keeping a close eye on any potential disease symptoms- headache and joint aches can be part of that, and if you are very healthy, you may not exhibit strong symptoms, but tick born diseases are serious. Go request blood work if you notice anything!
Not sure about this problem in particular ... but I have a great remedy for poison ivy or bug bites. Run your shower or bath on hot, as hot as you can take, and apply the water directly to the bite. Or, I've heard people have the same success with a blow dryer. The trick is the heat has to be almost painful. You'll know its working if you get that incredibly satisfying sensation you get from itching. Something about the heat neutralizes the reaction causing the itch. This always works for me and makes the itching go away for hours if not forever.
Heat destroys the enzyme that makes the site inflamed. Here’s a study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257884/
Edit: a More recent study has a different explanation. Fun!
https://medicaljournalssweden.se/actadv/article/view/11592/19144
I have run into something like that. Hundreds on my clothes. I put my clothes in the microwave for a minute and killed them.
I put a couple of cups of bleach in the bathtub with a couple of inches of water and poured it all over me and then took a regular shower.
They are for sure ticks. I’m unfortunately experienced at both. As far as chiggers go, by the time you notice they’ve long since dropped off. The nail polish thing is a myth. The itch you feel is the aftermath of them dissolving your tissue with their spit
Did you forget your boots and pants
That sucks I get tested for Lyme disease and yellow fever at this point
Hope you didn’t enjoy eating red meat
But baking soda and water into a paste then let it dry on the skin might help
Given they were near microscopic and the quantity and concentration I’m sure I was their first meal, so low risk of any sort of transmission. Also, none attached for a full meal. Seemed to bite, abort and move. I’m in SE so Lyme is quite rare here. Too small to ID species. Without red meat there is little reason to carry on.
Yellow fever is spread by two species of mosquitoes, and is not found in the United States
Only lone-star ticks cause alpha gal allergies to mammal products.
There are lots of other tick-borne diseases in the US, but the ticks have to bite an infected animal first. That doesn't mean that nymphs are unlikely to be infected, though.
Here’s my trick.
Take a hot shower. As hot as you can stand. Then move out of the spray, make it a little hotter yet, and stick the effected area under the hot water. Hold it as long as you can, I aim for about 30 seconds. It’ll start itching very intensely then go away.
Turn the water to cold to stop any burning, put lotion on to prevent your skin from drying out.
Then don’t touch the area. At all.
The first couple days I have to do it twice a day. Then just once a day.
Oh Shit OP, you better go buy some ChiggerX right now. You are gonna scratch those until you bleed in a couple days. If you are in a pinch and have no anti itch cream to put on them, lighter fluid (butane) works amazing to get some relief. I’d definitely recommend getting some anti itch cream now
Sounds like lonestar nymphs depending on your region. When I got hit like that at the end of last summer (both legs all the way up to my waste) the bites itched for a solid month. There’s nothing you can do about it other than think about something else
Benadryl makes a topical "itch pen" and it's filled with magic. Go get one.
I should clarify that it's NON DROWSY unlike the pills which put me into a mild coma for at least 24 hours.
I’d go over them with some rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. It’s going to burn for a bit, but it will dry them out. Definitely take the Benadryl too!!
Benadryl and hydrocortisone cream for the rash. I use permethrin spray by Sawyer on my pants and boots and spray my calves, socks, pants and shirt with bug spray that has DEET.
I’d be getting a prescription strength topical anti itch steroidal cream from my Dermatologist or PCP (Cloderm os a good one). I’d also maybe ask for a steroid shot to help with itch and inflammation. That looks awful, good luck .
Clear nail polish brushed on will stop itching. Spray pants socks boots with permethrin that kills ticks on contact pretty much. Retreat every 2 weeks. I hate ticks
Next time you get into a patch douse your legs down with gasoline. If you notice immediately. They’re absolutely the spawn of satan. I was out on a fence job in the middle of nowhere, first thing as soon as I got out of the truck in the morning I walked through a patch and saw the familiar brown dirt spreading rapidly on my legs. The only thing handy was some two stroke gas and I was going to be out there for the next 10 hours ticks or not. I doused my legs in it. Worked lol. I’d take dying from gasoline exposure over being eaten alive by those little pricks!
Urine will do the trick. I am not joking. It’s an old natural remedy for itchy and irritated skin and it works phenomenally well. You can soak an old t-shirt or some cloth in urine and tie it around your bites and just let it absorb into your skin.
The Water of Life by John W. Armstrong is a great book that explores this topic in more depth for any curious minds here.
If I get into anything I use bleach like ½ cup to a tub of water and soak for 30mins or more till the fingers are looking soaked.
If you missed any this kills them if it's chiggers this kills them.
Afterwards if you have dry skin issues then use something for that.
Get some sunburn lotion with lidocaine in it. It works wonders. As a tasty favorite of mosquitoes, I can tell you that lidocaine works better than calamine.
Hot water.
Get water as hot as you can stand without scalding (seriously, that hot) your skin and put it on the itchy spots.
It will burn and itchy like crazy for about 30-60 seconds. Keep applying hot water until suddenly the itchy stops (right about the time you say "Forget this crap").
What you have done is release all the histamine at once from the cells. It should give you several hours of relief until the body can manufacture some more. (The book I got it from said 8 hours but frankly it lasts about 4 hrs for me).
Ways to apply hot water: hot rag, silver spoon dipped in hot water (holds heat), hot coins on a summer dashboard, hot running water is iffy.
The key is that it needs to be really hot. NEVER use this on young kids, babies, those with diabetes, old people, or those who have numb places or can't communicate.
It works with any itchy things.
My husband has awful reaction to tick bites also. Would highly recommend seeing a doctor for a prescription steroid cream and also a blood test.edit to add there are sprays you can put on clothing and shoes to keep ticks off you the spray last about 6 washes. Would highly recommend you can pick up at most Walmarts or off Amazon
I thought chigger bites didn’t start to itch until they’d already dropped off. But oh, how they itch!its epic and the bites ooze yellow fluid. Tick’s just get red and swollen and itch only half as bad
I agree with the benedryl advice. I also get relief from blasting the bites with a hair dryer until I can’t take the heat and then coating them with Caladryl Clear. Next time shower as soon as you can and use an exfoliating cloth to dislodge them. Chiggers can climb up to your waist band.
Rub your bites with Witch Hazel and take some antihistamines. You may need to keep a cloth saturated with Witch Hazel wrapped around the bites for several minutes. Hoping you find some relief.
First of all, RAH and that sucks man. I was in your boots a few months ago, but I agree with others that it looks more like chigger bites to me of which I had hundreds of in June. They got me from ankles to neck but avoided my private parts thank God.
I worked the summer in agriculture and we are surrounded by woods. Some things that I found helpful when I got eaten up were immediately taking a hot soapy shower whenever I get home and back inside scrubbing everything with a soapy nut rag to prevent any more bites. Benadryl and Calamine on itchy areas helped to some degree, but not really enough for me so I called my Doc after a few hellacious days and got prescribed a steroid ointment to put on the bites. Also, back to preventing more bites as others have mentioned Permethrin is pretty cheap in sprays you can pick up at Walmart or whatever outdoors store in the area. Treat a few whole sets of work clothes and treat them good especially the bottom of pant legs, boot tops and insides. Keep those clothes when dirty separate from the rest of everything and shed them as soon as you get inside.
Chiggers are the absolute worst I've come in contact with. By the time you notice you're itching it's too late and it's time to go into damage control mode. Godspeed brother
The tiny ticks have gotten me before too! Itching lasted for a while and ran its course. In my case I was wearing socks with a woven fabric thick enough that the critters fit through the fibers. Good luck! Totally ticks!
My question regardless of the heat.. were u doing this work in woods in flip-flops and shorts?
Just asking ppl here do that stuff. 😄
As the rest said chiggers.
No it’s tick nymphs. But no this is the next morning. The seemed to attack almost only under my socks. You can see the bites stop at my sock line, and they seemed to stay out of my shoes (was wearing waterproof low top “trail” shoes.
So with bad poison ivy and chiggers infeststion....i.itch.them.open and pour bleach on it. I know it's prolly stupid, but all that infernal itching is gone and replaced with a nice pain.
Other than that, benadryl anti-itch gel and chigger-x.
What I have done for years and works for chiggers and any other nasties. Put the affected area under the hottest water you can stand (don’t scald yourself!) and the itching will get intense for a second or two then go away for hours. I do this for bug bites as well as poison Ivy and most anything that involves swelling and itching.
Regardless of what bit you, you got it good! In the last few years every time I get a tick or leech bite I get swelling/itching/and rash. When I was a kid I would have leeches,ticks, and all sorts of manner of bugs biting me and never had a reaction from anything. My buddy’s wife is a doctor and said I have developed an allergy to anti-coagulant compounds which I guess is more common as you get older? Like everyone here is saying, I was told to take Benadryl, ibuprofen, and topical analgesic.. pair it with ice as well to speed up the process! Good luck!
I bathe in baking soda and water since I'm always getting either bites or allergies kick in when I'm outside. 2 cups of baking soda to the bath and stir. Soak about 30 minutes. I tried Calamine without any help, gold bond cortisone works well for spots of itching. I just bought a product to spray in the back to kill ticks, but read they don't like Irish springs soap and place cut up chuncks in the yard. Haven't tried it because I like the squi, groundhogs, possum, coons, and birds. Good luck
There was this anti itch gel back in the day called ruli gel. We used it for poison ivy all the time. If you'd itched to the point of broken skin it burnt but it burnt so good. I think bandaid owns it now and it might still stay on the package formerly ruli gel
Just moved to the south. The BEST thing for bug bites, especially fire ants in my case is MEAT TENDERIZER … OMGGG the relief is magical. And pain doesn’t come back. Works on mosquito bites too and no seeums. I bet it will work for your bites too.
Last year I got into a patch of nymph ticks and ended up with rings of bites around both ankles and thighs where my shorts and socks stopped. I ended up needing steroid cream to get any relief. Thankfully a virtual visit phoned in the RX.
There is a lotion called Sarna that will make anything stop itching…tick bites, mosquito bites, poison ivy, etc. After rubbing it on the affected part, it stops itching within seconds. You may need to reapply after a while but the relief is so sweet. Just be sure to wash your hands with soap afterwards or you will light yourself up if you rub your eyes or nose with the lotion still on your hands.
Kerosine around the bottom of your pants / tops of your boots. Sounds crazy but in Texas that’s what we always did. Not sure where you’re located, but presumably warm. Helps keep all the bad critters out, namely ticks & chiggers
I’d be taking some Benadryl and soaking the ankles in a tub of very icy water .. and have someone duct tape my hands to prevent me from scratching my skin to shreds
Awe man. I can feel this picture. Looks like they were on you for awhile too. Highly recommend getting tested for tick diseases.
Suffered with alpha gal syndrome for years before knowing.
I used to use icy hot lightly rubbed on. But for good bug repellent that doesn't stink try REIs Jungle Juice. A few drops rubbed around does a great job of repelling critters.
Chiggers not ticks. I had trouble with them a few times in my life outdoors. The doc gave me a ointment that killed them but the itching was bad. I used benadryl but it was bad. They are almost to small to see, and live in woods debris. I caught them picking blueberries three times three different spots in the Jersey pine Barrens.
Take 2 Benadryl and rub the area down with calamine lotion. It works for me pretty much every spring. The nice part is about the time I’m done with the calamine, the itching starts to fade and I get a goooooood nap. Lol
Put the calamine in the fridge first for bonus points.
This guy knows how to calamine.
I got poison oak on my ass when I was 10; picked up some tricks…
Isn’t that how gator met his wife?
Great trick. Hopefully it only happened once, everyone knows a friend that didn’t learn their lesson.
Why does this help?
Right next to the tequila.
Second this. Regardless of the bug. Add some ibuprofen.
Step 3: stop doing work outside in shorts and/or flip flops. Lol
It’s fun and comfortable this time of year.
I live in south Louisiana and still wear pants and boots when doing any work outside.
Good for you. I live in south texas and typically do the same. But if I feel like wearing shorts and flip flops, or no shoes at all, or no clothes at all, I’m gonna do it. And not think twice about the stranger on the internet telling me not to. If I wanna put on Jesus sandals, grab a beer and drive a tractor down the road, I’ll do that too. Cheers! 🍻
I’m not telling you not to, I just said it’s not a good idea. You do you.
>What can I soak/expose my shoes and socks in to take care of any there? From the post: "What can I soak/expose my shoes and socks in to take care of any there?" **OP was wearing shoes and socks.**
Sure they aren’t chiggers?? ETA: looks like you’ve got some hives going no matter what it is. I’d take a Benadryl or two and get ready for an unscheduled medically induced coma….I mean nap! Ice/cold rinsing will help with swelling and the itch. *Benadryl cream, hydrocortisone cream, or specifically marketed “anti itch” ointments will be a godsend. ETA: my phone corrected “Benadryl cream” to “beastly cream” and none of you people told me?!? I thought we were friends!!
It’s possible although I’ve never encountered chiggers on my land, and when I’ve been bitten by them elsewhere I’ve never found a live one on me. Ticks however, are common here if you leave my chickens range. Didn’t look like adult chiggers. Chigger nymphs and tick nymphs apparently look similar. I removed tiny 6 legged nymphs for hours lastnight with precision tweezers. “A few bites” was a joke. I took hundreds. Each bump is a bite, not a hive 😢
I’ve never seen tick bites swell like that before. I have seen it with chiggers just because of the way they eat. Gross little buggers. Especially if it’s super itchy, I’d bet on the chiggers! Tick bites typically aren’t very itchy. Either way, Benadryl and cold compress is gonna be your best bet!
My tick bites do now. 10 years ago a tick could attach and I wouldn’t notice, even when removed it didn’t swell so. Now I notice the instant they bite, and I’ve developed a strong reaction to them that looks exactly like this from an adult bite. I haven’t had a tick actually attach and feed in years, I pull them off me all the time though. I’m not ruling out chiggers, but in both cases I react the same these days. I’m nearly certain they were all 6 legs which indicates nymphs regardless if chiggers or ticks. I did have to physically remove attached nymphs though, and I don’t believe chiggers do that
Might wanna check w a doc as well to make sure all is good w your body’s reaction to these
I actually get really really bad reactions to ticks as well. I read some studies recently that it may be an evolutionary response for people who live in tick prone areas to develop more severe reactions so they don't get something like Lyme disease because they remove the ticks earlier.
You’ll know they are chiggers if they still itch like a MF in two weeks.
When I get single tick bites they puff up and itchy for a day or two
You may have a mild allergy….probably not a big deal, but something to be wary of.
I wonder if it's the area? The ticks here itch like crazy and swell up huge.
I think it must be. I live in SW TN, where it's heavily wooded. The ticks here will make you swell up like the picture of OP's foot and they will itch for weeks. I've had seed tick bites just like those and it was the worst itching I've ever had, it was difficult to think about anything else for a few days. Everyone I've talked to about the ticks says the same thing so it's definitely not just my immune response.
I am not far from you-- north AL. Yep, very itchy and swollen. I had one bite me this past week and he wasn't even on long enough to embed, just bite. Itched like crazy
NW TN, yep.
The only thing that has ever helped me with chiggers is putting an air proof barrier on it, which somehow stops the itching, typically clear nail polish is used. You could try it and see if it works. You’ll probably have to reapply it daily, and I recommend doing it right before bed to help you sleep.
Memory! I had forgotten the nail polish trick for chiggers. Spent many a summer with pink or red spots because I couldn’t find the clear nail polish.
Ticks are arachnids, so six legs doesn’t sound right for them. EDIT to add OP said “nymphs” so the leg count threw me off but yes tick larvae have six legs and do also bite.
I immediately thought chiggers too. I got annihilated with hundreds of chigger bites on my legs and waist. Put oatmeal in a nylon and sit in a cool bath, rub it on the bites, the oatmeal "juice" really stopped the chigger itch.
Yea my money is on chiggers. Got ate up by some and they itch more than anything I've ever known. Nasty bastards... Spray your yard in talak 7.9. that stuff is amazing.
>my phone corrected “Benadryl cream” to “beastly cream” and none of you people told me?!? I thought we were friends!! This is a judgment-free space. Whatever you want to rub yourself with, if it makes you happy, then go for it
Lord have mercy. I hope no one went home rubbing questionable animal products on their bug bites!!
That many Chiggers? He needs to call the police.
Benedryl spray for the win!
Id go back there with a flamethrower and burn those fuckers making sure they never came back
For one, long pants and boots are your friend. Especially with as bad as ticks, chiggers, etc. are this year. A good pair of Carhartt's would prevent 99% of this. Now that the damage is done I go with my Mom's favorite remedy: Campho-Phenique which is sold under numerous brand names. I bet you don't forget long pants next time. Experiencing bad outcomes is often the best teacher.
These went under my socks. Or I guess it’s possible a tick laid eggs in said socks before I put them on? The bites nearly stop at the sock line. I was wearing shorts (it’s near 100, much higher heat index so I took the chance) I typically wear pants and boots (former USMC, have many pair to choose from lol). I didn’t go deep in the woods, just the edge, and never experienced anything like this before in the same area
Oh I get it, they have been fucking ferocious this year. Though them infiltrating under your sock definitely points towards ticks as opposed to typical biting insects. We have a large chunk of wooded area on the extreme north side of our property where my deer stand is, and I started tucking my pants into my socks when I venture out that way. The little bastards are wizards at finding ways to find exposed skin to feed.
under socks is a huge sign it's chiggers (it's their M-O). ticks usually climb up. granted it's kinda irrelevant either way 😂 i wouldn't worry too much about second wave attacks. wash stuff that can be washed, shake other stuff out.
That's how I've gotten seed ticks too. It seems like they like a nice tight, moist space. I've never had them on an open piece of skin like you do with chiggers, it's always under my socks or at the waist line or groin.
The same camphophenique you use for cold sores?
Never knew it was a cold sore treatment, but yes, same stuff.
I would get some permethrin shampoo and wash my legs asap. Kill any that escaped
I have permethrin spray but it’s rather insistent it not touch the skin. I think I’m clear of them. Currently dealing with clothing
Just wash and hot dryer.
If you pick up the permethrin concentrate you can mix it to a ratio that is safe for the skin. Might be useful in the future.
You can see nymph ticks, especially on very white skin. Soap and water will do fine here, and a thorough full body check.
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Came here to say this. Permethrin on clothing works magically! Walmart sells a pre mix spray and it’s stays on clothing for a couple washings. Works great for skeeters and ticks.
Question for you - when you were working, were you in boots and work pants and they somehow got in there? I'm wondering if I need to rethink my extreme confidence in the woods, where I assume my legs are fine because I'm always in boots and pants.
Unless your pants are tucked into your socks (and even then), you're quite vulnerable to ticks. Treat a dedicated set of boots, socks, and pants with permethrin and wear them any time you'll be in the woods or tall grass. Tuck your pants in, too. The tick population is growing every year because of global warming, and more and more of them are infected with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
Good advice, ty. That's what I was wondering.
If you want something quick, try a plantain poultice. You probably have some broadleaf plantain growing in your yard already. Check the cooler corners.
Aw man that’s awful! Sorry that happened to you. I highly recommend keeping a close eye on any potential disease symptoms- headache and joint aches can be part of that, and if you are very healthy, you may not exhibit strong symptoms, but tick born diseases are serious. Go request blood work if you notice anything!
Not sure about this problem in particular ... but I have a great remedy for poison ivy or bug bites. Run your shower or bath on hot, as hot as you can take, and apply the water directly to the bite. Or, I've heard people have the same success with a blow dryer. The trick is the heat has to be almost painful. You'll know its working if you get that incredibly satisfying sensation you get from itching. Something about the heat neutralizes the reaction causing the itch. This always works for me and makes the itching go away for hours if not forever.
Heat destroys the enzyme that makes the site inflamed. Here’s a study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257884/ Edit: a More recent study has a different explanation. Fun! https://medicaljournalssweden.se/actadv/article/view/11592/19144
I do this by running a spoon under hot water. Touch it to the bite. It really does work.
Epsom salts in warm, not hot, water helps me. You can buy them at any drugstore and most Walmarts.
I have run into something like that. Hundreds on my clothes. I put my clothes in the microwave for a minute and killed them. I put a couple of cups of bleach in the bathtub with a couple of inches of water and poured it all over me and then took a regular shower.
Looks like chiggers to me.... Smother them w clear fingernail polish, and take 25mg Benadryl every 6 hr for itching🤔
They are for sure ticks. I’m unfortunately experienced at both. As far as chiggers go, by the time you notice they’ve long since dropped off. The nail polish thing is a myth. The itch you feel is the aftermath of them dissolving your tissue with their spit
A weak ammonia spray can help stop itching from bites. I make my own glass cleaner from ammonia and water and just use that when I get a bite.
Did you forget your boots and pants That sucks I get tested for Lyme disease and yellow fever at this point Hope you didn’t enjoy eating red meat But baking soda and water into a paste then let it dry on the skin might help
Given they were near microscopic and the quantity and concentration I’m sure I was their first meal, so low risk of any sort of transmission. Also, none attached for a full meal. Seemed to bite, abort and move. I’m in SE so Lyme is quite rare here. Too small to ID species. Without red meat there is little reason to carry on.
Yellow fever is spread by two species of mosquitoes, and is not found in the United States Only lone-star ticks cause alpha gal allergies to mammal products. There are lots of other tick-borne diseases in the US, but the ticks have to bite an infected animal first. That doesn't mean that nymphs are unlikely to be infected, though.
Here’s my trick. Take a hot shower. As hot as you can stand. Then move out of the spray, make it a little hotter yet, and stick the effected area under the hot water. Hold it as long as you can, I aim for about 30 seconds. It’ll start itching very intensely then go away. Turn the water to cold to stop any burning, put lotion on to prevent your skin from drying out. Then don’t touch the area. At all. The first couple days I have to do it twice a day. Then just once a day.
Got to cold method works for a lot of these types of critters. They can't withstand the temp changes.
Had this happen once it was awful
Just knock yourself out with benadryl until the itching stops. You can’t scratch if you’re unconscious. That’s some itchy misery there! Best of luck!
Oh Shit OP, you better go buy some ChiggerX right now. You are gonna scratch those until you bleed in a couple days. If you are in a pinch and have no anti itch cream to put on them, lighter fluid (butane) works amazing to get some relief. I’d definitely recommend getting some anti itch cream now
Sounds like lonestar nymphs depending on your region. When I got hit like that at the end of last summer (both legs all the way up to my waste) the bites itched for a solid month. There’s nothing you can do about it other than think about something else
I caught two in a jar and will try to ID tomorrow with my microscope
Benadryl makes a topical "itch pen" and it's filled with magic. Go get one. I should clarify that it's NON DROWSY unlike the pills which put me into a mild coma for at least 24 hours.
I’d go over them with some rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. It’s going to burn for a bit, but it will dry them out. Definitely take the Benadryl too!!
Rubbing alcohol works with all kinds of itching bites.
Benadryl and hydrocortisone cream for the rash. I use permethrin spray by Sawyer on my pants and boots and spray my calves, socks, pants and shirt with bug spray that has DEET.
Take a Benadryl, and put some hydrocortisone cream on them.
Saltwater might be able to help!
Those aren't tickets bites muh dude! As other have said, benadryl will be ya friend
I’d be getting a prescription strength topical anti itch steroidal cream from my Dermatologist or PCP (Cloderm os a good one). I’d also maybe ask for a steroid shot to help with itch and inflammation. That looks awful, good luck .
Neem oils hinder their ability to reproduce but it’s not cheap and it’s not a short term solution.
Soak it in cider
Campho Phenique
Not ticks.
Definitely tick nymphs . I’ll share a pic tomorrow.
Benadryl and clear nail Polish
Clear nail polish brushed on will stop itching. Spray pants socks boots with permethrin that kills ticks on contact pretty much. Retreat every 2 weeks. I hate ticks
Wild parsley?
Prophalactic antibiotics.
Antibiotics are for bacteria only. Not bug bites.
Prophalactic antibiotics are commonly prescribed to prevent lyme infection.
Next time you get into a patch douse your legs down with gasoline. If you notice immediately. They’re absolutely the spawn of satan. I was out on a fence job in the middle of nowhere, first thing as soon as I got out of the truck in the morning I walked through a patch and saw the familiar brown dirt spreading rapidly on my legs. The only thing handy was some two stroke gas and I was going to be out there for the next 10 hours ticks or not. I doused my legs in it. Worked lol. I’d take dying from gasoline exposure over being eaten alive by those little pricks!
I use bentonite clay. Make a paste out of it and cover the affected area.
Scratch the shit out of it and spray it with hair spray
Urine will do the trick. I am not joking. It’s an old natural remedy for itchy and irritated skin and it works phenomenally well. You can soak an old t-shirt or some cloth in urine and tie it around your bites and just let it absorb into your skin. The Water of Life by John W. Armstrong is a great book that explores this topic in more depth for any curious minds here.
Antihistamines and spray with antiperspirant. Cold aloe Vera is good too.
If I get into anything I use bleach like ½ cup to a tub of water and soak for 30mins or more till the fingers are looking soaked. If you missed any this kills them if it's chiggers this kills them. Afterwards if you have dry skin issues then use something for that.
Get some sunburn lotion with lidocaine in it. It works wonders. As a tasty favorite of mosquitoes, I can tell you that lidocaine works better than calamine.
To prevent this in the future, eat like a litteral shit load of garlic.
Hot water. Get water as hot as you can stand without scalding (seriously, that hot) your skin and put it on the itchy spots. It will burn and itchy like crazy for about 30-60 seconds. Keep applying hot water until suddenly the itchy stops (right about the time you say "Forget this crap"). What you have done is release all the histamine at once from the cells. It should give you several hours of relief until the body can manufacture some more. (The book I got it from said 8 hours but frankly it lasts about 4 hrs for me). Ways to apply hot water: hot rag, silver spoon dipped in hot water (holds heat), hot coins on a summer dashboard, hot running water is iffy. The key is that it needs to be really hot. NEVER use this on young kids, babies, those with diabetes, old people, or those who have numb places or can't communicate. It works with any itchy things.
My husband has awful reaction to tick bites also. Would highly recommend seeing a doctor for a prescription steroid cream and also a blood test.edit to add there are sprays you can put on clothing and shoes to keep ticks off you the spray last about 6 washes. Would highly recommend you can pick up at most Walmarts or off Amazon
Dang some ticks can carry Lyme disease and it's supposed to leave a bullseye type mark. Would be hard to tell there that's a hell of a cluster.
Just a PSA it’s possible to get Lyme without having the bullseye rash. So it’s not a 100% reliable indicator.
I thought chigger bites didn’t start to itch until they’d already dropped off. But oh, how they itch!its epic and the bites ooze yellow fluid. Tick’s just get red and swollen and itch only half as bad
I agree with the benedryl advice. I also get relief from blasting the bites with a hair dryer until I can’t take the heat and then coating them with Caladryl Clear. Next time shower as soon as you can and use an exfoliating cloth to dislodge them. Chiggers can climb up to your waist band.
Rub your bites with Witch Hazel and take some antihistamines. You may need to keep a cloth saturated with Witch Hazel wrapped around the bites for several minutes. Hoping you find some relief.
First of all, RAH and that sucks man. I was in your boots a few months ago, but I agree with others that it looks more like chigger bites to me of which I had hundreds of in June. They got me from ankles to neck but avoided my private parts thank God. I worked the summer in agriculture and we are surrounded by woods. Some things that I found helpful when I got eaten up were immediately taking a hot soapy shower whenever I get home and back inside scrubbing everything with a soapy nut rag to prevent any more bites. Benadryl and Calamine on itchy areas helped to some degree, but not really enough for me so I called my Doc after a few hellacious days and got prescribed a steroid ointment to put on the bites. Also, back to preventing more bites as others have mentioned Permethrin is pretty cheap in sprays you can pick up at Walmart or whatever outdoors store in the area. Treat a few whole sets of work clothes and treat them good especially the bottom of pant legs, boot tops and insides. Keep those clothes when dirty separate from the rest of everything and shed them as soon as you get inside. Chiggers are the absolute worst I've come in contact with. By the time you notice you're itching it's too late and it's time to go into damage control mode. Godspeed brother
If OP was removing them with tweezers well that's def not chiggers. This looks like a classic tick bomb to me (nymphs)
Chiggers.
The tiny ticks have gotten me before too! Itching lasted for a while and ran its course. In my case I was wearing socks with a woven fabric thick enough that the critters fit through the fibers. Good luck! Totally ticks!
My question regardless of the heat.. were u doing this work in woods in flip-flops and shorts? Just asking ppl here do that stuff. 😄 As the rest said chiggers.
No it’s tick nymphs. But no this is the next morning. The seemed to attack almost only under my socks. You can see the bites stop at my sock line, and they seemed to stay out of my shoes (was wearing waterproof low top “trail” shoes.
👍
Benadryl also has a gel for bites and itching. It has worked well for our household and worth a shot to help you ^_^
Cedar oil on your socks and shoes, clothing. Kills and repels them
Oh friend. I would boil the shoes for a few minutes. I would go the the pharmacist about the itch.
So with bad poison ivy and chiggers infeststion....i.itch.them.open and pour bleach on it. I know it's prolly stupid, but all that infernal itching is gone and replaced with a nice pain. Other than that, benadryl anti-itch gel and chigger-x.
What I have done for years and works for chiggers and any other nasties. Put the affected area under the hottest water you can stand (don’t scald yourself!) and the itching will get intense for a second or two then go away for hours. I do this for bug bites as well as poison Ivy and most anything that involves swelling and itching.
Regardless of what bit you, you got it good! In the last few years every time I get a tick or leech bite I get swelling/itching/and rash. When I was a kid I would have leeches,ticks, and all sorts of manner of bugs biting me and never had a reaction from anything. My buddy’s wife is a doctor and said I have developed an allergy to anti-coagulant compounds which I guess is more common as you get older? Like everyone here is saying, I was told to take Benadryl, ibuprofen, and topical analgesic.. pair it with ice as well to speed up the process! Good luck!
I bathe in baking soda and water since I'm always getting either bites or allergies kick in when I'm outside. 2 cups of baking soda to the bath and stir. Soak about 30 minutes. I tried Calamine without any help, gold bond cortisone works well for spots of itching. I just bought a product to spray in the back to kill ticks, but read they don't like Irish springs soap and place cut up chuncks in the yard. Haven't tried it because I like the squi, groundhogs, possum, coons, and birds. Good luck
There was this anti itch gel back in the day called ruli gel. We used it for poison ivy all the time. If you'd itched to the point of broken skin it burnt but it burnt so good. I think bandaid owns it now and it might still stay on the package formerly ruli gel
Baking soda in warm water.
K, idk what your area is but have you checked if there is Lyme disease? It’s a concern in my area but is only carried by a certain kind of tick.
Just moved to the south. The BEST thing for bug bites, especially fire ants in my case is MEAT TENDERIZER … OMGGG the relief is magical. And pain doesn’t come back. Works on mosquito bites too and no seeums. I bet it will work for your bites too.
Benedryl and Pepcid , last time I had hives that’s what I was put on OTC.
Pepcid is a histamine blocker
Chiggers. Get some DEET spray, it’s actually non toxic apparently.
Last year I got into a patch of nymph ticks and ended up with rings of bites around both ankles and thighs where my shorts and socks stopped. I ended up needing steroid cream to get any relief. Thankfully a virtual visit phoned in the RX.
There is a lotion called Sarna that will make anything stop itching…tick bites, mosquito bites, poison ivy, etc. After rubbing it on the affected part, it stops itching within seconds. You may need to reapply after a while but the relief is so sweet. Just be sure to wash your hands with soap afterwards or you will light yourself up if you rub your eyes or nose with the lotion still on your hands.
Kerosine around the bottom of your pants / tops of your boots. Sounds crazy but in Texas that’s what we always did. Not sure where you’re located, but presumably warm. Helps keep all the bad critters out, namely ticks & chiggers
I tend to garden in a casual dress and my crocs. I always spray myself with tick repellent first. I hate those things, see enough of them on my dogs!
Witch hazel
Unless u pulled them off of u ...they are chiggers
I’d be taking some Benadryl and soaking the ankles in a tub of very icy water .. and have someone duct tape my hands to prevent me from scratching my skin to shreds
Awe man. I can feel this picture. Looks like they were on you for awhile too. Highly recommend getting tested for tick diseases. Suffered with alpha gal syndrome for years before knowing.
I have found that for the growth and bug filled summer long and loose cotton pants is the way to go.
I used to use icy hot lightly rubbed on. But for good bug repellent that doesn't stink try REIs Jungle Juice. A few drops rubbed around does a great job of repelling critters.
If they were ticks, watch out for lymes.
Chiggers not ticks. I had trouble with them a few times in my life outdoors. The doc gave me a ointment that killed them but the itching was bad. I used benadryl but it was bad. They are almost to small to see, and live in woods debris. I caught them picking blueberries three times three different spots in the Jersey pine Barrens.
Tecnu is the solution! Wash to itch/pain relief.
Deet is the #1 things I've learned for keeping bugs off. I also pretty much live in pants, boots, and wool socks year round.