CHIGGER CONTROL

   This article is about CHIGGER control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   This article will detail the chigger.
You will learn a brief biology of this pest,
how and why it is a nuisance around the home
and how to control it. We will also list products
which are used to treat chigger bites and
to repel them when outside.  Any place a product
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   Chiggers are pests in the mite family which
are prevalent throughout the southern part of
the United States. They are red, tiny like a
spider or clover mite, and smear red when 
crushed. Chiggers are different from both
spider and clover mites in that they like to
feed on flesh. They will readily bite dogs, cats,
livestock, birds, people or just about any
animal they can find. Chiggers live on the
ground, around shrubs and plants, or anywhere
vegetation is able to protect them. They
prefer shade and moist areas, but will forage
for food great distances if needed. Unlike
most small mites, chiggers are able to move
quickly. They are able to sense movement and
detect any food source from a great distance.
Pets will get chiggers simply walking 
throughout the yard; people can get them playing
golf, working in the garden or during a picnic.
   Chiggers spend the winter lodged in the
soil a few inches deep. When spring arrives,
adults emerge to lay eggs in the same areas
they hibernated. Eggs will hatch in a short
while to release the larval stage. This is
the stage which feeds on mammals. It requires
flesh and will feed on just about any mammal
available. Once a target is found, the young
chigger will attack. First, it will crawl over
shoes, socks and pants attempting to find
meat. Chiggers are small enough to fit through
the mesh of many fabrics. This enables them
to penetrate socks or pants quickly. Once on
the skin, they will try to locate a place
where they feel secure. This is usually under
socks, around the waist band of underwear or
anywhere clothing is tight. At this point, they
will either puncture the skin or use hair
follicles to get food. Chiggers have a special
fluid which liquifies flesh enabling the chigger
to "suck" it's meal. During this time, you 
would expect to feel an itch where they are
feeding. Their digestive fluids usually
irritate our skin and creates a red blotch.
In a day or two, this area may develop a blister.
The best product to use on the bite is 
CHIGGER BITE OINTMENT. This ointment will take the "itch"
away and promote healing.   Since
chiggers will readily climb over clothing to
get to your flesh, use PERMETHRIN CONCENTRATE
on shoes and pants.  Permethrin is odorless, easy
to mix and works well at keeping many pests
away. Mix some up in a small spray bottle for
spraying while afield. Be sure to use it on shoes
and pants to keep them off and apply as needed.
Though the aerosol is easy to use, the concentrate
will prove to be more cost effective if you will
be using a lot. As an added measure, you should 
treat your skin with some repellent as well. This 
way if the chiggers some how get past your clothes, 
they won't want to stick around on your treated
skin. There are many repellents for use one your
skin but the best is either CITRONELLA LOTION
or DEET. Citronella has long been used as a general
insect repellent and though not too effective
when dispersed in the air, it does a good job
as a contact repellent. This lotion can be applied
as frequently as needed and won't pose a hazard
to anyone that wants some type of protection. If
the chiggers are really bad and you want the
strongest protection available, the Deet would
be the best choice. It will last longer then the
Citronella and will work better overall.
   Once they feed, larva will drop off the host
and go through a period of development where
they become adults. By the fall, they will
be active again. Now fully mature adults, they
will seek organic matter on which to feed and
nest. Beds of chiggers will now form as fall
becomes winter. Adults will then dig into the
ground and overwinter protected from freezing
temperatures and rain. In the spring, the cycle
will start all over again. In some regions, 
warm temperatures and high humidity allow the
chigger to complete two cycles a year. This
creates two "feeding seasons" during the year.
One in the spring and then again in late summer
to fall. Depending on the year, it may feel
as though they are active all the time. Other
seasons may prove to have little chigger
activity giving the impression they have
disappeared. Rest assured they will be back!
   Chigger control starts with identifying where
they are nesting. This is typically around the
home in pine straw, wood chips, mulch areas,
grass, over grown wild areas, briar patches,
or anywhere ground cover is thick. English
ivy, poison ivy and junipers will all provide
great protection for nesting chiggers. Since
these locations may be all over the property, 
chigger control is best done by treating
everything. Treatment is easy when using the
right product. CYFLUTHRIN works well on chiggers.
It's one of the newer active ingredients so
chiggers have not had a chance to develop resistance
just yet. Cyfluthrin goes a long way and it 
is important to treat as much of the local
area as you can. Use a HOSE END SPRAYER and
be sure to get grass, thatch, pinestraw, mulch
and plants saturated. Cyfluthrin is perfect for
this application; it has a low odor, won't hurt
plants or trees and is very safe around people
and pets. If your property is adjoined by a wild 
area, be sure to apply material there. Since 
chiggers migrate, treating these borders will 
provide some extra protection. Treatments 
should be done once a month for two months in 
the spring and then once in the fall. This 
schedule will keep your property free of 
chiggers for at least a year. Watch 
populations the year following your first
application. You may be able to skip a year 
before having to treat again, but in general 
property which has an infestation once is 
likely to get one again. To prevent this
from happening, once a year applications will
prove to be a good investment.
   If you are finding chiggers inside, use the Cyfluthrin
in one of our SPRAYERS to treat baseboards, crawlspaces or
other areas where populations are suspected to
be living. If the original population was immediately
adjacent to the home, outside turf treatments should
be made first being sure to spray foundations as
well - even if you don't think any are present there.
You need to treat foundations to prevent traveling
chiggers from finding their way into the home. Once
inside they can be a nuisance to control generally
needing several applications. This happens because
they don't find a lot of comfortable habitat in the
home so they forage and seek new places more readily.
Since they hide in cracks well, the use of some
MICRO ENCAPSULATED PYRETHRIN can be a big help. It
has a long injection tube which really helps when
treating around molding and other cracks or crevices.
If you treat thoroughly they are easy to control; if you
miss some areas there is a risk they will move there
in a short while so be sure to get most every room.
   Chiggers are a flesh feeding pest which
can ruin picnics, back yard get togethers
or gardening activities. Their bites are
irritating, itch and will persist.  Treat
bites with chigger bite ointment for relief. Apply
Permethrin Concentrate Spray to repel chiggers
when going afield where chiggers live.  
Around the home, control them quickly with 
Tempo. Two or three treatments the first year 
will get the population under control and 
followups of once a year should 
prevent them from returning.

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