Chiggers are among the most irritating little monsters on the planet. Anyone who has experienced the horrible itching and irritation of chigger bites knows that there are few things worse in nature. Here is how to get rid of chiggers in your yard, and avoid those nasty chigger bites once and for all.
Any lesson on how to get rid of chiggers must begin with understanding what a chigger is, and whether or not you have them. Chiggers are actually the larvae stage of the harvest mite. The harvest mite is that red spider looking little mite that you often see in the dirt when planting during the summer. At this stage, the harvest mite is harmless. The chigger is another story, as it has to take on a host to feed. Once this is accomplished, then it drops from the host and becomes a harvest mite.
Chiggers are red to orange in color, but people rarely actually see them. They are so small that they often escape our attention until they start biting and leaving those nasty red welts that itch.
The next lesson in how to get rid of chiggers is to understand where you will find them. Chiggers must have shade, and they must have moisture. Without these two things, chiggers will dry up and die. Because of this, chiggers like heavy vegetation, shaded woods, the edges of swamps, the edges of water sources, and any mounds of trash or litter. Removing these types of areas from your yard is a great first step to get rid of chiggers.
Mow your lawn regularly to have the strongest effect on chigger populations. Think it over. Chiggers are looking for three primary things. They want moisture, shade, and something to feed on. Chiggers will bite and feed on rodents, small mammals, and humans. High grass provides each of the things that chiggers look for. High grass is chigger bites waiting to happen.
If you keep your yard trimmed and your bushes tidy, then chiggers are not likely to be a major problem. Getting rid of chiggers is really simply about taking away what they need. Chigger bites happen when we go into areas that are infested.
One way to avoid chigger bites when in areas that you can not avoid is to apply DEET to your clothes. They do not handle DEET well at all, and will fall away quickly.
Just remember to eliminate the source of hosts, and the things the chigger needs, and you will get rid of chiggers. It really is that simple. Chigger bites are not something that you are forced to endure. These creatures are very predictable, and they simply can not withstand a large dose of sunlight or lack of a host.
To find out if you have chiggers in a given area, you simply need to lay some dark colored paper in the grass. You will quickly see the little chiggers moving around in clusters on the paper. They are extremely tiny, but visible against a dark backdrop. Keep in mind that chiggers can be found in one spot and not just a foot or two away. They tend to clump together and are not generally widespread across large areas.
If you notice a pattern here, it is because there is. Getting rid of chiggers can truly only happen before hand. They are simply too hard to locate in their entirety. To truly get rid of chiggers, you must eliminate them through prevention. Do not wait on the chigger bites. Eliminate their needs.
