Here we used to get chiggers every spring picking dewberries or hunting Easter eggs. This year I was attacked while burning brush piles in the pastures. I think they can live in any vegetation.

Don't know about Easter eggs but I did read that chiggers like berry patches. They're even called 'berry bugs' or something like that. (also some names that I've censored but y'all can use your imaginations)

Chiggers in Florida from April to Sept in low lying wet areas and pine needles. I just spray DEET everyday before walking the farm on my sox, boots, and pant legs to the knee briefly. If I forget, I use calamine lotion as soon as possible. It can stop it before it starts if early enough.

Let a new bottle of Calamine sit awhile, then pour off half the water, shake and use it thick and pasty, all around the bite area. Re-apply often, and it will clear up in a couple days vs. a week or more without. Do not scratch, apply more calamine.
Nail polish will irritate, school glue takes longer to dry, but why? just cake on the calamine! Dollar Tree has it for $1.00; it works best!
If you are bound to use the old redneck remedy, I prefer the pretty red rose color nail polish. Then calamine over it after drying; it will prevent scarring.

Good to know. Pretty in pink.

Welcome, @woodshop102.

Consider Oak mites as well. They are just as miserable as chiggers.
I've had good results relieving the inch with Borow's solution (trade name Domeboro.) The generic store brand is pretty cheap (get the packets - not the premixed) and it works well on any thing that makes you itch!

We're really having chigger problems. Both of us have numerous bites and the itching is keeping us awake at night. My husband didn't think it was chiggers. He was trying to tell me it was food allergies and they were hives!

This morning I went outside with a white sheet of paper and shook one of my wormwood plants over it. The paper was crawling with tiny red dots and I managed to capture one of them. He is going to try to photograph it, but it's the tiniest thing you've ever seen. No wonder we don't feel them crawling on us. i think he believes now that they are chiggers.

He hasn't been able to get a good photo, but he looked at it under a magnifier and compared it to the chigger pics on the web. It was a chigger, so at least he believes me now.

He is searching to find out what we could spray outdoors that won't harm things, but will kill chiggers. We also wonder if our dog is bringing them inside since he does a lot of sleeping on the ground outside. Any ideas of a safe bug spray?

No idea. Yet. But I'm sure your dog brings them in.

Edited to add this link. Hope it helps.
https://www.dirtdoctor.com/gar...

I LOVE this from the article! LOL! Okay, I don't wear socks, so I can testify that the no-sock thing doesn't work! Haven't tried the no-underwear thing! I probably won't ever try that.
"We know one outdoorsman who swears that if you don't wear underwear or socks, the chiggers won't have a place to hide and won't bother you."

It sort of makes sense since they like to get in tight enclosed areas.

plantmanager said:It sort of makes sense since they like to get in tight enclosed areas.

That is exactly the point.

Just before I was about to come inside after gardening something(s) bit up my feet. Probably chiggers because I would have seen ants or skeeters. Dang I was itching. But I have an ointment that has 2.5% hydrocortisone in it. Grabbed it really quick and after about 15 minutes no more itching. But maybe I was distracted by the pain from stubbing my toe.

By now we've tried everything on the itchy welts. Hydrocortisone cream seems to be the best at relieving the itch. Benadryl gel and Calamine lotion just don't help much.
I did read that sulfur spread around where they live can help. Now I need to find some sulfur! We are spraying our shoes and legs with bug spray whenever we go out. They're really a big pain and are ruining our summer.

What's really hard is knowing where they are. They tend to cluster together in spots, but you wouldn't see them. I need to put some sulfur out.

Linda, take a piece of computer paper outside and hold it under some of your plants and shake the plant. That's how I found them in my wormwood. I figured they had to be there because a few days earlier I was trimming them back and got a lot of new welts. They move very fast, so you have to be quick to catch one. I used a little pill bottle.

Don't forget your dog. Could get them from some other spot.

He has meds that should kill them if they bite him. He could just be shaking them off in the house, but so far I haven't seen any. We have almost white tile and white walls and they do show up pretty well if you're looking for them. I found some when I shook out the laundry basket clothes before washing them.

So scary to know they could get in the house. Thanks for the tips, everybody. Will try some out. No dog here, but have cats. I always thought wormwood repelled bugs, but maybe mites don't follow rules about what plants they can get on. The skeeters have been worse since the storms we had, and some ticks hatched on the property...the tiny seed ticks.

We also have the tiny seed ticks. I'm so ready for Fall and Winter about now.

Fall is really tick season - be careful what you wish for.

Normally we only see ticks in the summer, but we'll be on the lookout. Our dog gets his meds for them year round.