What are good organic treatments for chiggers and their bites?
Chiggers, or red bugs in the south, can be seen in the center of the bite area. Get someone with good eyesite or a magnifying glass and a sharp pointed knife and scrape the red dot to dislodge it. If it comes off, discard it on a paper towel and wipe the area with alcohol. If it has been there for more than a few hours, the skin around it will rise and envelop it, making it hard to dislodge. Organic or not, clear fingernail polish spread over its airhole will kill it in a few hours. Let the polish come off on its own, usually a day. Do not scratch the affected area or try to squeeze it like a pimple, because it will make a sore that will take days to go away, and does nothing to the chigger. If the itching gets too intense, take a Benadryl tablet (antihistamine) also known as dyphenhydramine. As a kid, we had as many as 50 bites at one time, and we did this to each one.
