Correct. By the time you start to itch the chiggers are long gone. Their saliva is an enzyme that dissolves your skin and subdermal tissue into a soup that they drink. The process puts a lot of histamine into the surrounding tissue and you get terrible itching. Scratching makes it worse. Just FYI, the wound profile that the chigger leaves is referred to as a "stylosome".

Calamine lotion gives me some relief and I usually knock myself out with benadryl if I'm covered in bites.

I grew up treating chigger bites with nail polish, but since I learned that there aren't any chiggers in those litte holes I stopped. I've since come to the personal conclusion that the nail polish doesn't really reduce symptoms or duration, but it does seem to keep me from scratching a bit and, therefore, I'm less likely to wind up with little scars.

http://www.medicinenet.com/chiggers_bites/article.htm

Is there a time of year that you are more likely to get into chiggers in Texas?

Right now!

especially when it gets on the skin

I used to bird hunt with an older man that told me he always went home and showered with Dog flea & tick sampoo. I have been using it ever since. I have not had a chigger in years. Just saying.

I hate them chiggers

We will be loading up on deet for sure

Still have scars on my ankle from a few years ago

that deet is amazing. rumor is itll give you skin cancer or at least thats what everybody would say as we gladly sprayed ourselves down with it. mosquitos in alaska could carry you off if they wanted. deet was the ONLY product to keep them away. gotta be 100% though.... as joe dirt would say
"none of that p@ssy skoal S#$%."

Silver powder really works that well ?
I figure the smell would not be fun

Treat your cloths and boots with the phermone spray. Never got a chigger or tick bite when using that stuff.

I used to canoe and camp on the noatak river in the gates of artic park northern alaska for 15 days. The place was thik with mosquitoes and they were very hungry. The local alaskan guides swore all by one combination. 100% deet mixed with nivea cream. It stays on your skin much longer and save money by diluting it.

man I'm going out to my lease tomorrow and you guys have got me all wound up.

I'll apply Miller Lite liberally and let the chips fall where they may.

Make sure you dont fall prior to the chips

All my chips are on the chiggers

try to come back with all your bones going in a straight line!

I always dab a sulfur sock around my waste, ankles, sleeves, and collar, and I have never gotten a chigger bite.
You can buy a 50 lbs bag of dusting sulfur at most country feed stores for around $20. Home Depot sells small bags of low quality dusting sulfur in the garden section, but the stuff Home Depot sells has a high percentage of bentonite in it.

" This idea that chiggers burrow into people's skin may be the most common misperception about them."

This is very true and let me tell you how to fix the problem and neutralize the bite. I can't tell you how many times on missions I've bathed in my own piss to neutralize bug bites, man-o-war,stinging nettle, and jelly fish stings. Bottom line...carry some ammonia.

Use an insect repellent and when you actually discover the bite put some straight ammonia on a cotton ball or something and hold it on the bite.

"Is there a time of year that you are more likely to get into chiggers in Texas?"

Hell, we didn't have a winter last year...12 months

Hysterical!

My bones are good but the poisonous viper insect Americans got a hold of me. Off is as good as on when it comes to them. New Skin for cuts keeps the itching down. I got to go to cabelas and get some sulfer powder or something cause we are going back Friday. Maybe I should try applying more Miller lite?

We had about 20 coots on the lake this last weekend but no babies. Those stupid birds probably eat their own young.

Now thats funny

Sure, but try a real beer. Miller Lite, Bud Light do not count. Coors is ok because it's actually a beer instead of a desert. And of course there are much better choices.

Just say no to all Miller and Budweiser products (Bud Lime is an exception if the temperature is over 90)

scratch until the wound is open the spray bleach on them

Man some of these have turned a dark red color with a yellow center. Y'all want to see pics?

you should burn them with a lit cigarette

Man y'all are harsh. I'm not doing either of those. But I'll show you some pics so you'll see what I'm talking about. I don't remember chiggers carrying such a nasty bite.