Regarding Annoying Midges or No-see-ums...

[MineralMan]

Over the past month or so, I've been plagued by itchy, raised bumps of some kind on my arms. It's clear that they are bites, but I couldn't identify what bug bit me. Like spider bites, they take a long time to heal completely and sometimes create a small open wound from scratching.

Today, I finally figured it out. While mowing my lawn, I felt a minor pain on my arm. Looking down, I discovered the source of these bites - a tiny little fly. Instead of mushing it into a greasy smear, I caught it and took it inside so I could get a better look with a jeweler's loupe. Then I took to the internet and searched for "biting flies." It turned out to be a biting midge or "no-see-um."

Apparently they're pretty common, and are an unseen, but pesky annoyance here in Minnesota, and in many other places. Even now, I notice that I have three new bites from today's lawnmowing, which will, no doubt have me dealing with them for the next week or two.

It seems like, as we go through our lives, there are lots of hard-to-identify annoyances that seem too small to cause so much unpleasantness. I'm glad to have identified this particular thing. Their bites will still itch, but knowing what caused the discomfort should make the healing easier, I think. That, and some cortisone cream. Life's like that, I guess.

http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2009/05/27/sm_midge0526+Z.jpg

[grasswire]

1. stop scratching!

Nothing ever has to turn into an open wound from scratching. Get yerself a tube of aloe vera gel, or some "itch" cream of some kind. If nothing else is at hand, dab a bit of toothpaste on it or hold an ice cube against it.

I have to say that if you hadn't mentioned the cause in your subject, I would have thought this story was leading to bedbugs. Ugh.

[NNN0LHI]

2. no-see-ums will suck the blood out of you faster than a phlebotomist

Chiggers are worse though. Had a chigger bite on my back, where I couldn't reach it of course, that itched for a year solid.

Don

[NoNothing]

4. +1000

Chiggers are the evilest creature on the planet.

[JuniperLea]

9. Chiggers get under your skin...

An infestation can cause severe problems... infections and the like. And woe to the diabetic who has problems healing! When I was a kid we used to put nail polish on the spots where the chiggers lay their eggs in the skin... it suffocates them.

Too bad we can't take away the air supply from all these obnoxious pests!

[Myrina]

22. chiggers don't burrow/lay eggs ...

... you may be thinking of scabies.

The enzymes from the chigger bite is what causes the itch because one's natural defenses try to attack it.

http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/chiggers%28008%29.shtml



:hi:

[JuniperLea]

24. Weird...

My Nebraska and Iowa cousins always called them chiggers! Pft...

:rofl:

[hfojvt]

3. that name is, of course, not accurate

because you can actually see them. They look like little black specks. For a tiny little bug, they pack one heck of a bite.

[MineralMan]

8. Yes. You can see them, but it seems you rarely do.

They're everywhere right now in my back yard. Drat! Does DEET keep them away? Pesky little shits, they are.

Feh! I wish them an unpleasant death. I know that violates Ahimsa, but I don't care.

[sharp_stick]

18. They call them no-see-ums because

they bite and take off before you can exact any form of violent revenge on the little bugger.

[Delphinus]

32. Gives me

cellulitis when I get bit.

[MineralMan]

41. That can sure happen. I apply some antibiotic ointment to these

bites right away, followed by 1% cortisone cream to keep the itching to a minimum. Little things can cause big problems, so it's best to nip those problems in the bud, I think.

The one thing you can't do is just ignore them. That never seems to work.

[Warpy]

5. Cortisone cream is beautiful stuff

and I find I can ignore an itch for the 20 minutes or so it takes to kick in when I rub it into some sort of bites.

No see ums are nasty little bugs that can get through window screens and people in the northern states know them all too well. They're so small you often don't even see the smudge when you feel them bite and slap 'em.

Eastern Mass. was a fortuitous place in many regards: too far south for black flies and too far north for chiggers. The no see ums and mosquitoes made up for it.

DEET can help repel them but makes you smell like a scout camp.

[Cleita]

6. When I lived in no-see-um country I slathered myself

with Off! Skintastic. It works with mosquitos too and isn't as toxic as Deet.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/catalog/Outdoor-Living/Skintastic-Family-Insect-Repellent-IV/ID=prod3987-product?V=G&ec=frgl_&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=sku303987

Also, if you can find an Avon lady, their Skin So Soft bath oil, also acts like an insect repellent.

http://www.avon.com/1/3/soft-original-bath

Also light Citronella candles on your porch and on your patio if you want to enjoy being outdoors in them. It takes about an hour for the candles to be effective so light them about an hour before you intend on being out there.

(Edited to correct link)

[JuniperLea]

11. There are natural tree oils that repel them as well...

Cedar oil is great for this. Avon's Skin-So-Soft has it as an ingredient. I always bathed my kids with it before we went camping... and brought wipes on the trip.

Some trees repel, some attract... you gotta know your trees and stay away from the obnoxious offenders!

[Cleita]

15. I think there is a website that sells Texas cedar oil for

insect repellent. It's advertised on the radio at times but I can't remember the name.

[lillypaddle]

25. Snopes

pretty much debunks the "Skin so Soft" as repellent idea. This is the second or third time today I've seen this meme on DU - must have a bunch of Avon Lady DUers? :hi:



http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/skeeters.asp

[Cleita]

26. I think Snopes is wrong on this one.

It actually works and many will testify to it. So does the Cedar oil. It doesn't take care of an infestation like in a swamp or tropical rain forest. For that you need Deet and it's pretty toxic if you don't shower it off after a few hours.

[lillypaddle]

27. Didn't work for me

but if it works for you, more power to ya.

[Cleita]

28. Try the Off! Skintastic. It's stronger. n/t

[Toucano]

33. Snopes actually says the product works.

The product did repel the mosquitoes, just not for a very long time.


Perhaps that's why it's being repeated: it actually does work for uses whose exposure is an hour or less.

[sinkingfeeling]

7. What I hate more is chiggers. I am eaten alive by them each spring when I clear the growth on the

side of my hill. Regular insect spray doesn't do a thing to them.

[librechik]

10. the lady on the other side of my cubicle was just now complaining about those

She's covered with bites and seems to be allergic

[LWolf]

12. Yep.

Because of my (foolish) insistence on wearing shorts while working outside in hot weather, even in weeds and brush, my legs are covered with itchy, weepy bites.

[metapunditedgy]

13. When I lived in mosquito country, I found that really hot water would stop the itching

for about 4 hours. It has to be so hot you can barely stand it, and you obviously don't want to get it on a large patch of skin.

I would microwave a damp paper towel for about 15 seconds (no more! dangerous...!) and hold it to the bite.

[NNN0LHI]

19. Wash all my bites with warm soapy water on a rag then dry and apply rubbing alcohol

Works as good or better as anything I have purchased specifically for bug bites.

Don

[AnArmyVeteran]

30. I had oozing poison ivy all over my arms and hot water took away all the inching.

I noticed when I took a shower how the warm water felt soooo good when it hit my arms that were eaten up and oozing from the poison ivy I was exposed to. Then I kept making the water hotter and hotter and directing the stream of water to just the places where the oozing was. The water was almost scalding, but when it hit the affected skin it felt better than just about anything else. Eventually, I just sprayed it with the hottest water I could. When I was finished, the itching was virtually gone. It remained that way for quite awhile. The hot water also caused the blisters and broken skin to dry out making it feel better. The hotter the better in my opinion, just short of burning yourself.

I can't believe how good it felt to have extremely hot water spraying over the oozing skin. Other than sex, this felt better than anything. I discovered my 'treatment' by myself and hadn't heard another person talk about it until you mentioned it. I've learned since my bout with severe poison ivy exposure that hot, hot water could take away itching for any reason, from poison ivy to insect bites. (BTW, I remember it feeling so good to have hot water spraying on itchy skin that I thought of deliberately running poison ivy over one of my arms, but of course, I didn't do it :).

Thanks for sharing your story...

Oh yeah, hot water doesn't cost anything and it works. Calamine lotion is totally useless. Hydrocortisone is good for bites and poison ivy too because it dries up the affected skin. But it doesn't take away the itching.

[leeroysphitz]

14. They prefer to be called Little People. n/t

[MineralMan]

17. LOL!

I'll try to remember that, so as not to offend. :rofl:

[Bonhomme Richard]

LOL, when I was a kid I had to paint the docks every year.

Whenever I did it there was zero wind and the no-see-ums would swarm over from the marshes. I always painted the railings white and as soon as I was finished they were black with the bugs that landed on the wet paint. As for me, I just had to suck up getting bitten until the job was done. The only upside was that there were so many on me at the same time one swipe of my hand up my arm killed hundreds of them.

[dipsydoodle]

16. Find something you can use

which contains Citronella . Supposed to be good for warding off most insects including mossies etc.

[jwirr]

20. Dress with long sleeves, pants and stockings - it gives them less

area to bite.

[dgibby]

21. We called them "flying teeth" when I was stationed

at Roosevelt Roads in PR. I still itch whenever I even think about them.

[Barack2theFuture]

23. wait until the gummint releases the Gen5 nanotech bots

[bvar22]

29. I SWEAR by this stuff:

Also sold at Walgreens as "Calahist Clear Lotion"

We use it on everything from Poison Ivy to Bee stings,
but especially on Chiggers.

During late Spring and Early Summer, we have a problem with Ticks & Chiggers.
WE have adopted these techniques for dealing with them.

During Tick & Chigger Season:
1)Keep the grass around the house/cabin and garden areas mowed short.

2)Avoid sitting, kneeling, or laying in the grass if possible.

3)Wear loose fitting clothing (and no underwear if possible). Chiggers like to burrow in under elastic bands belts, and sock tops. However, this DOES give ticks easier access.
In this case, use your judgment. When working in tall brush or The Woods, I wear longer sleeves and tighter clothing because ticks are the greater threat.

4)Shower with hot water, soap, and an abrasive cloth immediately after working in the brush or laying, sitting, or kneeling in the grass.

5)Chiggers can stay in exposed clothing for days.
Quarantine clothing that has been exposed to Chiggers.
NEVER re-wear exposed clothes the next day without washing.
Never store or hang exposed clothes with clean clothes.

6)Folk Remedy...Powdered Sulphur.
We keep some Powdered Sulphur in a sock by the doorway during Chigger Season, and use it to lightly powder our legs. We also spread it around our garden paths and other areas where we spend a lot of time working or playing outside.
Seems to work.

[SoCalDem]

36. We always used Rhuligel..and it's great for sunburns too

Now it's owned by Johnson & Johnson, but the product is the same

[auntAgonist]

31. We have been plagued with Gallinippers

HUGE mosquitoes that hurt like hell when they getcha

[TwilightGardener]

34. I always got them around the waistband of my pants, and around

my underarms--always after yardwork. Big, nasty, insanely itchy weeping welts that burned like hell in the shower under hot water.

[Dappleganger]

35. Eat more garlic.

[Mendocino]

37. Even worse, their cousins

The Evil Black Fly!

A few years ago camping in Michigan, I recieved so many bites from these little buggers that I nearly ended up in the hospital.

[MineralMan]

42. I got some black fly bites when I was fishing in Alaska.

No fun.

[Bonobo]

38. Yeah, it's amazing how blind some people can be to actual problems!

On the other hand, I am very well attuned to what is actually happening around me.

I tend to not ignore things until they get so bad that they require serious intervention.

It's all about being aware and living inside reality as opposed to our own created reality.

[MineralMan]

40. Indeed. Now that I know the source of my irritation, I'll prepare myself

more thoroughly before going out to mow the weeds down. Self-protection often reduces annoying problems to nothing more than a minor thing. Just ignoring such things doesn't make them go away.

[Scurrilous]

39. Kick

:kick: