How to Get rid of Chiggers? Top 6 Best Repellents & Buyer Guide
Chiggers are also known as Red Bugs, Berry Bugs, and Harvest Mites. They are reddish-brown in colour and prefer to live in damp, grassy, wooden areas, such as forests. They are most active from early spring to early autumn.
Chigger bites are harmful to humans as they use their mouth to inject salivary enzymes through our skins that break down our skin cells. They feed on the broken skin cells which results in the victim developing an intense skin rash that is bright red and highly itchy.
How to get rid of Chiggers?
Below are the best repellents available in market for your use to get rid of chiggers.
- Ranger Ready Insect Repellent
- 3M SRL-12 Ultrathon Insect Repellent Lotion
- Off! Deep Woods Dry Aerosol Insect Repellent
- Ben’s Ultra Net High Visibility Head Net
- Bug Barrier 100 Insect Repellent
- Ben’s 100 Insect Repellent Pump
Top 6 Best Repellents to Get rid of Chiggers
1. Ranger Ready Insect Repellent
Ranger Ready is a DEET-free insect repellent spray, containing 20% Picaridin, that will provide you effective protection against chiggers, gnats, flies, and fleas for up to 8 hours.
This chiggers repellent can be used by adults as well as children and pregnant women as well as it is DEET-free and won’t cause any damage to your clothes, making it ideal for hiking and other outdoor trips.
How to Use: You can apply this spray directly on your skin or clothes as it contains Picaridin which does not cause any harm.
2. 3M SRL-12 Ultrathon Insect Repellent Lotion
Ultrathon is an insect repellent lotion that makes use of 3M Time-Release Technology to provide you protection from various insects such as chiggers for up to 12 hours.
This chigger repellent uses a polymer to trap DEET and gradually releases it over the skin, making it safe for use by adults as well as children.
How to Use: The lotion is easy to apply as you just have to open it and spread a thin layer of the lotion all over your body to protect yourself from chiggers for up to 12 hours.
3. Off! Deep Woods Dry Aerosol Insect Repellent
OFF! Deep Woods provides you with non-greasy and non-oily protection against chiggers, mosquitoes, ticks, and gnats as it a dry aerosol insect repellent.
This chigger repellent is a perfect to use when you are out for hiking, fishing, hunting, other outdoor activities as it has a very light touch. The repellent comes with a pack of six moist towelettes and four repellents.
How to Use: You just need to apply the powder repellent all over your body as it provides you with easy application in a continuous sweeping motion. You don’t have to spray it, just wipe it off your body. The moist towelettes are excellent to remove the excess powder during cleanup after the use of repellent.
4. Ben’s Ultra Net High Visibility Head Net
Ben’s Ultra Net Head Net has the highest visibility amongst various nets as the size of its net pores is 0.5 mm only.
The net provides extraordinary and comfortable protection to your head and neck against chigger and other insect bites.
This chigger repellent is suitable to use during outdoor activities as the elastic do not let the net move from its place even during rough weather conditions.
How to Use: You just need to wear this net from the head to protect yourself from the chiggers. The net lets you unzip your jacket or shirt without removing it as it includes an under-arm strap design.
5. Bug Barrier 100 Insect Repellent
This chigger spray is easy to use and apply. It is highly effective against chiggers and does not produce any unnecessary odor, making it suitable to use around children when they go outdoors to play.
Bug Barrier 100 Insect Repellent is available in large quantities as a single bottle lasts for about four days.
How to Use: You just need to spray it all over your body and clothes or hats as it won’t cause any damage to your skin. Make sure that you don’t apply it to your nails as it would immediately remove your nail polish.
6. Ben’s 100 Insect Repellent Pump
Ben’s 100 Insect Repellent is a small and portable spray that provides you instant protection from chiggers for up to 10 hours. The spray can be easily carried in a backpack or any travel bag, making it ideal for hunting and other travelling purposes.
How to Use: The spray is easy to apply as you just have to spray it on your body (visible skin), clothes, or shoes. Make sure that don’t spray it around your eyes or near your mouth.
Buyer’s Guide to select the Best Chigger Repellent
Before buying any repellent to get rid of chiggers, you should consider the following points and check if it is suitable for your use:
- The chigger repellent should contain any one of the active three ingredients: DEET, Picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, as they give long-lasting prevention. Read the label carefully as it may include information such as “repellent containing DEET should not be applied to infants or oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be applied to children under 3 years of age”.
- The product, especially sprays and lotions that can be directly applied to the skin, should not cause any side effect on your skin. You can test a bit of the product on the back of your hand before buying it.
- Since most repellents have chemicals in them that can be annoying to the body skin and the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth, it is best to use the one having lower DEET concentration.
- Make sure that the repeller you are buying is safe for use around children and has no side effects. Also, parents should not let children apply their own pest repellent as they might use their hands to wipe their nose or eyes or put them in their mouths.
- Make sure that you read the label to ensure that the product gives you prevention against the particular insect that you’re wishing to repel as some repellents are not designed to work against particular insects.
- Avoid buying those products that come in a combination of repellent and sunscreen, as mixing both of these products will reduce the effectiveness of both products.
- Make sure that you check the size of the net and read the reviews. Also, visibility should be clear through the net and other important points should be taken into consideration.
Conclusion
There are various types of repellents and products available in the market to get rid of chiggers. However, it is important that you are aware of the components used in the repellent along with its instruction and that if it is safe to use around children or not.