# Chiggers and Mesquitos; What Is Your Secret Repellent?



## Kevin

I got eaten alive by skeeters and chiggers when I went logging the other day. I'm going back in armed with lots of DEET but also thinking about wrapping my legs after DEET application underneath my pants with something then apply more DEET to that then spray my clothes too.

What is your secret weapon to keep the effing chiggers off? The skeeters shouldn't be too much for the DEET to handle but the chiggers ate me alive too.


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## Don Ratcliff

Mosquitos are attracted to Carbon dioxide so you could try not breathing when you log... That will help not get bit...

Reactions: Great Post 3 | Funny 4


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## MKTacop

One time when I was deployed to Riyadh, we ate at a Korean restaurant downtown. The food was HEAVY with garlic. The next day, the skeeters were horrible because it had actually rained. Everyone was getting eaten alive except for those of us who had eaten at the Korean place. The garlic coming out of our pores when we were sweating was very effective against skeeters. I'm not sure how it would work with chiggers, but if you like garlic, it might be worth a try.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## Kevin

I eat lots of garlic in my food almost everyday. I'm a garlic addict. But I can't remember if I had any the day before I went logging or not.

Reactions: Like 1


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## kweinert

I just don't go where they are. 

Works for me :)

Seriously, I don't know about chiggers but I am one of those folks that skeeters just don't seem to bother. I rarely get bit and when I do it's a small bump, rarely itches, and rapidly goes away.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## CWS

They don't bother me much but I'm not as sweet as Kevin.


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## JR Custom Calls

Much like STD's... abstaining from activities where such critters are around is one good way to keep them away

Reactions: Funny 2


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## gman2431

I've got 2 bottles of the good stuff left... I mean good stuff... Want one? Might make ya  a little but it works!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Don Ratcliff

gman2431 said:


> I've got 2 bottles of the good stuff left... I mean good stuff... Want one? Might make ya  a little but it works!


What exactly is "The good stuff" And when did they stop producing it so there are 2 remaining bottles in the world. Also if it makes you  do you really want to use a ? I have to  on that one.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## gman2431

Don Ratcliff said:


> What exactly is "The good stuff" And when did they stop producing it so there are 2 remaining bottles in the world. Also if it makes you  do you really want to use a ? I have to  on that one.



Well.... Deet isn't a good thing and some places have even banned any levels over 30 percent. 

My grandpa was a yooper And stockpiled the good stuff like Canadian formula and Muskol. It will keep mosquitos away, melt plastic, strip paint etc. Its pretty versatile actually. 

Let me guess.... No skeeters on the islands is there?  you guys got er made minus all that heat!


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## Kevin

Cody yes I want! I want! Name your price!

As you might imagine I have googled a lot of stuff in the past day or so trying to figure out how to repel them in one of the first things always on the list is "avoid areas where they are". And that just makes me want to crawl through the Internet and slap the shite out of someone who says that. It's like asking how do I avoid cancer? And finding that the answer is avoid life!

Seriously Cody what do you want for that bottle? I have tons of orders and I have to go back in as many times as possible as often as lossibke but my ankles are still miserable!!!

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Don Ratcliff

gman2431 said:


> Well.... Deet isn't a good thing and some places have even banned any levels over 30 percent.
> 
> My grandpa was a yooper And stockpiled the good stuff like Canadian formula and Muskol. It will keep mosquitos away, melt plastic, strip paint etc. Its pretty versatile actually.
> 
> Let me guess.... No skeeters on the islands is there?  you guys got er made minus all that heat! View attachment 107622


We have mosquitos here, they only bite tourists though, so I got that going for me now. What we do not have is snakes, none on any islands here.

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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## Don Ratcliff

Kevin said:


> Cody yes I want! I want! Name your price!
> 
> As you might imagine I have googled a lot of stuff in the past day or so trying to figure out how to repel them in one of the first things always on the list is "avoid areas where they are". And that just makes me want to crawl through the Internet and slap the shite out of someone who says that. It's like asking how do I avoid cancer? And finding that the answer is avoid life!
> 
> Seriously Cody what do you want for that bottle? I have tons of orders and I have to go back in as many times as possible as often as lossibke but my ankles are still miserable!!!



Wow, you are really bad at this barter thing. Say something like, "Yeah, that might work, I'll send you a couple bucks you send me a bottle or both." No... You gotta just about cry and say Take my money and take all of it!" I am ashamed to call you son right now.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## gman2431

Kevin said:


> Cody yes I want! I want! Name your price!
> 
> As you might imagine I have googled a lot of stuff in the past day or so trying to figure out how to repel them in one of the first things always on the list is "avoid areas where they are". And that just makes me want to crawl through the Internet and slap the shite out of someone who says that. It's like asking how do I avoid cancer? And finding that the answer is avoid life!
> 
> Seriously Cody what do you want for that bottle? I have tons of orders and I have to go back in as many times as possible as often as lossibke but my ankles are still miserable!!!



I'll give up the Canadian but not the Muskol since its not made anymore and was gramps. 

Definetly use it sparingly and not around the face. To many michiganders are cross eyed from putting it on their hat and sweating it in... 

I'm sure we can figure something out if ya want It.


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## Kevin

Just in case you doubt...

Reactions: Sincere 5


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## gman2431

Don Ratcliff said:


> We have mosquitos here, they only bite tourists though, so I got that going for me now. What we do not have is snakes, none on any islands here.



My kinda place... Not a snake person...


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## gman2431

Kevin said:


> Just in case you doubt...
> 
> View attachment 107626



Sweet mary!!! That's rough!!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Kevin

Don Ratcliff said:


> Wow, you are really bad at this barter thing. Say something like, "Yeah, that might work, I'll send you a couple bucks you send me a bottle or both." No... You gotta just about cry and say Take my money and take all of it!" I am ashamed to call you son right now.





Don Ratcliff said:


> Wow, you are really bad at this barter thing. Say something like, "Yeah, that might work, I'll send you a couple bucks you send me a bottle or both." No... You gotta just about cry and say Take my money and take all of it!" I am ashamed to call you son right now.



You don't understand. There's a lot of money at stake here and I have a short window to make hay while the sun shines. I've been logging this particular forest for about 12 years and I have never been run off by mosquitoes or chiggers before. Usually they don't even show up. It's not a joking matter for me right now. But I still love the jokes anyway so keep them coming. In the meantime I hope the hair falls off your coconuts and your banana dries up and falls off.

Reactions: Funny 9


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## Brink



Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Funny 4


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## Kevin

I don't see any intelligent life forms in that picture.


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## Don Ratcliff

Brink said:


> View attachment 107633


@Brink @Kevin 
Look at the brotherly love...


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## ironman123

@Kevin, when I was old enough to cut Johnson grass with the sling hoe my mother would paint my ankles and top of my socks with a mixture of kerosene and sulfer. It worked against chiggers, redbugs.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## robert flynt

gman2431 said:


> I've got 2 bottles of the good stuff left... I mean good stuff... Want one? Might make ya  a little but it works!


Don't give him any of that, I don't think we could stand it!!!

Reactions: Funny 2


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## barry richardson

There is a product called "Skin so Soft" made by Avon I think, my x wife turned me onto it, repels mosquitoes great,it also takes sticky residue off that is left from tape and price tags and such, smells pretty good, and of course makes your skin oh so soft.....

Reactions: Agree 1


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## robert flynt

ironman123 said:


> @Kevin, when I was old enough to cut Johnson grass with the sling hoe my mother would paint my ankles and top of my socks with a mixture of kerosene and sulfer. It worked against chiggers, redbugs.


Forgot about that. It works but don't wear socks that you like. It stinks!


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## robert flynt

Have had good luck repelling mosquitos and sand nats using Avon's Skin So Soft but warn your wife first, to prevent knots on your head, because you will smell like a french whore!!


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## robert flynt

Be careful Kevin. I have a friend who went on a hiking trip and got chiggers so bad it triggered an auto immune disease that took him years to get over. He really suffered with the itching and stays in the hospital.


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## Wildthings

Skin so Soft is great for sqeeters but don't know how it works with chiggers. Only thing I know of is sulphur powder

Reactions: Agree 2


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## DKMD

I use this stuff... A little goes a long way

Reactions: Funny 6


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## woodtickgreg

Skeeters in Michigan laugh at skin so soft. Maybe it's just me. they swarm around me and no one else. My body must give off lots of co2.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## robert flynt

No, They just know tender meat when they see it or if you imbibe it could be the alcohol in your blood make you taste better.


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## robert flynt

Those yankee skeeters must be tuff. We've have salt water marsh skeeters that blow in from the island every now and then in such numbers they will turn your pants leg gray. We also have a fresh water variety that are huge, thank goodness they aren't as prevalent.


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## David Van Asperen

@Kevin years ago I was spraying weed in a shelter belt of trees with heavy under brush and a cloud of skeeters. I would use Tyvek disposable coveralls as part of my PPE, I believe they even had a hood . These did not stop all of them but greatly reduced the number of bites,in your case if you try them I would tuck them into some high top lace up boots to reduce the ankle attacks. Not sure about the chiggers but may be of some help to you in the skeeter department. That's should be fairly easy to obtain and not too crazy for cost
Dave


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## JR Custom Calls

This is interesting... but I grew up on a farm. I literally spent every moment I was awake up on the farm, in the garden, something. I also hunt for a solid 3 months of the year at least. I occasionally get a tick, skeeters bug the crap out of me, spiders freak me out, but I don't know that I've ever once been in to chiggers. I've heard about em, but never been in to em. Yellow jackets, hornets, yep... chiggers, nope. Weird.


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## HomeBody

Chiggers are the worst. They are thick around here. For your bites, go buy some Benedryl gel liquid. To keep them off of you in the field, use permethrin. (spelling?) It also is the best for ticks. Soak your socks and pants in permethrin then let them dry and wear them that way.
When a chigger bites you, it drills a hole then lines the hole with a secretion so the hole won't close up while it feeds. It gets its meal then drops off. The itching comes from the secretion that is left behind. Until it breaks down, you itch. Myth says the chigger is still inside your skin, but it is not. Fingernail polish is totally useless.
Chiggers will only bite if they can get under your clothes. If you go to a chigger infested area wearing only shorts and sandals, the only place they will bite you is around the waistband of your shorts. Naked Indians never had to deal with chiggers! Gary

Reactions: Informative 3


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## gman2431

Yep the Yankee skeeters must be tough because skin so soft doesn't work for me either. 

We grow citronella plants also on our patio and those aren't to bad. Kinda like aloe, snap a leak off and rub all over yourself. I also stick one in my hat while stream fishing. Get some weird looks sometimes. Lol


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## SENC

Permethrin. 

You can find permethrin spray in most outdoor places and many walmarts. It is not for skin application - spray it on your clothes and let it dry. Pay particular attention to coverage at the hems, waste, crotch, neck, arms - anywhere clothing ends. Socks, too. Permethrin doesn't ward off skeeters, chiggers, and ticks, but it kills them. Usually stays effective for a few weeks or a few washes before reapplication is necessary.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## ClintW

The best repellent I have seen is that white stuff you hate @Kevin , gets them dang buggers every year 

Honestly the best I have found is Ultrathon by 3M. It's a cream you wipe on and has done pretty good for the timeS I have been out in the mosquito's havens hunting and fishing. Seems to last a few hours even if sweating too.


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## Kevin

Avon SSS used it for years - sometimes it works great and sometimes it doesn't help at all. I think it depends on the vartiety of skeeter.

Lots of great info on chiggers some I knew but a lot I didn't. I'm not sure about the naked logging though - I think they would bite me everywhere especially cracks and crevices. Gotta do something fast I milled the rest of my logs this morning. I'm going to get some of the permethrin for sure. I had read about couple day ago - article said perm for chigs and DEET for skeet. Now seeing Gary and Henry validate it - it's definitely on my list. But it didn't say soak clothes and let dry glad y'all made mention of that little detail! Knee-high socks over my pants too.

So far tea tree oil is working best on existing bites. Still itching!


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## TimR

Can't speak to effectiveness of these pants, but claims to include chiggers in what it repels. They also sell shirts with same stuff treated in it. An option if you aren't sure how concentrated any home brewed approach would be. 
I may try a pair some day...but would prefer to hear someone from Texas with an affinity to logging thinks about their ability to fend off these pests.
http://www.duluthtrading.com/search...x?kw=insect repellant pants&processor=content

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kevin

I just ordered these items mostly for chiggers but skeeters too:

Chigger repellent.
Permethrin (for sawyers!).
Hat & mesh net. 
Anti-chigger socks.
Outer knee-high socks will soak in permethrin and tuck pants inside. 
Gaiters.

If they still get me I will torch the forest.

Reactions: Funny 3


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## ClintW

Make a smuj fire where you are logging.


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## SENC

Kevin said:


> I just ordered these items mostly for chiggers but skeeters too:
> 
> Chigger repellent.
> Permethrin (for sawyers!).
> Hat & mesh net.
> Anti-chigger socks.
> Outer knee-high socks will soak in permethrin and tuck pants inside.
> Gaiters.
> 
> If they still get me I will torch the forest.


Put all of that on at once and you won't be able to walk, much less saw! And please, please take a video when you try to pull those compressions socks up over your pants and base socks!

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Mike1950

ClintW said:


> Make a smuj fire where you are logging.



He already tried that and the burning car and tires did repel them for a bit but the car only burnt for a few Minutes.

Reactions: Funny 6


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## Mike1950

Have no chiggeres here and not many Skeeters. They don't like me- Probably too old and ornery for them. Damn- Kevin those legs were bad enough before But OH MY- Those little suckers turned you into a smorgasbord............... Hope ya figure it out- be careful

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Fsyxxx

I'll tell you the trick I've used always and it works. Od on b12. If it says take two take four, do this for a few days before you go. It secretes out of your pores and no chiggers no mosquitos. Learned it in scouts long ago, send my kid to camp doing this and he comes back bite free.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## HomeBody

Kevin said:


> Avon SSS used it for years - sometimes it works great and sometimes it doesn't help at all. I think it depends on the vartiety of skeeter.
> 
> Lots of great info on chiggers some I knew but a lot I didn't. I'm not sure about the naked logging though - I think they would bite me everywhere especially cracks and crevices. Gotta do something fast I milled the rest of my logs this morning. I'm going to get some of the permethrin for sure. I had read about couple day ago - article said perm for chigs and DEET for skeet. Now seeing Gary and Henry validate it - it's definitely on my list. But it didn't say soak clothes and let dry glad y'all made mention of that little detail! Knee-high socks over my pants too.
> 
> So far tea tree oil is working best on existing bites. Still itching!



If you are a history buff, check out the Siege of Vicksburg during the Civil War. The Union troops were decimated. Not by Confederate soldiers, but by chiggers. I think they call them "red bugs" in MS. Men broke ranks and ran to the river and jumped in. Gary

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## brown down

we don't have jiggers but this stuff kills ticks and skeeters won't even come close to you. plus it lasts for 2 weeks. just don't spray it on your skin or read the warning label on the back of the can  we swear by this stuff in hunting season! It is worth its weight in gold. I have sprayed my clothes with this stuff and found a tick crawling on me and you can watch it convulse and fall off. don't know whats in the can and don't want to know hahahah


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## ripjack13

brown down said:


> we don't have jiggers but this stuff kills ticks and skeeters won't even come close to you. plus it lasts for 2 weeks. just don't spray it on your skin or read the warning label on the back of the can  we swear by this stuff in hunting season! It is worth its weight in gold. I have sprayed my clothes with this stuff and found a tick crawling on me and you can watch it convulse and fall off. don't know whats in the can and don't want to know hahahah
> 
> View attachment 107740



That's the same stuff I have and use...it works....
LINK TO WARNING AND INFO IT 

Link to amazon


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## Kevin

SENC said:


> Put all of that on at once and you won't be able to walk, much less saw! And please, please take a video when you try to pull those compressions socks up over your pants and base socks!



I don't know what you conjured up in that vivid imagination of yours but some socks a hat and some spats are nothing. You have never seen clothes and gear until you have seen me outside in wintertime.

The compression socks may present a problem though. When I ordered them I was thinking they were loose for diabetics so they wouldn't cut into the skin during edema, but my wife explained it to me when I showed her my plan. Oh well, maybe I'll cut some finger holes in them and wear them on my arms......


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## SENC

Kevin said:


> compression socks... I was thinkingthey were loose...


The word compression didn't clue you in?

Reactions: Funny 3


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## Kevin

SENC said:


> The word compression didn't clue you in?



No. Medical terms offered by administration are fairly useless ......

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 5


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## Kevin

SENC said:


> The word compression didn't clue you in?



Hey wiseguy, my socks came in today. 


 

And they went on over my pants leg easier than buying a vote in DC . . . . 



 


So you see Henry, it doesn't pay to try and belittle the little man because even when I'm wrong, I am actually right.

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 6


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## Brink

Knee high socks? 
It's not really a standard measurement. 
I mean, like really, couldn't crew socks work? They could be like this nifty leg warmers the young ladies wore in 80's.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## rocky1

As for the chigger bites already sustained... try some Tea Tree Oil on them Kevin. I tried about every concoction imaginable to and relive the itching, but the wife had some Tea Tree Oil she'd bought for bug bites for the grand niece we're raising, and I rubbed some on a few bites. Itching went away, and they heal fairly rapidly because you keep the scabs that are already there moist. Apply as necessary, took about 3 - 4 applications over a couple days, the itching was gone altogether.


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## Kevin

Brink said:


> Knee high socks?
> It's not really a standard measurement.



Socks are not a measuring tool, that thing in my right hand that is a measuring tool. Damn chimps.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Mike1950

Kevin said:


> Hey wiseguy, my socks came in today.
> View attachment 107873
> 
> And they went on over my pants leg easier than buying a vote in DC . . . .
> 
> View attachment 107875
> 
> 
> So you see Henry, it doesn't pay to try and belittle the little man because even when I'm wrong, I am actually right.



Personally I think Hot pink would have been considerably more becoming !!!  ..........................................................................................

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 2


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## Kevin

Mike1950 said:


> Personally I think Hot pink would have been considerably more becoming !!!  ..........................................................................................



They were on backorder I would've got them!

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Don Ratcliff

I just read through this and bust a gut.

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 3


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## Kevin

rocky1 said:


> As for the chigger bites already sustained... try some Tea Tree Oil on them Kevin. I tried about every concoction imaginable to and relive the itching, but the wife had some Tea Tree Oil she'd bought for bug bites for the grand niece we're raising, and I rubbed some on a few bites. Itching went away, and they heal fairly rapidly because you keep the scabs that are already there moist. Apply as necessary, took about 3 - 4 applications over a couple days, the itching was gone altogether.



I started using the Teatree oil mixed with baking soda to make a paste, on the third day and the next day they were no longer itching.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Brink

Kevin said:


> Socks are not a measuring tool, that thing in my right hand that is a measuring tool. Damn chimps.


 Nice vid, great tune. 

That measuring thing, your long lost powerlock II?


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## Kevin

Nah, it's the new plastic version. I did find replacement tapes for my PL II remember. Snagged 3 off the bay a few years back. Still using my old case with new tapes. I carry my Komelon Touch Lock mostly now though.


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## Mike1950

Don Ratcliff said:


> I just read through this and bust a gut.
> 
> View attachment 107889

Reactions: Sincere 1


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## robert flynt

Kevin said:


> I just ordered these items mostly for chiggers but skeeters too:
> 
> Chigger repellent.
> Permethrin (for sawyers!).
> Hat & mesh net.
> Anti-chigger socks.
> Outer knee-high socks will soak in permethrin and tuck pants inside.
> Gaiters.
> 
> If they still get me I will torch the forest.


My grandpa told me, when he was coming up all the neighbors would burn their property at different time and they didn't start having bad problems until this was stopped or curtailed.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Kevin

robert flynt said:


> My grandpa told me, when he was coming up all the neighbors would burn their property at different time and they didn't start having bad problems until this was stopped or curtailed.



We're the gubment. We here to help you.....

Reactions: Agree 1


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## SENC

Brink said:


> Knee high socks?
> It's not really a standard measurement.
> I mean, like really, couldn't crew socks work? They could be like this nifty leg warmers the young ladies wore in 80's.


Those are crew socks... for most of us.

Reactions: Great Post 1 | Funny 2


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## robert flynt

Shoulda gone to the boot store and bought some boot socks, cowboy.


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## Kevin

robert flynt said:


> Shoulda gone to the boot store and bought some boot socks, cowboy.



I got them a hell of a lot cheaper than the boot store prices, Lousiana cowboy . . . .

Reactions: Funny 1


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## EastmansWoodturning

I have used this and is available and works well, burns the skin, use on your clothing

Reactions: Like 1


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## ripjack13

Link to soap

Ok, so I've had this soap for about a week. It does kind of smell like rotten eggs. But it's not overpowering bad. I used just the soap and no shampoo for a week on my entire body except for my "junk", I used regular soap down thar.
Not a single skeeter bite on me! And we have em bad here. And those little gnats didn't even bug me either! I don't know if it will work on chiggers but I definitely suggest giving this a try. It was $6 when I ordered it. I'm certainly going to buy more.
The only drawback is the smell of the towel the next day...you're going to need to use a fresh one every other day, like most normal people....

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## Kevin

I have all my products in and my plan all laid out. I'll be testing them during this week's logging excursion.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Don Ratcliff

OMG! Are we still crying about bug bites? When I was a logger I had my front tooth knocked horizontal in my mount from a nubbin on a guide line and had to finish the day of working under a yarder. Fixed the tooth that night and back to it the next day. You get a few bug bites and it requires 4 pages of discussion before you can go log again.

Put on your boots, tuck your pants in them and wrap with duct tape. Tuck in your long sleeve shirt and use a belt. Spray the concoction du jour liberally and drink plenty of water.

Reactions: Funny 6


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## Jim Beam

Kevin said:


> What is your secret weapon to keep the effing chiggers off?



Living in a place where they don't have any.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## ripjack13

Yeah....life's tough on the beach bums....

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Don Ratcliff

ripjack13 said:


> Yeah....life's tough on the beach bums....


You try driving by 5 miles of beaches that belong on Bay Watch for a commute every day without getting divorced or in a wreck and then tell me how tough it is...  I mean... crap, my finger won't let me hit the one I need to make my life sound hard. Stooped finger...

Reactions: Funny 4


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## ripjack13

5 miles?

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 1


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## David Seaba

Mosquitos must not like me. I can be it a mess of them and never get bit. They will even land on me and never bite. Now the wife and kids get ate up by them.


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## Kevin

David Seaba said:


> Mosquitos must not like me. I can be it a mess of them and never get bit. They will even land on me and never bite. Now the wife and kids get ate up by them.



That's just the way I was until a few years ago, then it was like a switch was thrown.


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## Don Ratcliff

Kevin said:


> That's just the way I was until a few years ago, then it was like a switch was thrown.




About the time you quit eating bacon I'm guessing... the smell of smoked mammal makes a skeder think, "if he can eat a big ol' pig I got no chance" and he Flys away. When you smell like gluten free, sugar free, flavor free, carb free, fat free noodles they think, "oh this girl is mine! Nom nom nom..."

I'm not saying it's bacon, but it's bacon...

Reactions: Like 1 | Great Post 2


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## Don Ratcliff

Kevin said:


> That's just the way I was until a few years ago, then it was like a switch was thrown.

Reactions: Funny 1


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