Monday, August 1, 2011

Queen Anne's Lace: The Queen & the Chiggers





Queen Anne's Lace is a flower that is found all over the Appalachians.  I see them as I am driving to work on the roadsides and even in my neighbor's flower garden.  I think they look like crocheted doillies.















But, The Queen has her downside.  She harbors tincy wincy pests called Chiggers

Doesn't that word just make you want to shiver?  Every place on this earth has their annoying little critters that eat you alive. These little bugs can ruin your day and maybe even your next couple of weeks!  A coworker of mine just recently had a close encounter with them unbeknownst to her in her very own back yard.  Chiggers love hanging out in sticky temperatures and disguise themselves on pretty little flowers like Queen Anne's Lace. Sounds so royal doesn't it?

I have always thought that people could "smother" and kill the chiggers on your skin by coating the bite area with fingernail polish but according to people who actually know what they are talking about, they say that doesn't work at all.  There is no need to try and "smother" the critters because they are not embedded in your skin.  Instead, they scurry about frantically feeding off of your skin.  And I mean frantic!  These guys are as tiny as a spec of dust with lightening speed.  A good way to detour chiggers if you are out is to use sulphur powder if you can stand the odor. ( Despite what they say, I believe clear finger nail polish works for me!)

3 comments:

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  2. They are the sneakiest things I know. The kids would itch for days after bringing me a bouquet. They didn't like the nail polish but it was the best thing I knew after a hot sudsy scrub.

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  3. I know this post is old, but I ran across it while researching queen anne's lace. You don't need the nail polish. Chigger larvae feed for three days and then jump off to go metamorph into their next stage of life. Just wait the three days and use a cream for itching.

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