Do you find red colored insects swarming under the logs, bushes, grass and shaded areas of your garden, during spring season? If yes, then be cautious - you might fall a victim to the repulsive and painful chigger bites! It is in their larval stage that harvest mites (also called berry bugs, red bugs or scrub-itch mites) are known as chiggers. The nasty bug is parasitic on warm-blooded animals and thrives well in shady areas of yards and woods. It multiplies itself during the spring season. If you want to save yourself from chigger bites, then take proper steps to remove their population from your garden. Go through the following lines and find out how to get rid of chiggers.
Removing Chiggers From Your Garden
Trim The Grasses
A garden full of long grasses is the best place to thrive for chiggers. At their larval stage, the mites would cling on to the tops of long grasses, and wait for their 'host' to feed on. Make your garden less appealing for the mites, so that they do not thrive in the place. The best way is to trim the grasses in your yard during the warm months of spring season, because chiggers are hyperactive at this point of time. Keep the length of the grasses short, for the entire season, until the breeding time for the chiggers (the spring season) is over.
Keep Your Lawn Dry
Harvest mites find moist and shady areas for shelter and reproduction. Thick vegetation is their natural habitat. So, in case your garden has been infested by chiggers or there are chances that it might happen, it is suggested that you keep your garden dry, open and well-drained. Make sure that the excess water is drained out of your garden immediately, after the plants are watered. Follow this every spring season. You will notice a considerable decline in the population of chiggers in your yard.
Protect Yourself From Chigger Bites
The red bug would tend to find areas near your clothes, where it can avoid being brushed away by you. Therefore, whenever you are gardening, walking through woods or passing by chigger infested areas, wear protective clothing. Make sure that you wear socks, your cuffs are tight and your pants are tucked in. This would reduce the chances of chigger bites. In addition to this, you need to move away from the infested areas quickly, because by staying in the place for a long time, you are actually giving the chiggers time to find a place in your body, to feed on.
Spray Insect Repellent
Spray insect repellent in the chigger infested areas of your yard. Make sure that you use the repellent sparingly, because the harsh chemicals present in the product might harm the bushes and grasses in your garden, in case of an overdose. The best bet would be to spray the insecticide only at the chigger-infested spots, rather than the entire space. While spraying the repellent, make sure that you wear protective gear - rubber gloves and face mask. Spray the insecticide once or twice around the yard, during the spring season.
Removing Chiggers From Your Garden
Trim The Grasses
A garden full of long grasses is the best place to thrive for chiggers. At their larval stage, the mites would cling on to the tops of long grasses, and wait for their 'host' to feed on. Make your garden less appealing for the mites, so that they do not thrive in the place. The best way is to trim the grasses in your yard during the warm months of spring season, because chiggers are hyperactive at this point of time. Keep the length of the grasses short, for the entire season, until the breeding time for the chiggers (the spring season) is over.
Keep Your Lawn Dry
Harvest mites find moist and shady areas for shelter and reproduction. Thick vegetation is their natural habitat. So, in case your garden has been infested by chiggers or there are chances that it might happen, it is suggested that you keep your garden dry, open and well-drained. Make sure that the excess water is drained out of your garden immediately, after the plants are watered. Follow this every spring season. You will notice a considerable decline in the population of chiggers in your yard.
Protect Yourself From Chigger Bites
The red bug would tend to find areas near your clothes, where it can avoid being brushed away by you. Therefore, whenever you are gardening, walking through woods or passing by chigger infested areas, wear protective clothing. Make sure that you wear socks, your cuffs are tight and your pants are tucked in. This would reduce the chances of chigger bites. In addition to this, you need to move away from the infested areas quickly, because by staying in the place for a long time, you are actually giving the chiggers time to find a place in your body, to feed on.
Spray Insect Repellent
Spray insect repellent in the chigger infested areas of your yard. Make sure that you use the repellent sparingly, because the harsh chemicals present in the product might harm the bushes and grasses in your garden, in case of an overdose. The best bet would be to spray the insecticide only at the chigger-infested spots, rather than the entire space. While spraying the repellent, make sure that you wear protective gear - rubber gloves and face mask. Spray the insecticide once or twice around the yard, during the spring season.
