How to Get Rid of Chiggers In Your Home

This page is an expert guide on getting rid of Chiggers using the products and methods suggested by our experienced pest control specialists. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee you will be successful in eliminating Chiggers in your home.

Chiggers can be an itchy annoying presence in a home or yard. Often picked up by pets, clothing or your belongings if you have spent extended time outdoors in nature, Chiggers delivers bites that can irritate skin for weeks at a time and cause red welts to appear.

Chiggers are closely related to spiders and are the larval stage of mites. While they bite, they do not feast on blood but rather like to eat skin cells on animals and humans. When on a residential property, they tend to stay in areas that have damp, cool conditions or where there is lots of tall grass and shrubbery. Because they are so tiny, you may notice an itchy bite before you ever see a Chigger itself.

If you would like relief from a Chigger infestation in your home and their unpleasant bites, follow along on this DIY guide that provides all the expert advice and professional-quality products you need to get rid of Chiggers once and for all.

Identification

Chiggers are the larvae of mites and are also called berry bugs or Redbugs. It is during the larvae stage that they do most of their damage. These little pests are only 1/150th of an inch in length which can make them quite difficult to detect. When you do see them, they will be colored a bright red but can also vary in color such as orange or yellow. They have six legs and a hairy body but more often than not, you will likely feel them before you see them.

When Chiggers bite, you may not feel the itching right away but soon thereafter you will experience severe skin irritation that may last up to two or three weeks depending on how your body reacts. Your skin will form little welts that can result in an infection if you continously scratch it.

Use the description and image above to help you to identify whether you have Chiggers. If you need assistance, contact us and we will try and help you with proper identification.

Inspection

As mentioned in the intro, Chiggers like to reside in damp, humid areas where there is lots of vegetation to use for cover. People often pick up Chiggers that latch onto shoes, clothing or ankle hairs when walking through tall grass or through dense vegetation.

Where To Inspect

Chiggers infestations thrive in the natural environment around brushy areas or where there are lots of trees and tall grass. Around residential areas, they will find shady areas or bushes to hang around or areas of the lawn where there are weeds and tall grass.

What To Look For

You should look for Chigger activity or areas that Chiggers like to hang around. If you've experienced some itchy bites but aren't totally sure about them being Chiggers, you can test out whether you have them. Something you can do to test whether Chiggers are present on your lawn is to wear long white socks and walk over the shady, tall grass areas of your yard. If tiny Chiggers latch onto your socks, you can be certain you have an infestation.

Treatment

Once you are certain that Chiggers are present in your home or on your property, you will then need to carry out a treatment plan to eliminate Chiggers both indoors and outdoors. We highly recommend an indoor/outdoor treatment of Supreme IT Insecticide to kill present Chiggers and form a barrier to keep Chiggers away from your property.

Remember to read all product labels and follow their application instructions, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment (gloves, protective eyewear, safety mask).

Step 1 - Outdoor Treatment with Supreme IT

Supreme IT is a powerful broad-spectrum insecticide that is labeled to control Chiggers from the perimeter of your structure and in your yard. It also has a residual (or long-term effects) for up to 90 days.

First, determine how much Supreme IT you will need by measuring the square footage of your yard and home. Measure the length and width in feet of your treatment area, and then multiply that together to get the square footage (length x width = square footage).

You will mix 1 fluid ounce of Supreme IT with 1 gallon of water in a pump sprayer. This will treat roughly 1,000 square feet. Apply a perimeter treatment around your home by spraying 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the foundation of your structure. Apply also around window frames, door frames, eaves, soffits, rain gutters, electrical/plumbing penetrations, and around any other entry points.

Next, you will do a broadcast treatment. Start at the back of your lawn and make your way to the front. Apply via fan spray nozzle setting on all tall grasses, shaded areas, bushes, and ornamentals and where you have noticed Chigger activity. This fan spray setting helps to get uniform coverage where you apply.

Step 2 - Indoor Treatment with Supreme IT

If you’re concerned you might have Chiggers inside your home, conduct an indoor crack and crevice application of Supreme IT. Focus your treatment along baseboards, crawl spaces, corners, around doors and windows, and other areas where Red Bugs may be hiding.

Use a coarse pin-stream spray setting as this is better for crack, crevice and spot treatments. 

Step 3 - Thoroughly Vacuum Your Home

Chiggers can easily latch on to the carpets and upholstery of your furniture. Use a vacuum with variable suction options to get rid of chiggers from floor carpeting and furniture fabrics. Dispose of the content of the vacuum container in a sealed plastic bag and put it in a dumpster away from the home. If you have a plastic canister on your vacuum, you can wash it out with a mixture of hot water and soap to kill Chiggers inside.

Prevention

After you have eliminated the threat of Chiggers in your home, you will want to make sure you don't have another outbreak of them in the future. Here are some preventative measures to put in place to reduce the chances of reinfestation:

• Chiggers come out in full force during the summers and spring and their favorite place to hide is in the forest and foliage. So if you ever decide to go camping, hiking, trailing, walking or just hanging out in the forest, be sure to pass without touching anything. This might sound ridiculous, but try to walk as much in the center as possible.
• Also, wear full-sleeved shirts, and pants long enough that they get tucked inside your socks and allow these vermin no access to your skin.
• Wash your clothes with hot water and take a shower the second you return from your trip.
• Even if the Chiggers have left your house and no longer are a problem, make sure you do a quarterly treatment of Supreme IT Insecticide for continued control and preventation.

Key Takeaways

• Chiggers are small larvae of mites that are known for their irritating bites that leave itchy welts.
• We recommend applying Supreme IT outdoors around your home and indoors to control Chigger infestations.
• Prevent future Chigger infestations by being careful when spending extended time outdoors, showering and washing clothing immediately after coming in from outdoors and preventative applications of Supreme IT Insecticide.