My first trip to Cincinnati was an interesting one.  I had never heard of the pest and when I was asked to go out to the car, I decided to cut across the yard.  Halfway there, the voices yelling at me made me freeze. Did I just step into a swarm of wasps? Is my fly undone?  Why are these people screaming at me to get off the lawn?

Turns out, they were having a problem with Jiggers and I had happily walked across a lawn infested with them.  Thankfully, I didn’t have an outbreak but I heard all about the horrors of these little pests, a first for me, and it scared me enough to keep me off the lawn for the entire trip.

If you aren’t sure what a jiggers are, you might be familiar with the other names for them.  They have been called Chiggers, Red Bugs and Harvest Mites.  What they are, is the immature harvest mite that are about pin sized and they live off blood.  That’s what makes them so annoying, not that they are in the lawn, since they can’t do much to your lawn but the fact that they will climb onto people, or animals, and bite.

The bites cause severe itching and it can last for days.  Usually it is in the crevices of the body, such as armpits, elbow joints, etc.  From what I have been led to believe, the bite of a Jigger is much worse than any other creepy crawly that can live on a person’s body.

So how do you get rid of Jiggers so that your beautifully landscaped lawn can be enjoyed both on and off of it?  Well, it isn’t as simple as one, two, three but there are a few things you can do to get rid of them.

1. Keep you lawn cut and free of weeds.  Jiggers love dense foliage and if there is a lot of it, your sure to see some jiggers there.
2. Remove any dense foliage that is not needed in your landscaping.  Don’t strip the area but if its not needed, try to avoid it.
3. Get rid of any dying or decaying plants or leaves.  Jiggers enjoy these piles as an ideal habitat so try to remove them when you can.
4. Flood the lawn or affected area with a solution of soap and water.  This will kill all the adults as well as the larvae.  This should be repeated on a weekly basis for about a month.
5. Spray your ankles with insect repellent before going into the yard.

Remember, Jiggers are a spring to fall pest and early treatment should see you using your yard without any worries for the majority of the season.

Sirena Van Schaik

Related posts:

1. Lawn Care Basics
2. A Quick Trip To Your Local Lawn And Garden Supply Store Will Make Your Yard The Envy Of The Neighborhood
3. The Green Lawn
4. Repairing Your Pool Ring Lawn
5. A Pet Friendly Lawn

Tags: chiggers, controling jiggers, harvest mites, jiggers, Pest Control, preventing jiggers, red bugs

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