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Grass fleas?
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Posted by alison 5/OH (My Page) on Mon, Jul 31, 06 at 14:35
| For the last 10 days-two weeks, I've had trouble spending much time in my backyard. While I don't see mosquitos or anything, something begins to bite and sting my legs and feet, gradually moving up my arms. I don't feel a sting, and I don't see anything on my skin, I just begin to itch uncontrollably, and then large welts come up. I tried to sit on the folding chaise Saturday, but by the time I was finally driven inside, I had lines of welts down the backs of my legs that matched where my skin had been exposed by the webbing on the chaise.
Anyone have any ideas on what this might be, and what I can do about it? Between this and the heat, I'm finding it difficult to spend much time out back. (No problems on the front porch, so I don't think they're flying things.) |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Grass fleas?
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RE: Grass fleas?
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| Could be. I'll check tonight and see if I can scare any up on a piece of paper. Did a quick google on "chiggers" and found some inadvertantly funny advice: Do not wear dog or cat flea collars on your ankles or cattle ear tags on your shoes to ward off chiggers. It is very dangerous resulting in chemical skin burns and toxic effect to the wearers. Cattle ear tags never occurred to me! |
RE: Grass fleas?
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Sounds like chiggers to me, too.
I come from a chigger-free place, so I was scared spitless when I was told that I might get chiggers from my garden here in Ohio.
I read up on chiggers and there are many (ineffective) folk remedies out there. Besides prevention, the most important thing to know is that once you have a welt, the chigger itself is long gone. There is no need to put nail polish or gasoline on the welt to drive the bugger out.
I suppose that is little consolation when you are itching for weeks! |
RE: Grass fleas?
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| I use a spray that contains 25%DEET before going into the grass area and if I forget to do that - extra strength Benadryl |
RE: Grass fleas?
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| Is there something I can do to make the yard itself more tolerable? The grass is clipped, the beds are tidy, there's no moist or tangled areas for them to be breeding in.... Also, the cat (who comes out in the yard with me occassionally) has been itching as well. I
ve been all over his fur, and it's not fleas -- could the chiggers be getting him, too? Is there something I could spray in the yard? And is there something relatively safe, that the cat could come out and walk on sometime this summer? |
RE: Grass fleas?
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| If you do a google search on Chigger Control, there will be all sorts of advise |
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