This past weekend i camped out in the dunes of Cape Lookout. The island is deserted and is covered in sand/grass/ and brush. While out there I got devoured by some kind of bug. My body is covered with 100's of bites all over my legs/arms/torso/back. They are extremely itchy and left red bumps everywhere. I think I may have laid in it whatever it is b.c my back got it real bad and looks like I have a bad case of bacne.

I have definitely been bitten by bugs & mosquitos before and usually they itch, leave a bump for a day then go away. It has been over 3 days though and these bites still itch (although not as bad) and remain all over me. Does anyone know what I may have been attacked by and/or if I should see a doctor about it. I never actually saw any bugs biting me so i am guessing they were really small.

5/31/2007 5:13:44 PM

Possibly chiggers, depending on where you were. There are many common misconceptions about them (such as that they burrow under your skin) so check the internet for more info.

Chiggers are about 1/50th of an inch in size so you can't see them, and they leave bites about that size. Hot soapy shower is your best bet. Avoid scratching as much as possible, although I know it's tough.

5/31/2007 6:12:25 PM

sounds like red bugs or chiggers. give it a week and the bumps will go away. try not to scratch them.

5/31/2007 6:15:51 PM

sand fleas.

6/1/2007 9:27:51 AM

Quote :

"chiggers"

6/1/2007 9:49:53 AM

Chigger itch will not let up for a solid week. Sucks.

6/1/2007 10:08:45 AM

Yeah, chiggers are the absolute worst

6/1/2007 10:15:28 AM

caladryl will help

6/1/2007 10:28:49 AM

take some benadryl, and use some hydrocortisone topical stuff, it will sort it out sooner or later.

I'll agree with everyone, you've got chiggers. Back in the day the old home remedy for them was to put nail polish on them to suffocate the little bug that burrowed under your skin. This is WRONG, they dont burrow under your skin, and by the time you feel the itch, the bug has gotten its fill and already dropped off.

Here's some good info:

Quote :

"Chiggers do not burrow under your skin, as many people believe, nor do they feed on animal blood. They actually feed on the fluids in skin cells. To get the fluids, they attach themselves to a skin pore or hair follicle and inject a digestive enzyme that ruptures the cells. The enzyme also hardens the surrounding skin tissue, forming a sort of straw for sucking the skin cell fluids. The whole process irritates the skin, causing an itchy red bump that continues to cause discomfort for several days. Chiggers are only about 1/50th of an inch (0.5 mm) in diameter and so are too small to be seen with the naked eye. This invisibility is the reason so many people believe chiggers burrow under the skin. "

from http://science.howstuffworks.com/question488.htm

6/1/2007 11:22:18 AM

after bite is good for itch relief and makes the swelling go down

6/1/2007 11:29:22 AM

When I had chiggers, my dr. told me to put steel oats (Quaker oatmeal, basically) into a lukewarm bath and soak - it worked great. I'm allergic to most anti-itch stuff though

6/1/2007 3:15:18 PM

Quote :

"Chiggers are about 1/50th of an inch in size so you can't see them"

yes you can, in contrast to white skin anyway.....they just look like tiny red specs.

6/1/2007 3:48:32 PM

^ correct sir, the chigger larvae are tiny and red, and the human eye CAN spot a 0.5mm object, although its not easy to pick out a tiny red spec on your skin

6/1/2007 4:14:01 PM

when my friend bought his lake house it came with a chigger-infested chair on his dock

four of us sat in it over the course of a few hours getting his boat up and running

bad news all around

and of course the guy is from NJ and didn't know what the hell was going on down there and went to the doctor in a panic the next day after everybody left

6/1/2007 4:34:55 PM