Poison oak, poison sumac, poison ivy, chiggers, and ticks. A great way to be misery!

[cmcolomb]

poison oil? research Tecnu.... thank me later

 

[MiketheGoalie]

I get poison ivy BAAAAD. This (Zanfel) is the best product I've found for it. You have to have a kid so that you can sell them into slavery in order to afford it, but it works.

 

[SirRaph]

I used to never get Poison Ivy. I could roll around in the stuff and never have a problem. It seems that the warnings about losing resistance to it over time are true. Got it for the first time a month ago, now it gets worse with each exposure.

I'm rocking the Nikko-esque soccer socks of late. I leave them down most of the time, and pull them up when I have to go frisbee chasing. Seems to work well.

Plus, it's a couple square feet of skin that I don't have to lacquer with deet. Those mosquatoes, they love me dearly.

 

[wolito]

Gnats are kiling me! I have pretty much soaked myself in DEET and it doesn't phase them. They get in my eyes, landing on my eyeball while I am in my x step! On the heavily wooded courses I have even worn my bug net that goes over my head.

 

[Disc Dog]

As the season comes upon us does anyone have anymore ideas?

 

[CaptainAnhyzer]

Middle of winter, a guy up here was handling firewood and got PI all over his hands. This stuff has NO off season.

 

[medicinalfunk]

I recently got into some poison ivy or something along those lines. Needless to say, my legs have been itching like hell the past couple days. I'll be sure to try these out.

already? good lord man, everything is still barren and dead here

 

[Connor Jones]

Just got chiggers..second time i've gotten them since i've started playing DG.

Must resist the urge to scratch.

 

[chillis]

I'm rocking the Nikko-esque soccer socks of late. I leave them down most of the time, and pull them up when I have to go frisbee chasing. Seems to work well.

This works tremendously well against all your plant-based predators. Works well against ticks and bugs, too, but you have to constantly check your knees (or where ever the socks end) for critters.

While playing for an extended weekend up in Highbridge, WI, my crew utilized this soccer sock technique and I don't think anyone had any poison ivy, which was bountiful in the area. But again, you have to stay diligent looking for the bugzz.

Additionally, the CDC says 'folklore' myths like using acetone or heat to remove the tick is not the best way to do so, only because you need to remove the tick ASAP. In Highbridge, I had a few located around my underarms, and my buddys quickly heated a knife tip, gently pressed it against the tick's body, and it immediately popped out.

 

[Cygnus]

I play in the willamette valley, nw-ish part of oregon and the worst we get is usually stinging nettles. They sting and itch really bad for a few hours the best remedy is the backside of a fern leaf. Just rub the underside of the fern leaf really vigioursly over the affected area and you get a wierd tingling sensation instead of the itching and burning. Ferns and stinging nettles usually grow right next to each other, so if you see ferns watch out for nettles.

I fortunatly have never had bug problems or oak or ivy here. The caretakers do a good job of keeping the oak and ivy populations down.

 

[Danger]

A new (to us) plant is taking over burn zones in Southern California, those of you that play mountain courses in the area should pay special attention. It has many of the same effects as poison oak, and it looks like a happy pretty flower.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turricula_(plant)

 

[Jukeshoe]

Woowowow do chigger bites itch!

I think I picked some up in Indy two weekends ago? But they just started itching a day or so ago. Is that possible? I guess I could have picked them up in Beverly Shores, IN (by L. Michigan) last weekend, but I didn't think they were in that area of the country.

Right now I've got huge red bumps on my ankles, just below the sock line. I'm familiar with most other types of bites and I'm a pro at getting poison ivy (read: it doesn't affect me much yet, but I know what it looks/feels like) so I'm 99% sure of my ID.

Anyone ever get chiggers in northern IN/IL or southern WI/MI?

Also, how long does it take from the time you pick the lil' bastards up until the itching really starts?

 

[zenbot]

Yes, chiggers are a great way to be misery.

The really crappy part is when they first puff up I don't quite know if they're chigger bites or poison oak. So I spend two itchy days wondering.

To answer your last question, I'll start feeling them a day or two after exposure.


I used to wear gaiters to avoid foxtails until I found that chiggers are attracted to warm dark places. I've since moved short ankle socks and don't get chigger bites and minimal foxtail problems.

 

[MrFixIt]

^ usually only a couple of days. Chiggers are a fact of life here down south, I didn't realize they migrate...

 

[tom12003]

Yes, there are a lot of southern (and eastern) courses where chiggers may be a concern. 3 recommendations, heavily spray a good DEET repellent, change your socks and shoes after your round, and enjoy a hot shower when you get home. If you get those invisible chigger bites (they do not show up for a day or 2), do not scratch that itch (easier said than done). I use a clear Caladryl lotion (rather than the old pink Calagon lotion). Changing socks/shoes the best solution.

 

[Jukeshoe]

Thanks for the tips.

Usually I'm religious about wearing tall socks and spraying up well with DEET; however, both in Indy and last w/e I did not respray my socks after changing them in between rounds. I think that is what got me.

 

[BrotherDave]

The really tiny ticks, we call them seed ticks, also do a great chigger impression. I've found that the best thing for chiggers is to put some nail polish over them and suffocate the bastards. Calamine, chiggerex, all of your other anti-itch creams just give very temporary relief for me.

Chiggers are attracted to dark, warm things too. They go hand in hand with brier patches and tall grass.

 

[Jukeshoe]

BroD jumps at any excuse to break out the nail polish.

 

[mashnut]

The really tiny ticks, we call them seed ticks, also do a great chigger impression. I've found that the best thing for chiggers is to put some nail polish over them and suffocate the bastards. Calamine, chiggerex, all of your other anti-itch creams just give very temporary relief for me.

I hate to break it to you, but by the time a chigger bite is itching, the chigger is long gone and the damage is done. Nail polish only works by the placebo effect.

 

[Jukeshoe]

I hate to break it to you, but by the time a chigger bite is itching, the chigger is long gone and the damage is done. Nail polish only works by the placebo effect.

^2nd the emotion