Chiggers are a part of country life. So how do you deal with them, and their bites?

Growing up in the country has many positives but chiggers don't fit in that category.

I remember many summers coming home from an all-day excursion in woodlands or creeks near my home with a multitude of insect bites and unexplained rashes.

Often, they were easy to identify as poison ivy or chigger bites.

One summer in particular, my brother and I decided to harvest wild blackberries and sell them; our attempt to become millionaires at an early age. Looking back, I can’t remember our net profits that summer but I do remember the chigger bites well.

My mother painted fingernail polish on each bite trying to stop the itching; a painful process, I might add.

There is some mystery surrounding chiggers because they are not visible to the naked eye. Chiggers are real insects; they are microscopic larval mites. They are similar to ticks in that they are parasitic to warm-blooded animals, including humans.

Contrary to popular opinion, chiggers do not burrow into the skin or feed on blood. Instead, chiggers inject a digestive fluid containing enzymes that cause skin cells to rupture. The skin cells are then consumed as food. The injected enzyme causes the skin to become red, swollen and itchy.

The likelihood of encountering chiggers increases when we spend time in nature. Chiggers like tall, unmaintained areas such as grassy fields, tree lines or ditches. To prevent chigger bites, we can avoid these areas but for an adventurous youth, that is not a feasible solution.

More: Wesselman Woods 90 acres larger after new land purchase, city agreement

Some good prevention methods include wearing long pants while tucking the pant legs into your socks. Chiggers like tight clothing and often find a way into belt lines, under arms, or other, even more sensitive areas of the body. Those areas I remember all too well.

Applying an insect repellent containing DEET or permethrin is the most effective. Showering immediately after coming indoors will also help remove many chiggers before they have a chance to inject their enzymes.

You will not prevent all chigger bites. There are several over-the-counter anti-itch medications such as hydrocortisone or calamine lotion that will reduce discomfort. Contrary to my mother’s long-held remedy, fingernail polish has not shown any effect on reducing discomfort or “killing” the chigger by suffocation.

Controlling chiggers in or around your property starts with good vegetation management. Keep tall grass and weeds mowed and trees and shrubs pruned properly.

These conditions are less favorable to chiggers and are a long-term solution.

More: Here's how to ID that bird in your yard in 4 steps

Insecticide sprays may temporarily reduce chiggers and are most effective as a spot spray directed at areas known to have an infestation. A single application in late April or early May with products containing bifenthrin, carbaryl or permethrin are most effective but in severe cases, early June applications may be necessary. Make sure to follow all label directions with any insecticide applications.

Don’t let chiggers ruin your outdoor activities, and I would add, do not let your mother apply fingernail polish to your chigger bites. Preventing the bites is much more effective.

P. Andrew Rideout is the UK Extension Agent for Horticulture and can be reached at pandrewrideout@uky.edu.

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: How do I get rid of the chiggers in my yard?