Lots of replies but I'd might as well join in: It's a three stage process. 1. No later than the middle of August, (in Delaware) make sure the area you think the chiggers call home is mowed, and/or sprayed with a good outdoor insecticide spray. Then make sure you use something with deet in it to spray around your shoe tops, sock tops and pants legs. 2. Because you just realized you've got a dandy case of chiggers and had forgotten number one, you should try to kill the chiggers that may be still sucking at the feeding tube (?) they inject the digestive enzyme that causes the pimples and itch. I use something with deet in it to lightly spray my legs up to the knees at least.* (It is said that chiggers don't burrow in but insert a feeding tube.) 3. Now use a dilute solution of vinegar and water in a very small basin. (I use a cup and a half of vinegar that seems about the right for the amount of WARM water). The reason for this is to neutralize as best you can, the digestive fluid already in your skin. A little soap will help the mixture to penetrate. (hopefully) Take your time and give the solution time to work. Do NOT use a towel. Let it dry. *I used to take a shower with a cake of dog flea soap which seemed to help (as soon as I realized I had chiggers). This does nothing to immediately stop the itch, but at least it prevents more places that itch. It is best to remember to do number one, but I never do. I walk through weeds on my way to the compost heap and get chiggers almost every year. This year was bad I think because of the frequent rains.

Any oil will work...baby oil, bath oil, etc. I think that I mentioned that Avon's Skin So Soft is used by the gallon in the south to thwart biting gnats, no-see-ums, chiggers. I preferred veggie oil because the 'aroma ' of the body oils is toooo much. There is one benefit about the bath oils, though. When mixed with water they make an emulsion. This enables you to mix oil and water together in a spray bottle and it apply it that way. Just make sure that it's good and strong!

For starters, broad spectrum pesticides are not likely to do the job for you. Control of these little pests needs to be a multi-faceted approach. Biting midges/no-see-ums, etc. require moisture in order to breed. Most species aren't necessarily aquatic, but high levels of moisture is a must. Container growers need to be encouraged to be watchful about that. These insects can all be controlled in the larval stage by the active ingredient found in common mosquito dunks : Bacillus thuringiensis var. Israelensis. Bt-I can be purchased as mosquito dunks, or in a granular form, or in a liquid form called Gnatrol. All of them need to be prepared and used when watering the plants normally. Bt-I, again, is a larvicide. To avoid attracting the adults in the first place, it is always recommended that yellow lights be used instead of those that give off white light.

I don't know if this will help, but we were camping in the other Washington,(state) & in the middle of the nite we were attacked by no-see-ums that came right through our window screens. (that's when we realized why we were the only ones camping this beautiful spot) So whatever net you use has got to be smaller than camper screen.