Rash?

[catesby]

Just returned from OSH following a great trip with 3 others in my group. While there, we all encountered a rash suggestive of chiggers or some other critter -- perhaps while sitting alongside the runway watching arrivals and departures and the airshow itself. Has anyone else encountered this problem?

[wallda]

There are many bugs in Wisconsin. There are also many grasses and weeds which can irritate the skin. Overall I was really impressed with how few bugs there where. You could have gotten bit by no see-ums. Some times it is just bad luck. A few months ago I camped with a group of friends. We all swam in the same water, I managed to get bit by some water bug 50 or 60 times on my legs... no one else had a single bite. Bad luck.

[Joe Delene]

I've never heard of chiggars in WI, I think it's to cold for them in the off season. It could be some other insects or a reaction to a plant/vine type annoyance.

The next possibility is your tent mate was spreading something??

[catesby]

Pretty strange. We did not camp out, but stayed in hotel in another city that we have frequented for years. This is the first time in my 30+ years of attendance that such a thing has happened. My traveling companions (two of whom are physicians) opined that we were afflicted by insects of some sort or another. I just wondered if there was new creature on the scene that had tormented others. That said, I will tolerate a bit of scratching in exchange for a week at OSH. Thanks for the replies.

[FlyingRon]

I bet you sat on the grass during the airshow. They treat the grounds with some chemical that many of us are sensitive to. I got one of these rashes years ago and the doctors at the medical center clued me in. I've only gotten it one time since: sitting in the grass at the first night airshow a few years back. Careful not to sit on the grass now.

A friend of mine got the same rash this year, went to the aid station and was told the same thing.

[Infidel]

I camped for seven days and even sat in the grass. I packed bug spray and not once did I use it. Not one single bug bite.

[Larry Lyons]

I have been reading about an outbreak of bed bugs in SE WI.

[catesby]

Thanks for all the answers. We did sit on the grass a bit, but mostly in chairs. Still, I am inclined toward the notion that there were bugs in the grass. Anyway, it's a small price to pay for a great week.

[gbrasch]

My son and I get the same thing every year if we wear shorts. I am allergic to grass so I avoid it, but still get it. On me, it looks like sun poisoning. My son, bright red area near his ankle. A couple years ago we went to the aid station. They called it the "Oshkosh Crud", said they were not sure where it comes from, but suggested like the post above, it is a chemical in the grass.