Ticks! Ticks! and more Ticks!

[coh]

My understanding is that usually, if you catch and treat it during the rash stage, you should be OK. The worst cases seem to be those that are missed because there was no rash or it was in a place where no one saw it. There's some disagreement in the medical field about exactly what "long term chronic lyme" really is, but the symptoms can be devastating. And it's tough to test for. Years ago I was having some strange health problems and asked my doctor about getting a lyme test (I had been bitten by ticks a number of times and at one point did have a strange circular rash on my arm). The test came back inconclusive...some of the "bands" on the test were consistent with lyme, some were not. So who knows...I still have some health issues that are unexplained so perhaps I did have lyme at one point.

Good luck Lordy, hope you make a full recovery!

 

[Poink88]

Did you guys see Lordy,s post? I bet like me he would do just about not to have that crap again. My daughter came up to visit last year and the same thing happened to her.

I honestly cannot relate since I've never been in that situation (and pray it stays that way). Most that I can share is what I've read that makes sense to me.

DEET is a repellent and should be your 1st line of defense...as is your choice of clothing (least entry as much as possible). The collar is supposed to kill them but not instantly.

I wonder if the Frontline stuff (and similar) works if applied to clothing. I've read they work great in controlling spider mites when mixed in spray (w/ detergent solution). Now it is fully bonsai related. LOL

 

[Dav4]

Tough call. If you live in an area infested with lyme carrying ticks, it might be worth the risk. I know several people who are dealing with the long term complications of lyme disease and it ain't pretty.

Knock on wood, but I haven't seen a tick since moving up here from Virginia in 2003 (we had a lot of them down there). I know there are some around, as they occasionally show up on dogs. Hopefully the population stays low.

When I practiced in Southeast MA, I saw dogs with lyme dz almost daily...and there were neighborhoods in the area where 50% of my patients AND their owners had Lyme dz. Most of the time, in dogs and people with active Lyme- ie fever, muscle ache and flu like symptoms- the response to antibiotics like doxycycline is dramatic. Chronic disease is another story and can be debilitating and potentially fatal in very small numbers. My mother contracted Lyme in her 60's and had to be hospitalized for 5 days for IV meds...luckily, she recovered and has no lasting effects.


...and there probably was no "risk" receiving the vaccine...just bad timing.

 

[Siguy]

I do utility line clearance Vance. For Asplundh. You know. The guys in the orange truck that no one likes because of what we do to trees. I worked on Edison lines down where you live for 3 years from 1997 to 2000. Heck I was probably in your backyard at one time doing the dirty to your trees. Sorry for that.
Currently I'm up in Roscommon county taking trees down for I.T.C. Nice and swampy. Lots of biting bugs.
I hate being a snack for bugs!

Deet is good. But Permethrin is "better" and scentless. Perfect for hunting gear. Caveat: I don't put it on stuff I'm going to sweat through..ie-tshirt, undies. How I do it: Spray in on the clothes that you want to use, leave them laying out or hanging up to dry. Wear. I just don't wash them all that often. Stuff is expensive.

I know Deets not the best for your sking either, but I use it for regular kick around outside work.

I have noticed a bit of an uptick(pun intended) in ticks. But, more noticeable than an increase in quantity, was their appearance in the spring more early than I expected.

I have a family member who's a doctor. He said that taking an anti-biotic after a tick bite reduces the chance of Lymes by 75% according to his experience and the studies going round the medical community.

Cheers!
ps-sorry 'bout the sideways picture.

 

[coh]

...and there probably was no "risk" receiving the vaccine...just bad timing.

I was referring to the use of frontline, not the vaccine (in case it wasn't clear)

 

[Kelly]

Hopefully helpful info ...

Ticks are a pain ... my cousin in law is really, really sick from undiagnosed lyme disease (years) ... He was a hunting guide.

Ticks go in 7 year cycles .. DEET or Icaridin, light clothes (to see them), tuck in clothing, socks over shoes, long sleeves, inspections, bath/shower within 1-2 hours, remove with tweezers close to the skin, no infection if removed within 24 hours (ish). KEEP ANY YOU FIND or REMOVE as the medical folks can test them to see if they have lyme disease (or others).
One more thing ... ask your wife to mix a pitcher of martinis or substitute tequila shots for the "inspections" ... you might even enjoy them after a while.

Hopefully the links below work.
Hope it helps.

http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-sante/disease-maladie/lyme-eng.php?utm_source=google&utm_term=ticks&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=lymedisease_2_en&utm_campaign=lyme_disease_1415

 

[wireme]

Best year ever for ticks here. Places I would find up to 50 crawling on me in a day I find 1 or 2 this year, great!

I wear light clothing, pants tucked into socks, shirt into pants, sometimes balaclava or bug screen hat and spray deet on clothing. A spare change of clothes in the truck, collecting clothes get bagged before getting in the truck and spare clothing removed before entering the house. Then the truck is cleaned out and vacuumed. Adds a fair bit of work to a days collecting actually. Still the buggers show up days later sometimes. Lymes disease is rare in the immediate area thankfully, I had no idea people contract it in such large numbers elsewhere! Frightening.

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

So far, they don't seem to be too terribly bad here in NC this summer. At least not yet!!

If you come up with a good repellant, let me know??

Don't know where in the Piedmont you are but out here around Oak Ridge they are vicious. I have been pulling the little buggers off for about two months now. Getting to where I am very wary of walking in the woods. Have had three on me in the last four days.

 

[keri-wms]

This thread is making me scratch!

 

[Smoke]

Instead of the collars maybe you could wear one of these.....

 

[Dav4]

Instead of the collars maybe you could wear one of these.....

Does it come in pink?

 

[bonsaiBlake]

So I lived with a buddy whos family had a trailer park and a ton of cats. They had this 5 gal bucket of cedar oil, who knows where they got it. Anyways its great for pretty much all the blood suckers, even mosquitos, and it has no negative effects when applied to the skin. I actually used it on zits and they would clear up really fast. Anyways, we just had spray bottles and would spray the cats and my dog down every once and awhile. I would spray down my clothes when outside at night and always took a bottle camping with me. Really great stuff. Same principle as a cedar chest or cedar lined clothest.

 

[Don Blackmond]

Just on the news the other day and it said the left coast of Michigan was bad. You're right on the lake aren't you Don?

I live on Magician Lake. I have 88 acres of land with woods, orchard, fields, lots of weeds and very little grass. The ticks are bad by the water where the weeds grow long. I don't like ticks so I'm pretty vigilant making sure they stay off me and my family and out of the house.

 

[jkd2572]

If you work in it every day I would get the tags they staple to cows ears and put them on your shoes. Could probably get from local vet. We used to have a giant dog and we would staple one to his collar. Ticks won't go near it. Order them hear.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...gle-_-LivestockEquipment-_-InsecticideEarTags

 

[Bonsai_Bubba]

I work out in the backwoods of Pennsylvania for 10-12 hours a day with no bug spray. So far I've seen a lot of ticks, particularly where the deer hang out, but have only gotten one bite in the past two months or so. By the same token, our team member had her boyfriend help out at one point, and he had 5 bites after one day (same site and everything!). I think there's a substantial role that our own personal biology plays in determining whether you're attractive to ticks or not.

 

[Jason]

Tick Control

I find it interesting that I can get my dogs lyme disease shots, and frontline that repels them as well. For humans... not so much.

Frontline is old news. I spent some time talking to some drug reps yesterday and they had this great product to sell me that kills ticks for 3 months and fleas for 4 months. It comes in a tasty hydrolyzed pork chew (bleh!). It's called BRAVECTO (fluralaner) and available for dogs by prescription. So if your willing to risk your health on a dog product I'd go with this one It's FDA approved for 4 varieties of ticks (including deer ticks, lone star ticks...). If you eat one let me know how it tastes because I have some concerns about it palatability.

 

[Jason]

Instead of the collars maybe you could wear one of these.....

This solution has merit but looks like it would be kind of hot and uncomfortable to work in.

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

Frontline is old news. I spent some time talking to some drug reps yesterday and they had this great product to sell me that kills ticks for 3 months and fleas for 4 months. It comes in a tasty hydrolyzed pork chew (bleh!). It's called BRAVECTO (fluralaner) and available for dogs by prescription. So if your willing to risk your health on a dog product I'd go with this one It's FDA approved for 4 varieties of ticks (including deer ticks, lone star ticks...). If you eat one let me know how it tastes because I have some concerns about it palatability.

Not to mention that irritating uncontrollable bark when your metal detector hits a good target.

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

If you work in it every day I would get the tags they staple to cows ears and put them on your shoes. Could probably get from local vet. We used to have a giant dog and we would staple one to his collar. Ticks won't go near it. Order them hear.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...gle-_-LivestockEquipment-_-InsecticideEarTags

These look interesting. Any idea how long a pair would be effective on your boots? They come 25 in a box so is that a lifetime supply?

 

[Smoke]

This solution has merit but looks like it would be kind of hot and uncomfortable to work in.

I already thought of that....it comes in "lubricated"