Tick City, USA

CrazyCain · 05-08-2018, 02:00 PM

WE are heading to a state park close to us this weekend. People are reporting lots of ticks all ready. Besides the obvious precautions ( Keep little dog out of weeds and woods while walking, tape ankles, tuck pants in shoes, wear a complete Tyvek whole body suit, complete with air assisted respirator) what are some of the best collar and area sprays out there to protect from the little, er.................

Pull Toy · 05-08-2018, 02:58 PM

Flame Throwers work well!

Just remember, Connecticut invented Lyme Disease! As a matter of fact, it was a half hour drive from here.

Check with your vet about a monthly pill to control fleas, ticks and worms. (Especially if you plan to visit "Dog Parks"!)

xrated · 05-08-2018, 03:01 PM

We live in E. TN and have been in this house since 2007. I've never had a tick on me and neither has my wife.....in all the years here, doing stuff outside that we always have done......until this year. I've only had one so far, but she has had 4 or 5 so far. There must me a LOT of those little bastages this year. We are having our entire yard sprayed tomorrow in hopes that we can reduce their numbers.

Scout179 · 05-08-2018, 03:19 PM

While some bug sprays will help somewhat, Tick drop from trees and crawl on the ground. A surprisingly simple tick removal tool is one of the tape lint removal rolls. Also prompt clothing removal and showering will help. Safe and easy tick removal is a cotton ball with a bit of Palmolive soap. Do not pull ticks with your fingers! You will get more poision through your sweat glands than the tick will inject. ( per Dr.)

notanlines · 05-08-2018, 04:32 PM

Scout, "a surprisingly simple tick removal tool is one of the tape lint removal rolls" the girly-man ticks in Oklahoma might let go with a lint removal roller, but the ticks in Tennessee wouldn't even know it was there.

From Snopes: Using liquid soap to remove ticks is not an effective method of tick removal. Also from Snopes is that your suggestion of pointed tweezers gently pulling from the skin is the preferred method.
My normal method when a tick is found on my body is to run screaming aroud the RV, flailing my arms, until DW wrestles me to the ground and uses the tweezers. Then she gives me a treat.....kind of like the dog.

**JRTJH** · 05-08-2018, 04:34 PM

The best "bug spray" we've used is Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard. Sold online and in all Avon stores, it's not the cheapest, but it works well for ticks, fleas, black flies, no-seeums, mosquitoes, gnats and red bugs. We have at least one bottle in every vehicle during the summer.

xrated · 05-08-2018, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

The best "bug spray" we've used is Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard. Sold online and in all Avon stores, it's not the cheapest, but it works well for ticks, fleas, black flies, no-seeums, mosquitoes, gnats and red bugs. We have at least one bottle in every vehicle during the summer.

John, it's nice knowing that you are not only tick free, but you have smooth skin too!

PS...can someone say..........Open the door for that one?

CrazyCain · 05-08-2018, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notanlines

Scout, "a surprisingly simple tick removal tool is one of the tape lint removal rolls" the girly-man ticks in Oklahoma might let go with a lint removal roller, but the ticks in Tennessee wouldn't even know it was there.

From Snopes: Using liquid soap to remove ticks is not an effective method of tick removal. Also from Snopes is that your suggestion of pointed tweezers gently pulling from the skin is the preferred method.
My normal method when a tick is found on my body is to run screaming aroud the RV, flailing my arms, until DW wrestles me to the ground and uses the tweezers. Then she gives me a treat.....kind of like the dog.

Jim, sounds like the dreaded June bug!!

**JRTJH** · 05-08-2018, 07:19 PM

Once you get a tick on you, if it has embedded, the best method I've found for removing it is to apply a little Campho-Phenique Pain & Itch Relief Antiseptic Liquid. Just a couple of drops on the tick and it'll back out in about a minute, maybe even sooner. Don't pull the tick, the head may break off and cause a trip to the ER. Don't squeeze it, you'll inject "problems" under your skin. Don't use a heat source, match, cigarette or lighter, if you kill the tick, it can't back out of your skin. Don't panic or dance around, it'll only make you look "silly" and draw a crowd of people to offer their advice on what to do next.... Just sit quietly, let the Campho-Phenique do its thing and you'll be fine.

This might be a good time to suggest everyone check their immunizations to be sure their tetanus is up to date just in case you might step on a rusty nail or get a nasty scrape on the fire ring in one of the campgrounds we'll all be heading to in the near future.

Vern, Yup, I'm "tick free" (at least I was after raking the yard this afternoon), but as for smooth skin ???? At my age? Only a remote dream.....

ADDED: I forgot to add the picture of Campho-Phenique. This is what you'll find at WalMart or any drug store.

Dave W · 05-14-2018, 03:09 AM

Taping my pants legs closed or stuffed in my socks, sprayed down with a high percentage of DDEt then a shower afterwards and clothes washed is my usual defense.

We have ticks in our area - mega big time. Last spring my DW took our two pups on a 'play day' with another lady to a town park. Each of the dogs plus my wife had literally a dozen of those little bast@#$s on each of them. Luckily none had embedded - but a shower for my DW and a bath with some sort of nasty kind of 'sheep dip' for the pups. My DW is particularly shy about ticks since she was quite possibly one of the first in the US with Lyme disease when, in a past life, lived in .... Old Lyme, CT. For me, three times I have gone through the doxycycline regimen, one time after a tick found a private area where he decided to feast.

kksfish · 05-14-2018, 03:58 AM

Back home in the mountains of Virginia when the ticks got bad we dipped the animals once a week with a mixture of kerosene and water......worked very well! Course the kids hated being dipped.......

**flybouy** · 05-14-2018, 05:18 AM

For you city folks I suggest you stay at camp Ramada, or Hilton Garden Inn. For you country types offer to walk you neighbor's dog and have them walk ahead of you as bait so the ticks jump on them, not you.

Just kidding, jeez calm down

**sourdough** · 05-14-2018, 06:36 AM

For puppy we put Front Line Plus on her every month, 12 months a year and it seems to work well. When walking in tick infested areas some may get on her coat but they do not imbed. We check her out after outings and may find one or two on her but we just pick them off the fur.

For me, I've found that 2 of the anti flea/tick dog collars strapped together and then placed around my neck works good too.....and is somewhat of a fashion statement my wife thinks......especially in the brighter colors

Actually, if we think we are going to be in infested areas I/we use lots of DEET, 99% is better. We are in AR at the moment where we have historically ran into quite a few ticks but so far we've been lucky.

LuvsPalmTrees · 05-14-2018, 07:40 AM

For the pup I use Advantix II. It is waterproof and has a mosquito repellent in it. She is always outside and we have not had a problem yet. One drop per month - it's a little pricey but well worth it. As for her humans we use Deep Woods Off. Never had a problem yet and we camp in the state campgrounds and walk the trails all the time.

xrated · 05-23-2018, 04:36 AM

So a bit of an update......I had a tick on me approx. three weeks ago and for the past 10 days or so, I've started feeling worse and worse.....fatigue, body aches, joint pain, and then last night, chills and a bit of fever, along with stomach pain. I've got an appt. at the Dr. this afternoon and I am going to be tested to see what is going on. I suspect some sort of Tick Borne Disease, but hopefully the blood work/testing will reveal exactly what. I feel like I'm about 90 years old right now with all the soreness and muscle/joint pain.

SummitPond · 05-23-2018, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xrated

So a bit of an update... I suspect some sort of Tick Borne Disease...

Vern

Jeez. That's terrible. If Lyme, treatment is available. One of my DW's cousins contracted Lyme 10+ years ago, and while she is not totally symptom-free all of the time, she is (about) 99% of the time.

Here are a few links from a service we use to spray our lawn:

your safety
education
Lyme disease (see animation of the spread of this disease)
tick removal
general FAQs (including comments on repellents)

Good luck.

Ken

notanlines · 05-23-2018, 06:36 AM

Vern, I realize we're all only "ghost" friends here on the forum, but for the most part we do care about each other....keep us up on the results.

xrated · 05-23-2018, 08:28 AM

Thank you Ken for the links and info. And thank you Jim for the words of encouragement and friendship. I just took a 3 hour nap.......that is SO NOT ME in the middle of the afternoon. The house is 77 degrees and I was under an electric blanket to stay warm.

LuvsPalmTrees · 05-23-2018, 10:16 AM

Xrated - Good Luck. Sounds kinda like lyme but like SummitPond said it is treatable. Take care and relax.

Dave W · 05-23-2018, 11:49 AM

Now that doesn't sound good. Hopefully you can easily beat it - whatever bug you caught. Unfortunately Lyme Disease isn't the only nasty that ticks carry but a good couple week with doxycycline will help. Get better soon - we need you here

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