Tick removal tip!!!!!!!!

[pavan]

I was given an small angled surgical tweezers for ticks. I was told to gently grab them close, lay them on their cute little backs and slide them out flat.  It is said that by laying them on their back that it automatically backs the jaws out the way they went in.  Seems to work.  As far as I can tell the only good a tick ever does is to feed a bird every now and then, like an African tick bird, even then they wait until the tick is full of the host's blood.

[Roy from Pa]

I bought some of the cedar oil that Bowhuntingrn mentioned above, got it off Amazon.

It really works, I went fishing at out pond and tried it for the first time the other night, not a single mosquito bite.

Most times it's 3 or 4 bites.

Matter of fact, only one small fly type bug landed on me and I sat there and watched it die in about 30 seconds.

The insects just stayed away from me all night.

It does have a strong cedar odor, but heck most anti bug sprays has some sort of odor.

It appears to have an oil consistency.

[Caboo]

I saw the above tick removal tools today at WalMart. Wasn’t looking for them but they were right next to the After-Bite sticks in the first aid aisle.

[Rob DiStefano]

my trad gang friends ....

having been injected with the borrelia spirochete from a wood tick, and being in lyme disease remission for over 9 years, my recommendation for tick removal is to just pull the sucker off as close to your skin as possible.  use yer fingernails (or lacking thereof, a fine point tweezer, or one of those "tick puller" thingies).  with fingernails, this is fast 'n' easy, and ya don't hafta remember to pack special tools in yer kit.

now, my list of "don't do's" for tick removal, based on my personal experience, and the experience of my local friends ...

DO NOT EVER GRAB AN EMBEDDED TICK BY ITS BODY IN AN ATTEMPT TO PULL IT OUT OF YOUR BODY - that turns it into a syringe and it will quickly empty its stomach contents into your bloodstream.  you do not want this to happen, trust me on this friends, been there and done that, and 9 years later i still have lyme disease (yeah, once bitten, it's systemic - you get to have it for life).

DO NOT EVER COAT AN EMBEDDED TICK WITH ANY SUBSTANCE - that will create a high chance of making the bug regurgitate its stomach contents into your bloodstream, and it might not back outta yer body anyway.

DO NOT EVER ATTEMPT TO "BACK OUT" AN EMBEDDED TICK BY PLACING A HEAT SOURCE NEAR ITS BODY - that will also create a high chance of making the bug regurgitate its stomach contents into your bloodstream, and it might not back out of yer body anyway, and in fact it might just die from getting cooked while it's head is into yer body and still pumping in its deadly contents.

depending on how long the tick has been embedded past yer skin and into yer flesh, there's a slight chance you'll remove it's head, but typically the head stays in you - no big deal, it will cause you no harm.  it's the tick's body fluids that are poison to humans.

good luck afield (or maybe even in yer back yard!).

[txcookie]

You using permethrin on your clothes? I haven't had issues when using that stuff.

yes Sir it is the only thing that stops them. They go through deet like its not there. Permrthrin also stops skeeters and gnats. Shoot I bet a copper head would think twice before hitting you.

[Rob DiStefano]

properly treated Permethrin garments - never ever yer skin! - is about as effective as one can get for tick protection.  it just flat out works.

last year i began testing out a deet-free body spray called "nantucket spider extra strength tick repellent", but so far the results are inconclusive.  it doesn't kill ticks, but does seem to make them wander around without embedding in yer skin.  more testing required.  the good part is that it, like the other nantucket spider products, are made of natural ingredients and no harmful chemicals like deet. 

Permethrin treated clothing plus nantucket spider is the ticket for me and my family.

deet-free "nantucket spider insect repellent" works extremely  well on skeeters, chiggers, black flies, and other nasties.  that stuff is amazing.   

[Doc Nock]

properly treated Permethrin garments - never ever yer skin! - is about as effective as one can get for tick protection.  it just flat out works.

last year i began testing out a deet-free body spray called "nantucket spider extra strength tick repellent", but so far the results are inconclusive.  it doesn't kill ticks, but does seem to make them wander around without embedding in yer skin.  more testing required.  the good part is that it, like the other nantucket spider products, are made of natural ingredients and no harmful chemicals like deet. 

Permethrin treated clothing plus nantucket spider is the ticket for me and my family.

I googled that Nantucket stuff...I'd likely want to eat myself with all those lovely oils in there.

As for the Permethrin, I've used it for decades and watched ticks crawl the allotted 6" and drop off stone dead!  I spray everything, let it air dry on the line outside then pack in tubs... I even used a pair of coveralls once and walked side by side with a guy who was covered with tiny ticks when we came out from turkey hunting and I had Zilch!  Those coveralls hadn't been sprayed or used in like a year or so!  Was it the permithrin?  I can't say, but I liked the results.  I spray gloves, socks, pants shirts, jackets, everything ahead of time, let it dry on a line outdoors and it smells like line dried sheets!  I've even seen misquitors come zeroing in on my head net and gag and fly off... Surely I shower before I hunt so it wasn't that... Be nice to not always have to cover every square inch of skin with clothing so treated so maybe this Nantucket stuff would help on hot days when I might have less clothing covering skin?

[keng]

This is some good info. I haven't had a tick in my for some time, but was going to try rubbing with Vaseline. Glad I read this.

[Schmidty3]

Maybe I'm just lucky or dumb. I've never had a tick disease (I think). Yet, I've literally pulled thousands off in my short 28 years in Oklahoma. I also don't recall ever having a problem popping a tick head off or ever having a bite get infected. And I just use my fingers.

Sawyers permonone spray seems to be effective. It definitely knocks the tar out of chiggers.

I sometimes pre-spray my clothes, but usually forget.

As soon as I get in from being in a ticky area, ALL of my clothes come off immediately and are set outside in the sun until I wash them, or straight in the washer. I've had ticks survive and cold wash, so use hot water.

Then do a full body tick inspection. I'm single, but I hear this could work in your favor if you took a lady with you.

if you do all of this quickly, a lot of the times the ticks are still roaming and you can nab them. If one has embedded I immediately grab it and pull it out. Usually flick their body up perpendicular to your skin and pull and the come right out.

it seems to me that if you get it before it's been in there very long then it's easier to pull out. It also stands to reason that you have less exposure time to body fluid exchange and diseases. You also want to get it on the first attempt. They tend to grab on tighter if they know they are being harassed.

It's also worth mentioning that you should keep a watch out while youre in the woods. I probably flick most of the parasites off while I'm still in the field before they've latched on.


All of this stuff is just based on my anecdotal experience. Take it for what it's worth. I just feel that fidgeting around with ticks, or waiting until you get back to the house and find the "right" tool to pull ticks is the wrong way to go since it increases your exposure time.

[Rob DiStefano]

the eventual effects of lyme disease (borreliosis) and its associated coinfections (babesia, bartonella, ehrlichia, mycoplasma, rocky mountain spotted fever, anaplasma, and tularemia) can take weeks, months, or even years to show up.  these are very nasty diseases that need to be taken very seriously. 

in addition, recent studies suggest that lyme disease can be sexually transmitted because - "The Lyme spirochete resembles the agent of syphilis, long recognized as the epitome of sexually transmitted diseases. Jan 25, 2014"