hiking and ticks!

[Kevin Taylor]

Hi, this is one of Kevin's friends and I am fixin to go on a hike, that is sure to have ticks and other little critters.
I hate ticks with a passion and was wondering if anyone knows of any repellents or home made concoction or anything that has worked for them in repelling ticks?
If so please post. Thanks =)

[Rot 911]

Use a spray with the highest level of Deet you can find. Spray your skin and your clothes. Wear light colored clothing. Go with a girl you would like to see naked and then after the hike check each other for ticks.

[juanbenae]

i got one in my belly button once. little bastard.

[RoninLB]

I'd check with the local park rangers about bad locations.

[Rot 911]

Originally posted by RoninLB
I'd check with the local park rangers about bad locations.

LOL, Ron, here in Missouri and Kansas everywhere is a bad location! I get the little fuchers on me just mowing the yard.

[notfarnow]

I had one of the little fuchers burrow into my back a few years ago. I was at the cottage working away for a couple days, and noticed I had a sore spot on my back, but couldn't reach it. When I got home at the end of the weekend, I managed to get a look at my back with a mirror. By then he was big, fat, and nasty lookin. I reacted like any grown man would... flailed about like a 4 year old, yelling and screaming.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Kurt V

LOL, Ron, here in Missouri and Kansas everywhere is a bad location!

oh.. the NE US has seen a steady increase in those ticks that make you weak and depressed for years, forgot the name. Locally the inconsistent tick populations last till Nov.

[djmcmath]

The tick algorithm:
Wait on a blade of grass or a tree. Drop onto unsuspecting prey, or catch hold as they come past. The waiting period, fyi, can last for years -- they only need a single meal every couple of years to keep surviving.
Once on a host, climb straight up until either there is no further climbing to be done or until the going gets tough.
Dig in.

So first, wear a hat. The ticks from above will land on the hat, climb up, and attempt to dig into to the hat, an obvious failure. They aren't smart enough to climb down to find a way under the hat. Ticks from below will reach the hat-band and try to dig in. The hatband is a visibly exposed location and is easy to spot ticks at, not to mention the fact that you're liable to notice them going in if they're exposed like that.

Second, wear loose flappy clothing with tight ends. Think warm-up pants, or jogging-type gear, with elastic at the ends. The elastic makes a tight spot that the ticks won't climb past. They'll get stuck at the leg hole and dig in, or climb to the waist-line and dig in. Those are easy places to work with. The loose-flappy nature of the clothing tends to use your walking motion to flap the ticks off, which is always good. Some argue that it gives them more space, or allows for easy climbing on from nearby grass/weeds, but experimental data does not support these arguments. Note the tight spots for later, of course -- when you're checking for ticks, check the line at the ankle-band, then the line at the waistband (or if you're wearing briefs, the leg-lines), etc.

Homemade concoctions are typically useless. Skin-so-Soft is reputed to help, but I have been unable to substantiate the claims. And besides, S-s-S smells nasty. Deet has been known to be effective, in sufficient doses.

All that being said, you'll still get ticks. Cope.

Removal:
First, do it quickly. As soon after you get back in, you need to do the tick-hunt. If you wait until morning, they'll feed, get big, and maybe leave. Typically, they don't leave until about the third day, though, but by then they'll be huge nasty fat buggers the size of your thumbnail.
Actual removal techniques: the red-hot needle tip is simple, but it isn't recommended if they get into your hair. Flammability and all that rot. Normally, if you get two fingers on the buggers (lift them up, make sure to hold carefully and gently), you can pull strong and steady and guarantee a clean extraction.
Vaseline is also rumored to work -- they breathe through their tails, so coating them in vaseline (or similar) suffocates them, so they have to pull out to breathe -- or so goes the story. Theoretically, It takes a while, though, 'coz they don't breathe much. In experiments, I have placed fed ticks in quart jars full of water. The blood sinks, weighting the ticks to the bottom. Ticks were known to survive this process indefinitely. I did not run any experiments longer than 2 weeks, so I don't know how long it would take to kill them that way.

Once they're out, have a mug of boiling saltwater handy. The salt gives a slightly higher boiling temp, which keeps the cup hotter for longer. When hot, it'll kill ticks almost instantly. Good stuff, and way simpler than chopping them up. You won't be able to kill them by stepping on them.

Have fun, and don't stress too much about the ticks.

Dan

[djmcmath]

Originally posted by RoninLB
oh.. the NE US has seen a steady increase in those ticks that make you weak and depressed for years, forgot the name. Locally the inconsistent tick populations last till Nov.

One small concern is Lyme's Disease. Attacks your nervous system, kills you slowly. No known cure, fatal, all that jazz.

[Superman]

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. When I was a kid, we got them to let loose by lighting a match, blowing it out immediately and then put the hot match tip against the tick.

[911boost]

Da Dwee Da Da Dat Dwee Dat.....

[Anton]

Lymes disease sucks. If you find a deer tick ( the little tiny guys ) dug in, and you start feeling like you have the flu, go see a doctor.

I've had it, no fun, antibiotics take care of it if you catch it right away.

[dhoward]

Originally posted by djmcmath
One small concern is Lyme's Disease. Attacks your nervous system, kills you slowly. No known cure, fatal, all that jazz.

Cured with a course of antibiotics. First symptoms are a red ring (bullseye) rash around the bite area. Usually carried by deer ticks.
Little buggers like it where it's warm and the skin is soft. (Sack) around the waistband, behind the knees and under your arms. Nasty little critters.
Awww...hell. Here it is...
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/ticktips2005/

[kjb]

I'd worry more about tick-borne encephalitis. If you live in an area where ticks are known to carry TBE, there's a vaccine. You get a couple of shots within 12 months, or something like that.

/ Johan

edit: spelling of encephalitis. Phew!

[Jeff Higgins]

This is where you find out out good of friends you really have. Me and my backpacking and hunting buddies have managed to pick some up over the years. A thorough, immediate inspection is called for. This is no time to be modest or shy. Think old Jane Goodall footage of monkeys grooming each other. It might help to have a few beers first...

[wswartzwel]

Best repellent for ticks is Permanone. The active ingredient is Permetherin. You may find it labeled as "Sawyers tick & mosquito repellent", Permanone or Permetherin.

No vile smell to it (in fact, almost no smell at all), spray it on your clothes the night before, let it dry, kills ticks on contact, lasts for about two weeks and/or three washings. Can't beat it; it really, actually works! BUT, do NOT spray it onto your skin or inhale it......READ the warning label! It is great stuff, I use it all the time and never get ticks when used properly...

[Mike Andrew]

As stated above, Permanone is the hot ticket. I use it &a liberal dose of DEET to keep the miserable little suckers off me. Even so, the occasional tick digs in.
Removal is best accomplished with a pair of good tweezers - grab the tick as close to your skin & pull GENTLY. You may have to rotate a bit, but pull firmly & gently. The idea is to not have the tick puke bacteria into your body & also to remove the entire tick, including mouth parts. Wash with alcohol, apply antiseptic ointment, have a strong drink & watch for infection, target rash or other symptoms as noted in other threads.

[TSNAPCRACKLEPOP]

i would suggest beer , a motel, and a pool. should not have too much trouble with ticks there. take Kevin with you, and let him nibble the little booger off your sunburnt body.

doc

[RoninLB]

thanks all for the education.

my routine is usually to camp thru the forests on cross country rides in the spring to escape the tourist summer. I was planning on a fall run this year and I better not discount the ticks.

Is my assumption correct that a frost is needed to put them in storage till next year ?