Ticks ticks ticks

[HemlockKing]

That's what mosquitoes do. Body heat & CO2. Talk about nature finding a way!

I find black flies are the best at finding you fast

[Old Greenhorn]

Well I resisted participating in this thread because I didn't want to jinx myself. But this morning the wife found one on her in an area she couldn't really work on, so I tried my Vaseline method (starves them of air and they back out). This guy could hold his breath quite a while so that didn't work.
 About 2 years ago I got a couple of these "Tick Keys" given to me at a loggers class and had never gotten to try them. I keep one on my truck keys and one on my Mule keys. The way it works is you press this over the area were the tick is, just hard enough to pop the skin up a little bit, then slide it to the smaller 'pinched' end and it pulls the tick out. Takes a little bit of practice and you have to be a little 'less than gentle' but it did work.


 

Anyway, it took about two tries and I ripped the guy out, not sure I got 100% but surely 90%. If you look close down at that small end you can see the little bugger in there, somewhat crushed. 


 

Best I could tell, there was one little leg left in there I could not get out, but after I extricated him from the device, he was pretty much a complete tick.  So I will hang onto these gizmos a little longer because I can see it being easier to use on one's self in difficult spots. All you need is to be able to see the tick's location. YMMV

[HemlockKing]

That's a nice little gimmick. I'll check amazon and see if I can find one

[John Mc]

Removing a tick by touching it with a hot match that you have just blown out or by covering in vaseline or nail polish is not recommended. The idea behind these techniques is that the tick will back out on its own. In practice, it does not work reliably - the tick is just likely to grab on tighter or burrow in. It's also likely to cause the tick to disgorge it's contents into you - if it hasn't already transmitted whatever nasties it's carrying to you, using one of these method just may complete the job.

I have used those tick keys with good success. It's also handy that they can be attached to a key ring.

My tool of choice is a "Tick Twister" - it looks like a miniature crowbar, sized just right for the notch in the end to slip around and under the tick, wedge it in and then pull it out. Our vet sells the O'Tom Tick Twister, but there are other similar tools that work just as well. One thing I do NOT do with this tool is twist as the tick is pulled (despite the directions that come with it saying to do so). The CDC recommends against twisting: they say to use a slow steady pull straight out, so that's what I do.

[mike_belben]

Walmart tick tornado is about the same as that twister and works great.  Have one of those keys and dont use it. 

[HemlockKing]

Removing a tick by touching it with a hot match that you have just blown out or by covering in vaseline or nail polish is not recommended. The idea behind these techniques is that the tick will back out on its own. In practice, it does not work reliably - the tick is just likely to grab on tighter or burrow in. It's also likely to cause the tick to disgorge it's contents into you - if it hasn't already transmitted whatever nasties it's carrying to you, using one of these method just may complete the job.

I have used those tick keys with good success. It's also handy that they can be attached to a key ring.

My tool of choice is a "Tick Twister" - it looks like a miniature crowbar, sized just right for the notch in the end to slip around and under the tick, wedge it in and then pull it out. Our vet sells the O'Tom Tick Twister, but there are other similar tools that work just as well. One thing I do NOT do with this tool is twist as the tick is pulled (despite the directions that come with it saying to do so). The CDC recommends against twisting: they say to use a slow steady pull straight out, so that's what I do.

So you're saying me freaking out like a looney and ripping a chunk out of my skin with said Tick is not the correct way?  :D

[farmfromkansas]

I have been using the tick twister for several years, if I can get it caught in the twister, just turn it around a couple times and the tick lets go.  I am guessing the cdc is incompetent.

[thecfarm]

I work in a hardware store and sell the one that John mentioned. We use to sell the one that Greenhorn shown too. Can't seem to find a supplier that we deal with to get it back into the store.
There is a Maine product, all organic called Flick The Tick . It is a pump spray that works good. Women wanted something safe for her kids and made it up. Made about 15 minutes away from where I live. We sell it at work.

[HemlockKing]

I work in a hardware store and sell the one that John mentioned. We use to sell the one that Greenhorn shown too. Can't seem to find a supplier that we deal with to get it back into the store.
There is a Maine product, all organic called Flick The Tick . It is a pump spray that works good. Women wanted something safe for her kids and made it up. Made about 15 minutes away from where I live. We sell it at work.

Hah! Same here the atlantick was made by a "soccer mom" whom her boy caught Lyme and suffered. Said she didn't like the chemicals so she made a brew herself lol 

[John Mc]

I have been using the tick twister for several years, if I can get it caught in the twister, just turn it around a couple times and the tick lets go.  I am guessing the cdc is incompetent.

I met with the tick guru in charge of the tick program at U-Mass (Amherst, I think?) while trying to set up a speaking engagement for him to come talk about tick borne diseases and tick prevention in our area. He agreed with the CDC folks: due to the shape of the ticks' mouth parts, you are more likely to have parts break off and be left attached if you remove with a twisting motion, rather than a slow, steady straight pull. He said it doesn't happen every time, but it is more likely. He also added that those mouth parts alone are not a huge disease hazard, but it's best to try to remove them with some tweezers or something if they do break off. Since my close eyesight is no longer good enough to spot those small parts if they do break off, I switched from twisting to pulling. The tool has no problem removing ticks by pulling as long as you use the appropriate sized tool (the packages I buy have two sizes, one with a smaller slot for the really tiny ticks, and one for the bigger ones).

I have a lot of respect for the folks at the CDC. YEs, they may be wrong on occasion, but in general I have confidence that they are making their decisions based on the best science available, and that if more information comes along indicating a change is warranted, they will make it. I don't write off the CDC or others who have devoted their life to studying a subject as incompetent just because they disagree with my own preconceived notions or something a buddy saw on YouTube.

[mike_belben]

so i had pretty good results with the equine tick and fly spray for $6.99 a quart.  ran out and went to get more.. co-op ended up having a marked down gallon of this stuff.. from $16 to $6.99.  perfect.  





not as much permethrin as sawyers.. which has .5 percent and costs $14ish per 10 oz at my walmart right now..  but twice as much as the horse spray that was working fine.






there a LOTTA active ingredients in there which is the point of spending the money in my opinion.. i dont want a spendy jug of citronella water.

spent a few nights reading lab and case studies about every single active ingredient on the list before trying it.  sadly the best research comes from suicide attempts. evidently you can drink 20 ounces of the stuff and be okay in a few days, though i dont recommend it.  im not normally one to hose myself in chemicals other than gas, grease or hydraulic fluid.. but on the other hand my wife lost a cousin to west nile virus at the same age my son is now so thats a real concern.  the asian tiger mosquito is pretty ruthless here.


i sprayed boots, pants and hat then really got out in the thick of it today.  on my hands and knees planting in the deer woods right down in the leaf litter. what ticks got on me, would soon wig out and fall off.  and i was not getting bothered by the deer flies,  face flies and all that either, which are very heavy right now.   so im really impressed at this point.  no chigger bites, no skeeters, no flies, and i watched the ticks die.  just two squirts has really helped my poor dogs too.  went from 10 flies at a time constantly to one or less, and only up on their snouts or between the eyes where i cant put it.

8)

[John Mc]

That's a heck of a deal! Amazon is selling gallons for $60 (which is a rip off, IMO). The fact that it does not appear to be listed for use on clothing is a concern. It makes me wonder if there is an issue with that, or if it's just a matter that certifying it for human use is more trouble than it is worth.

[mike_belben]

I think you are on to something john.  I suspect the more uses you give these products the more someone has to pay someone else for approval and product liability insurance, thus it would not be a cheap product.  The weight of horse and  cattle probably statistically guarantees youd not be able to poison your animal with the stuff, based on hundred pound women failing to die from chugging it ??

 The wording on back does not say dont do XYX.. But it only says its for horses.  


Meanwhile i have read up quite a lot on every ingredient over the past few weeks and every one of them is or was in some other product intended for direct human skin at one time, whether that was wise or not. I did not come across any widespread OMG this kills people citings on any of it. And all the ingredients are one big family of well established human applied insectides.  Certainly many people have sprayed a horse and been in contact with it before the product dryed fully by now, without tragic results.  


Like i said i dont really want any chemicals getting into my organs.  Theyve been heavily feeding, spraying and injecting all this stuff into lab vermin for decades without drastic problems from what i gather.  im letting the clothes dry, only wearing them a day i go into the woods, once a week or so.  

Im half way through my life and not worried about my inevitable death.. My only want is that it be on the more comfortable side of dying.  Im  thinking lymes, RMSF, west nile or any of the other miseries that i dont want are worth a calculated risk in preventing.  I certainly dont want cancer or poisoning either.  I dont even put bug spray on my skin.. Just a bit on clothes and mostly boots and hat.

[John Mc]

EDIT - mistakenly posted a response in the wrong thread. My apologies. I've re-posted in the appropriate thread.

[Texas Ranger]

Import fire ants.  Texas has a greatly reduced tick problem because of fire ants. 8)

[HemlockKing]

Import fire ants.  Texas has a greatly reduced tick problem because of fire ants. 8)

I'm getting guinea hens for starters, hopefully the chickens help too. I'm finding they are worst in may here they are still everywhere though. I have yet to see a deer tick which is strange. All wood ticks.

[mike_belben]

Chickens alone will help a lot.  Guineas even more if u can keep them. 

[firefighter ontheside]

but guineas are so dumb....

[John Mc]

but guineas are so dumb....

and NOISY!

[Texas Ranger]

Bad part of fire ants, we lost our quail.

[mike_belben]

link storage:  this one is all about controlling livestock flies but its such a good overview resource that i dont wanna lose it.  may be helpful to some of you farmer types. 

The Cow-Calf Manager: Fly Control to Keep the Flies From Winning

[HemlockKing]

 

 

[Lostinmn]

Looks like a full on invasion!

[HemlockKing]

They all got put to the flame. (Lighter) lol 

[Tacotodd]

Just don't stop until you hear a pop! Then, they're done. You've got the right idea 👍