"TICKS ARE OUT"

[+ervind]

Those real BLOOD SUCKIN nastys are out.......Tell me the best way to repell them ??? And do you have them in your area ???

Edited April 9, 2009 by ervind

[+gof1]

Make a paste of equal parts bees wax and DDT. Apply a 1/4 inch layer over your whole body, being careful not to plug the two straws you should have shoved up your nose. Let harden over night. Buff to a high gloss with a box of off wipes. Extreme caution should be used when caching in temps above 55° fahrenheit.

 

Or just use a quality, high strength repellent with deet and long pants tucked into your boots in heavily infested areas. Check yourself well after every tip into the woods and tall grass.

[+Walkworthy & Wife]

Those real BLOOD SUCKIN nastys are out.......Tell me the best way to repell them ??? And do you have them in your area ???

90-100% DEET insect spray. You might find it in some stores. If not, Cabela's or Amazon.com sell it

Cabela's

Amazon.com

[+briansnat]

Those real BLOOD SUCKIN nastys are out.......Tell me the best way to repell them ??? And do you have them in your area ???

 

A permetryn based repellent on your clothing and DEET based repellent on your skin are the best protection. Also wear light colored clothing so you can see the little suckers on your clothing. If you don't mind the high geek look factor, then tuck your pant legs into your socks (I personally draw the line there).

 

Finally a full body tick check after a day in the field is a good idea. This works particularly well if you can get someone like Kiera Knightley or one of several female Russian tennis players to perform the tick check.

Edited April 9, 2009 by briansnat

[+Colonial Cats]

Here's how we take care of ticks in Virginia.

 

[+Lewis and Clark's Kids]

You can buy permethrin and spray your hiking clothes or buy pre-treated pants and shirts. Also, a good tip from someone I know who lives in Lyme, CT. If you see one biting you, put some "Dawn" or other dishwashing detergent on a paper towel and rub it counterclockwise and it will come out. I thought it was stupid until I tried it and it came out so easy.

[+Kit Fox]

After finding one in my sons hair, and one on my arm, I started using my OFF spray.

 

 

Previous tick threads.

 

ticks, getting them off you

tick-talk tick-talk tick-talk

 

Tick Talk

 

Ticks

 

Oh Man, They are REAL, ticks that is....

 

Proper Tick Removal - Its that season again

[+TrailGators]

Also wear light colored clothing so you can see the little suckers on your clothing.

Actually, insects are attracted to UV. If you wear lighter clothes, the phosphorous in the detergents make you look like a beacon to ticks. I did several experiments when I was fishing and I swear by wearing darker colored clothes to keep bugs and ticks away.

 

Here is a good article for this topic.

 

I like wearing pants that have a zipper around the knees to convert them into shorts. The flap that hides the zipper is a perfect tick trap. All you do is periodically lift it up and flick the ticks off.

[vagabond]

one thing to remember about deet it just loves plastic

[Mr.Yuck]

Also wear light colored clothing so you can see the little suckers on your clothing.

Actually, insects are attracted to UV. If you wear lighter clothes, the phosphorous in the detergents make you look like a beacon to ticks. I did several experiments when I was fishing and I swear by wearing darker colored clothes to keep bugs and ticks away.

 

Here is a good article for this topic.

 

I like wearing pants that have a zipper around the knees to convert them into shorts. The flap that hides the zipper is a perfect tick trap. All you do is periodically lift it up and flick the ticks off.

 

Hey, I have a couple of pairs of them! I never thought of them as a tick trap though.

 

From what I've read in the Canada forum (I'm not Canadian, but that's besides the point) Permetryn seems to be the best protection. Put it on your clothes, and it lasts for weeks, and through a few washings. There have been concerns raised if you have kitty cats at home, but they've been pretty much debunked.

 

I go with pants tucked into the boots in tick infested areas. Most bulletins on the internets I've seen say that tall grasses are their most favored habitat, but they like low brush as well. Tales of them dropping down from above from trees onto you appear to be false. That's just me speaking though, I don't have any links to document it at the moment.

Edited April 9, 2009 by TheWhiteUrkel

[+Team Cotati]

Those real BLOOD SUCKIN nastys are out.......Tell me the best way to repell them ??? And do you have them in your area ???

 

Shower once a week and use deodorant once a month. Stay out of the woods for the first week after the first shower of the month.

[+TrailGators]

I like wearing pants that have a zipper around the knees to convert them into shorts. The flap that hides the zipper is a perfect tick trap. All you do is periodically lift it up and flick the ticks off.

Hey, I have a couple of pairs of them! I never thought of them as a tick trap though.

They love deer and pretty much stay on the lower 3 feet of leafy bushes and plants to latch on to passing deer. One more suggestion is to let someone else in your group lead the way through these brushy areas. The lead person almost always gets the most ticks on them. Edited April 9, 2009 by TrailGators

[+Star*Hopper]

Ticks are SO out! So is Gucci, pastels, & brown & grayish earthtones.

Go with bold reds & blacks....and pearls always make a statement!

 

\just doin' my part

~*

[+jackrock]

Here, ticks are out year round. I've been hiking in 22F weather and ticks were active. I just use a repellent in combination with socks, long pants, and caution. I usually find them still crawling up my pants and fling them off before they find anyplace to latch on. Or they find my dog first, then I have to remove them from him.

[Mr.Yuck]

I like wearing pants that have a zipper around the knees to convert them into shorts. The flap that hides the zipper is a perfect tick trap. All you do is periodically lift it up and flick the ticks off.

Hey, I have a couple of pairs of them! I never thought of them as a tick trap though.

They love deer and pretty much stay on the lower 3 feet of leafy bushes and plants to latch on to passing deer. One more suggestion is to let someone else in your group lead the way through these brushy areas. The lead person almost always gets the most ticks on them.

 

That reminds me something I've read on multiple websites. You must have direct contact with them in the lower 3 feet of said leafy bushes and plants. They absolutely do not "jump". You and me are some serious fashion trendsetters with those zip off shorts, eh?

[+mtn-man]

Ticks are everywhere this year, I see log after log mentioning them.

 

 

 

 

Seems like I've heard that before.

[+Star*Hopper]

Ticks are everywhere this year, I see log after log mentioning them.

 

 

Aaaaaah.....uh-huh.......must be all that global warming. Blame it on Bush!

 

Serially, I did a cache yesterday morning -- one of those places where you gotta jump over above-ankle-deep standing marshwater (ie, Mosquito Nursery Universal) into heavy brush, & once you penetrate 'the wall' you're in that 'Ancient World' pinestraw 'marsh' (Chigger-fest, USA) where your feet disappear with every step. In other words, Tick World Central! Found the cache, & sweartagawd when I emerged & trekked back to the cachemobile, it was like I could feel the li'l vampires crawling all up my legs & body! YeeeEEEEESH! Thank providence I was out in th' tulies....when I got to the Blazer I practically stripped naked one garment at a time checking!

 

I dread it for anyone going after that hide in about another month when things warm up a bit more!

~*

[+Totem Clan]

Not a single tick or 'skeeter' here yet.

 

I think it's the snow that's keeping them away.

[+mtn-man]

Actually, that is an old forum joke. I would not expect a relative newbie to get it.

[+Castle Mischief]

I eagerly await the cousins to this thread, the seasonal "snakes are out" thread(s) followed by the "poison oak/ivy is out" thread(s).

 

I find it odd that for people with an affection for a purported out-of-doors hobby that so many folks are either unaware of their existence or unfamiliar with how to avoid them that there is both the need to ask for such remedies and the need to announce their arrival to the scene every time the weather begins to warm. I don't mean to sound too critical, but the phenomenon puzzles me.

 

Strangely enough I haven't seen any "frostbite is out" or "monsoons are out" threads.

[+TrailGators]

I eagerly await the cousins to this thread, the seasonal "snakes are out" thread(s) followed by the "poison oak/ivy is out" thread(s).

 

I find it odd that for people with an affection for a purported out-of-doors hobby that so many folks are either unaware of their existence or unfamiliar with how to avoid them that there is both the need to ask for such remedies and the need to announce their arrival to the scene every time the weather begins to warm. I don't mean to sound too critical, but the phenomenon puzzles me.

 

Strangely enough I haven't seen any "frostbite is out" or "monsoons are out" threads.

 

I think this game brings in new players that move from the couch to the great outdoors and are largely unaware of how to deal with this stuff. Plus you never know when someone is going to drop a new nugget on how to deal with something better...

[+rob3k]

I eagerly await the cousins to this thread, the seasonal "snakes are out" thread(s) followed by the "poison oak/ivy is out" thread(s).

 

I find it odd that for people with an affection for a purported out-of-doors hobby that so many folks are either unaware of their existence or unfamiliar with how to avoid them that there is both the need to ask for such remedies and the need to announce their arrival to the scene every time the weather begins to warm. I don't mean to sound too critical, but the phenomenon puzzles me.

 

Strangely enough I haven't seen any "frostbite is out" or "monsoons are out" threads.

 

I think this game brings in new players that move from the couch to the great outdoors and are largely unaware of how to deal with this stuff. Plus you never know when someone is going to drop a new nugget on how to deal with something better...

 

Plus, the nature of the hobby means you can't avoid tall grass/other growth where ticks are more likely to be lurking like you can when you are hiking or biking and sticking strictly to trails. I know I generally avoid brushing up against any grass during tick season unless it simply can't be avoided. I imagine I'll get way more ticks geocaching than I have previously while hiking.

[+TrailGators]

I eagerly await the cousins to this thread, the seasonal "snakes are out" thread(s) followed by the "poison oak/ivy is out" thread(s).

 

I find it odd that for people with an affection for a purported out-of-doors hobby that so many folks are either unaware of their existence or unfamiliar with how to avoid them that there is both the need to ask for such remedies and the need to announce their arrival to the scene every time the weather begins to warm. I don't mean to sound too critical, but the phenomenon puzzles me.

 

Strangely enough I haven't seen any "frostbite is out" or "monsoons are out" threads.

 

I think this game brings in new players that move from the couch to the great outdoors and are largely unaware of how to deal with this stuff. Plus you never know when someone is going to drop a new nugget on how to deal with something better...

 

Plus, the nature of the hobby means you can't avoid tall grass/other growth where ticks are more likely to be lurking like you can when you are hiking or biking and sticking strictly to trails. I know I generally avoid brushing up against any grass during tick season unless it simply can't be avoided. I imagine I'll get way more ticks geocaching than I have previously while hiking.

I agree. Plus some people don't know that some grasses are exceptionally nasty like foxtail grass. I hate that stuff.

[sdarken]

I did several experiments when I was fishing and I swear by wearing darker colored clothes to keep bugs and ticks away.

 

My experience matches yours. On one hike/geocaching experience I pulled 25+ ticks off my light-colored pants. My hiking friend only found a few on his dark colored clothes.

 

I like wearing pants that have a zipper around the knees to convert them into shorts. The flap that hides the zipper is a perfect tick trap. All you do is periodically lift it up and flick the ticks off.

 

I've found the same thing but a word of warning :- Those zip-off pants generally have a small hole as the zipper doesn't quite close all the way. The hole is big enough for a small tick to crawl through and get access to your legs. On the same hike that I mentioned above I I pulled one tick out of my groin area. Something to think about ...

[+Star*Hopper]

I find it odd that for people with an affection for a purported out-of-doors hobby that so many folks are either unaware of their existence or unfamiliar with how to avoid them that there is both the need to ask for such remedies and the need to announce their arrival to the scene every time the weather begins to warm. I don't mean to sound too critical, but the phenomenon puzzles me. ...

*LOL* You don't reckon it's part of that 'entitlement' thing, do ya?

"Oh, that's stuff that other people catch......not ME!!!!!"

 

~*

[sdarken]

I find it odd that .....there is ...the need to ....announce their arrival to the scene every time the weather begins to warm.

 

I think you're mis-understanding. It's not a warning. It's a celebration of the fact that it's warm enough for ticks therefore it's warm enough to resume geocaching. That's how I read it.

[+Totem Clan]

I eagerly await the cousins to this thread, the seasonal "snakes are out" thread(s) followed by the "poison oak/ivy is out" thread(s).

 

I find it odd that for people with an affection for a purported out-of-doors hobby that so many folks are either unaware of their existence or unfamiliar with how to avoid them that there is both the need to ask for such remedies and the need to announce their arrival to the scene every time the weather begins to warm. I don't mean to sound too critical, but the phenomenon puzzles me.

 

Strangely enough I haven't seen any "frostbite is out" or "monsoons are out" threads.

Hypothermia is out.

[+briansnat]

Actually, insects are attracted to UV. If you wear lighter clothes, the phosphorous in the detergents make you look like a beacon to ticks. I did several experiments when I was fishing and I swear by wearing darker colored clothes to keep bugs and ticks away.

 

You may be right, but if you are wearing a white shirt and pick up 30 ticks, you will easily see all 30 ticks. If you are wearing a brown shirt and only pick up 3 ticks it will be very difficult to see any of them.

 

One of keys to keeping ticks out of your skin is getting them off before they can work their way inside your clothing. The likelihood of catching them early increases with light colored clothing.

Edited April 10, 2009 by briansnat

[+TrailGators]

Actually, insects are attracted to UV. If you wear lighter clothes, the phosphorous in the detergents make you look like a beacon to ticks. I did several experiments when I was fishing and I swear by wearing darker colored clothes to keep bugs and ticks away.

 

You may be right, but if you are wearing a white shirt and pick up 30 ticks, you will easily see all 30 ticks. If you are wearing a brown shirt and only pick up 3 ticks it will be very difficult to see any of them.

 

One of keys to keeping ticks out of your skin is getting them off before they can work their way inside your clothing. The likelihood of catching them early increases with light colored clothing.

I totally agree about constantly checking yourself. I also agree that wearing really dark clothes would make it tougher to spot ticks. The middle ground in colors is fine. For example, I have no problem spotting ticks on my jeans. Most of us don't own black lights (at least since the 70s) but if you could look at what you were wearing under a black light and you didn't glow, then you would also not be as obvious to ticks.

[+hukilaulau]

If I'm going to spend the day in a particularly bad area, I add tick proof clothing to my arsenal. I'm actually more concerned about chiggars than ticks, and this keeps both away. I only have the socks and pants, I draw the line at the hood thingie.

[+Star*Hopper]

"... the phosphorous in the detergents make you look like a beacon to ticks."

 

~*

[+Rick618]

Mum Knows best I've got a hat and shirt so far and like both for casual exposure.

Turkey hunting in southern TN made me a believer in lots of DEET.

 

and the posion ivy is all ready starting to leaf

[+rob3k]

If I'm going to spend the day in a particularly bad area, I add tick proof clothing to my arsenal. I'm actually more concerned about chiggars than ticks, and this keeps both away. I only have the socks and pants, I draw the line at the hood thingie.

 

That looks interesting. Does it get uncomfortably hot in the summer?

[+BrrrMo]

I like wearing pants that have a zipper around the knees to convert them into shorts. The flap that hides the zipper is a perfect tick trap. All you do is periodically lift it up and flick the ticks off.

Hey, I have a couple of pairs of them! I never thought of them as a tick trap though.

They love deer and pretty much stay on the lower 3 feet of leafy bushes and plants to latch on to passing deer. One more suggestion is to let someone else in your group lead the way through these brushy areas. The lead person almost always gets the most ticks on them.

 

That reminds me something I've read on multiple websites. You must have direct contact with them in the lower 3 feet of said leafy bushes and plants. They absolutely do not "jump". You and me are some serious fashion trendsetters with those zip off shorts, eh?

 

They may not jump but they will fall out of trees if you stand under one and they sense the heat. First hand experiance working in Virgina, they were cedar trees.