Ticks

[+bren1467]

I attended a lecture on ticks and tick borne illness sponsored by a civic organization in my hometown, north of Boston, where we have a large population of Lyme Disease infected Deer Ticks, due to, according to the professor, the abundance of second growth forest, white footed mice, deer, and get this, stone walls! He said that these quaint stone walls we find in the woods are virtual "rodent condos" and incubators of lime disease. Anyone ever find an ammo can in a stone wall in New England?

 

Dr. Thomas Mather, a professor at the University of Rhode Island and a nationally recognized expert on ticks, tick borne illness and public health was a superb speaker.

 

Since his talk, I have been very itchy.

 

But, despite the bad news that, in our area, almost any deer tick attached to you for 24 hours or more will almost certainly infect you with Lyme Disease, he offered illumination and hope.

 

CLOTHING TREATMENT

 

He says their tests show that almost 100% of ticks exposed to permethrin treated clothing die within 15 minutes of exposure. He recommends Sawyer brand clothing treatment. It's available through Amazon and REI for sure. He said that this method of treating clothing has been used and researched by the military for years and that he is convinced that, used properly, it presents no hazard to humans and canines. He did warn about feline and fish exposure. (Quick Internet research says that any 2.5% Permethrin product with no other active ingredients is safe and effective. I don't know that to be a fact, just passing it along.) One treatment is good for 6 weeks of washing and wearing. The guys at REI told me that ironing the clothing after the application has dried will make it effective for 10 or 12 weeks. (I don't know if that's true.)

 

Although he prefers the DIY treatment - and does it for his family every 6 weeks - Mather is also a fan of pre-treated commercially available clothing. My research at REI revealed $90 shirts and $85 pants, none of which were particularly my style even if I felt like forking over the dough.

 

DEET INEFFECTIVE

 

Mather explained that because of how DEET works (it gives bugs a "hot foot!") that it is pretty ineffective against ticks, so don't fool yourself. His research shows that ticks will usually mange to hang on, at least one leg at a time, until they get to untreated fabric or skin, and continue their climb.

 

THOROUGH TICK CHECKS/PROPER REMOVAL

 

He also encourages careful tick checks after every outdoor activity, stressing that one must bend over an inspect the genitals and buttocks, pointing out that ticks climb until they reach a restriction, and are most likely to attach in that area.

 

He firmly discourages the use of anything other than pointy tweezers to remove ticks.

 

He pointed out that only Deer Ticks carry Lyme Disease, so that recognition of the various forms of ticks will help you feel better about the likelihood of infection if you do have one atached, but the bad news is that Deer Ticks are very common, and about the size of a poppy seed.

 

The takeaway, in a sentence, is: Go get some permethrin and treat your clothing. Now.

 

MORE INFO & EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY

 

And visit his website: tickencounter.org. Absolutely the best information I've found on the web for information, detection, prevention and mitigation, as well as diagnosing and treating Lyme Disease.

 

Finally, here is a link to part one of the excellent documentary that he shared with us at the meeting:

 

Hope this all helps.

Safe and happy caching to all

[+humboldt flier]

Many Thanks for passing this along

[+smstext]

our dog had two this week in the uk, first time ive seen them in years and this is after a recent article in a walking magazine saying the cold winter we had this year has killed many off.

[+ccorvin]

I've been struggling with Lyme now after being misdiagnosed for years. Some things you should know: If you are bitten, save the tick with a wet cotton ball in a plastic bag. You can send it in for testing for a reasonable fee that is well worth the peace of mind. If you are bitten, you may not see a rash. Many lyme patients don't. Be aware of other Lyme symptoms since they are diverse and often associated with other ailments. www.underourskin.com can point you to many other Lyme resources. If caught early, Lyme is easily treated. Left undiagnosed, it can be severe and recovery can take years. Lyme blood tests and interpretation are unreliable. You can have Lyme and still test "negative". Tick prevention is best, followed by knowledge of symptoms and your own health. Many doctors also don't prescribe antibiotics for the full one month lifecycle of the bacteria. Get the full month, not two weeks. Stay healthy and keep caching!

[+yakimacacher]

im in central washington state, and my local vet has warned me that this year will be very bad for tick and fleas since we didnt have a very long or cold winter, so bug juice is now in my cache vest and my geolab has been treated.

[+Mosaic55]

I've seen some statements that Picaridin is effective against ticks. Picaridin is considered a alternative to Deet against mosquitoes, it is somewhat safer and more pleasant than Deet to use. http://www.picaridin.info

 

Anyone have experience with it or more information?