Tick Mitigation

[+MisterCakes]

All,

 

I had some run-ins with some nasty tick infestation spots in the my travels in the rural NorthEast (Southwestern PA). What are some of the strategies for protecting yourself practically as a geocacher who can get into some nasty brush?

 

Thanks in advance.

[+ScoutDadNC]

Pants tucked into boots (Think Military) or socks out over the bottom of your pants.

 

Also some good repellant, like Deep Woods Off. Spray around the cuffs of your clothes.

 

Wear lighter colored clothes so you can see one when it hops on for a ride.

 

But no matter what you do, you will always get a tick. Know the local ticks. Know what they look like, and what they can carry for diseases. Know what to look for if you are sick.

 

When you come out of the woods, know how to check of them and remove them. Ticks like spots that are warm, (Groin, Arm Pits, hairline) but will attach in many areas.

 

Get a proper tick removal tool. Removing one can be tricky. The right tool for the right job.

 

And Like I said, know what to do to treat tick-borne disease.

 

Check out this site - Tick Encounter

[+kunarion]

I had some run-ins with some nasty tick infestation spots in the my travels in the rural NorthEast (Southwestern PA). What are some of the strategies for protecting yourself practically as a geocacher who can get into some nasty brush?

Look up "Permethrin Treated Clothing". Hats, too. I have "Bugs Away" and "Insect Shield" hats, shirts, and pants. It's expensive, with limited clothing styles, but the difference is like night & day over using "Deet". I always got crawling ticks all over, one or two embedded, and residual ticks in the car to find me after I'm not even in the wilds anymore. The "Deet" and other ideas did not work at all for me. I'm a tick magnet. Permethrin clothes eliminated the ticks. I didn't think it would help with the plague of ticks in Georgia, but it works well. I can watch an unfortunate tick die on my clothes if one ever gets on them. I couldn't believe it. Permethrin works perfectly.

 

I use the Sawyer spray treatment on socks and shoes. The spray is good for "5 washes" but around here it's actually effective for only one or two washes. The commercially treated clothes are "50 washes", and I'll probably plan on no more than a couple of years of wear for them.

Edited November 9, 2012 by kunarion

[knowschad]

I had some run-ins with some nasty tick infestation spots in the my travels in the rural NorthEast (Southwestern PA). What are some of the strategies for protecting yourself practically as a geocacher who can get into some nasty brush?

Look up "Permethrin Treated Clothing". Hats, too. I have "Bugs Away" and "Insect Shield" hats, shirts, and pants. It's expensive, with limited clothing styles, but the difference is like night & day over using "Deet". I always got crawling ticks all over, one or two embedded, and residual ticks in the car to find me after I'm not even in the wilds anymore. The "Deet" and other ideas did not work at all for me. I'm a tick magnet. Permethrin clothes eliminated the ticks. I didn't think it would help with the plague of ticks in Georgia, but it works well. I can watch an unfortunate tick die on my clothes if one ever gets on them. I couldn't believe it. Permethrin works perfectly.

 

I use the Sawyer spray treatment on socks and shoes. The spray is good for "5 washes" but around here it's actually effective for only one or two washes. The commercially treated clothes are "50 washes", and I'll probably plan on no more than a couple of years of wear for them.

 

If you are going to use Permethrin ,and own any cats, be sure to read up on Permethrin and cats.

[+kunarion]

If you are going to use Permethrin ,and own any cats, be sure to read up on Permethrin and cats.

I deliberately didn't make a comprehensive list of warnings. It seemed on-topic to specify a tick remedy that works.

 

I have an outdoor cat who will be nowhere around til I start spraying Permethrin. Then she's immediately in that exact spot. Stupid cat. The commercially-treated clothing doesn't require (nor advise) spraying with liquid Permethrin. That's a better cat plan.

[+captnemo]

 

New Dog KC

[+kunarion]

Try Geocaching in the Winter. If you can manage in snow (or if you're in someplace with little snow), you're golden. I'm venturing out already, without Permethrin & Deet, while the temperature is below 50°F. No ticks nor mosquitoes. You have to keep track of the temperature throughout the day, since the ticks aren't dead, they're dormant. But below freezing, arthropods are unable to move. It's a great time of year to bundle up and go caching in previously tick-infested spots. Just be aware that freezing is bad for cats.

[+hukilaulau]

 

I use the Sawyer spray treatment on socks and shoes.

 

I also spray the seats in my truck before I head into the woods. Then, when I take off my hat and pack, any hitch-hikers will be eliminated.

[+Anonymike7]

For tick removal, I've picked up a nifty gadget called a "tick key." It's supposedly quite effective but since I purchased it in July, I haven't picked up a single tick. Hm...perhaps that's how it's supposed to work!

[+wimseyguy]

I've had very good success with keeping a small container of high% DEET in the bathroom. Instead of a few random squirts at the back of the car while everyone is ready to run into the woods, I apply it before getting dressed to ankles, back of knees my back and shoulders and anywhere else those nasty buggers like to latch on. You need to be careful what you touch in the house while getting dressed as it can damage finishes and painted surfaces. Upon returning home I immediately go back into the bathroom for a tick check in front of the mirror. Since I started this process a few years back, I use the tick spoon on the dog far more often than myself. Long wire haired Irish setters seem to pick them up pretty easily running around here.

[AZcachemeister]

Cache in a group, the larger the better.

Always be last on the trail.

 

[+jellis]

 

I use the Sawyer spray treatment on socks and shoes.

 

I also spray the seats in my truck before I head into the woods. Then, when I take off my hat and pack, any hitch-hikers will be eliminated.

Never thought of that. I know a cacher who is a tick magnet. When I get in the car with him after a hike I would see them crawling on his seat by the head rest.

I found one crawling on my GPS as I was reaching for it at the dashboard.

I keep the spray in my car and treat the clothes there and let them dry and not near or in the house.

[+jellis]

Cache in a group, the larger the better.

Always be last on the trail.

 

or take a hiking stick and wave it gently back and forth in front of you on the trail.

[+emmett]

.

 

Pants tucked into boots (Think Military) or socks out over the bottom of your pants.

 

This is a common suggestion but how exactly is it helpful? Ticks climb up and miss your leg but hitchhike on your clothes and end up in your car or house and find you or someone else later when you are unsuspecting and, therefore, not inspecting. Or they climb up your clothes and find your neck and scalp.

 

.

[+Road Rabbit]

Before getting into your vehicle, use a sticky lint roller to get the little devils off the outside of your clothing.

[+Don_J]

I had some run-ins with some nasty tick infestation spots in the my travels in the rural NorthEast (Southwestern PA). What are some of the strategies for protecting yourself practically as a geocacher who can get into some nasty brush?

Look up "Permethrin Treated Clothing". Hats, too. I have "Bugs Away" and "Insect Shield" hats, shirts, and pants. It's expensive, with limited clothing styles, but the difference is like night & day over using "Deet". I always got crawling ticks all over, one or two embedded, and residual ticks in the car to find me after I'm not even in the wilds anymore. The "Deet" and other ideas did not work at all for me. I'm a tick magnet. Permethrin clothes eliminated the ticks. I didn't think it would help with the plague of ticks in Georgia, but it works well. I can watch an unfortunate tick die on my clothes if one ever gets on them. I couldn't believe it. Permethrin works perfectly.

 

I use the Sawyer spray treatment on socks and shoes. The spray is good for "5 washes" but around here it's actually effective for only one or two washes. The commercially treated clothes are "50 washes", and I'll probably plan on no more than a couple of years of wear for them.

 

If you are going to use Permethrin ,and own any cats, be sure to read up on Permethrin and cats.

 

I have been trying read up on Permethrin and cats for a couple of years now and really can't find any real information except not to use products designed for dogs on your cats because the permethrin will kill them. I have never been able to find any information on safely using products designed for humans around cats, including from the manufacturers/distributors of the products.

 

I have avoided the stuff because of the lack of information. I simply will not take a chance.

[+bjmccacher]

Garlic pills!

[+Sol seaker]

There are a number of herbal products on the market that are pretty good. Not all of them will work, so don't just grab anything.

Deet stores up in your liver and other fatty organs like other toxins. It can cause some nasty problems. I won't get near the stuff.

 

I've used the herbal stuff for many years and not had a problem. I've been in heavily tick infested areas too.

My real secret though, is the fact that ticks will crawl around a while before they bite. I always immediately take off my hike clothes in a safe area (like the bathroom where you can see them on the hard floor) and put my clothes into a plastic bag and tie it until it gets in the wash. I then get a shower and wash my hair with a lot of soap. I suspect a whole lot of ticks have gone down my drain.

 

I started this routine after I got bit by a tick- one week AFTER a hike I went on. I'm fairly certain the tick was crawling around in my bed for that week. Ever since then I have done the above and haven't gotten a bite in more than 20 years. (BTW I wasn't using the herbal stuff when that tick got on me)

[+Sol seaker]

Now after reading this topic I'm all itchy for some reason.

[+hankpixie]

I've gone into the brush wearing long sleeves and long pants and when I returned home and changed clothes I still found a tick crawling on my back. In my mind nothing will ever prevent a tick from making it your new best friend. It could cling on to your clothes, park itself in your car, etc......I just think that going out smart vs. wearing shorts and sandals will more than likely prevent you from bringing them home with you.