Jump to content

Ticks!


Recommended Posts

Is it just me or is this a good years for ticks, have removed at least 23 (legs and waistline) in the past couple of months. I do a lot of Hillwalking and have never so many attached to me (at least somebody loves me even though only my blood). I wear gaiters but still, the wee blighter are getting through, (apart from Saturday, well it was only a 100 metres from the road! to the cache through the heather, picked up 4!). I always carry a pair tweezers and magnifying glass.

 

Have all 23 ticks attached to piece's of selotape!, read it long time ago to keep the ticks!, in case you pick up an infection.

 

Anyone found a problem this year!

 

Drat Must remember to do ieSpell!

Edited by Snaik
Link to comment

Avoid getting ticks whilst roaming around the countryside with the TICK MAGNET. Particularly useful when Geocaching in heather or other open scrubland especially where sheep graze. The TICK MAGNET is available to purchase but comes with a maintainance requirement. Better to borrow from a friend to avoid the personal nause of de-infesting after use.

 

Guaranteed 99.9% effective! Get yours today, visit:

 

www.obeqre_pbyyvr.com

 

No animals or ticks were harmed or put in any danger during the making of this advert!

Link to comment

A number of years ago my daughter picked up 9 ticks all over her body walking through wet ferns on the west coast. Got back to Edinburgh, didn't know how to get rid of them, took her to GP, they didn't know either, sent us to Sick Kids Hospital and they didn't know either! They had to ring someone up for advice.

 

A smear of vaseline suffocates the b*******, and they come up for air so you can nab them with tweezers, otherwies you run the risk of leaving the head under the skin. Lovely! Easy when you know.

Link to comment

Aye …me as well !, actually the wee dog ..”Jude” ..Spaniels always have theirs noses on the ground so I guess they are extra susceptible…..previously I have been pretty fortunate , only 2 ticks on the dog …but the last trip caching on Arran was a nightmare …. Removed 14 Ticks over the next week….

Two treatments are viable …the Vaseline blob on the tick ( they breathe through their sides so this suffocates them ) you need to wait for 30 mins before attempting removal though !

 

The better option is a tick removal tool .it’s a wee plastic claw hammer ….. Slip it over the Tick; turn it 3 times and the wee beastie comes away legs and all…..that’s what I've been using … with success ……

 

Bracken is the worst culprit , but I suspect that the real cause is that sheep dipping is no longer viable …the legislation is quite onerous …lots of health and safety requirements…. Training; validation.;. protection etc …. So farmers have opted for “injecting!” ….. Its effective but costly..And with the pittance that’s being paid for lambs …. Well you can work it out for yourself…

Link to comment

We too are tickless fortunately after some heavy heather trudging a couple of weekends ago. Hokey seems to remain tickless also however she is a hairy black beastie and therefore I guess it would be tricky to see them.

 

I have seen one before on a miniture yorkshire terrier who belonged to an old guy who hadn't spotted it. When we found it on the dog the thing was MASSIVE - probably weighed the same as a small apple!

 

So does Petroleum Jelly work are are we supposed to believe those straight banana loving EU bureaucrats?

 

The Hokesters...

 

EDIT - Spell checker not working

Edited by The Hokesters
Link to comment

Thanks to this thread I have been itching for the last 24 hours... It doesnt help I have a huge phobia about parasites! So far jumping around in fields has bore no ill effects for us or the Boo, but after reading this I feel a little bit better prepared for my first encounter with these underhanded blighters...ish!

 

House Of Boo

Link to comment

We have been lucky Tick wise whilst out hiking or caching. Only had trouble with one our Lancashire Heeler Mr. Bean got one on his nose while we were hiking in Derbyshire we went through fields of both sheep and cattle that day and with him being black we didn't notice it until it started swelling a day later, used "Frontline" Flea Spray from vets it worked drowned it and killed it had to be careful though with it being on his nose I didn't want the spray to go in his eyes so on went the disposable gloves which I sprayed with the Frontline then dribbled it over the spot and a while later the orrible thing fell off (not his nose I may add).

 

Like the tip about vaseline though, will bear that one in mind - something else to go in the rucsac.

 

Joan

 

:)

Link to comment

The perfect answer to tics:

 

Cowboy boots

 

I often wear mine whilst caching, althouhn they're getting a bit worn and now hurt a little on a long hike, I need a new pair, or at laest I need another pair I don't mind getting muddy, I have 5 pairs and always wear the good ones to work.

Link to comment

Never had a tick - ever, but watch out - bet I find one tonight after sweeping through a heap of plant growth today.

Just wanted to add that I had a friend once who managed to get a tick on one of his testicles. We howled with laughter when he told us, lots of teasing about potential chat-up lines he could use like "Would you like to see my tick collection?". No idea how he got it off! Heard of the vaseline trick before - also may be one involving a match (along lines of holding newly-extinguished matchhead to the tail end - makes them retract head in immediate response? Something like that!)

Link to comment
I had a friend once who managed to get a tick on one of his testicles. We howled with laughter when he told us, lots of teasing about potential chat-up lines he could use like "Would you like to see my tick collection?". No idea how he got it off! Heard of the vaseline trick before - also may be one involving a match (along lines of holding newly-extinguished matchhead to the tail end - makes them retract head in immediate response? Something like that!)

Bet he didn,t try the match trick with his testicles :lol:

Link to comment

Hey,

 

The use of heat and vaseline is definitely not reccomended for tick removal! The distressed critter is more likely to infect the host when this method is used...

 

Most agree the best method is:

 

Do not apply mineral oil, Vaseline, or anything else to remove the tick as this may cause it to inject the spirochetes into the wound. Be sure to remove the entire tick. Get as close to the mouth as possible and firmly tug on the tick until it releases its grip. Don't twist. If available, use a magnifying glass to make sure that you have removed the entire tick. After removing the tick apply an antiseptic such as rubbing alcohol to the site. Save the tick in a jar and label it with the date, where you were bitten on your body and the location or address where you were bitten for proper identication by your doctor, especially if you develop any symptoms. Do not handle the tick. 

Wash your hands immediately. Check the site of the bite occasionally to see if any rash develops. If it does, seek medical advice promptly.

 

http://kaweahoaks.com/html/ticks.htm

 

Fire up your favorite search engine and look for "Ticks Vaseline"

 

Steve

 

Edit: spelling

Edited by Team JASS
Link to comment

The little “claw hammers” are certainly the preferred option…..they do instruct you to turn it 3 times before pulling though…..

On the premise that you pick up a tick, and don’t have a removal tool, I think I would prefer the Vaseline blob before trying to extract with tweezers….they are awfully easy to “break” esp.if they are still small. (I know its not the recommended treatment…… :lol: )

 

Update on the little B@?*”&>s (blighters), just visited the Vet for Flea treatment,(for the dog…..) and discovered they have a new product the covers Ticks as well, ….

Advantix…..claims to be preventative, as well as killing any existing wee beasties….(for new read expensive)….has a few drawbacks ……like it kills cats !

And dogs need to be kept out of water for 48 hours (anything that swims gets zapped as well!)

I’ve been reading the cache reports from the Tick capitol of Scotland (Inverness) and since I depart tomorrow for a weeks looting and pillaging ,it seemed a wise investment.

Link to comment

We've never seen any ticks here in England. We have family and friends who live and cache in America and they can not step a foot into woods without getting many ticks on them. My sister recently told me she walked about .25 miles into the woods for a cache and by the time she was out of the growth she had 14 ticks on her and chiggers! Thank goodness we live here in England!

Link to comment
On the premise that you pick up a tick, and don’t have a removal tool, I think I would prefer the Vaseline blob before trying to extract with tweezers….they are awfully easy to “break” esp.if they are still small.

 

I'm not sure about that! I really, really, hate ticks! I would rather take them off with tweezers NOW that wait 30 minutes for them to finally "pull out" (AFAIK, a process that usually requires some regurgitation on the part of the tick)...

 

YMMV!

 

Steve

 

BTW, I wish I lived in GB as well! Did I mention that I really hate ticks! <_<

Link to comment

"No Ticks in England" not so . Dartmoor has a thriving Sheep Tick population and parts of Hampshire has a very thriving Deer Tick population .Heard a saying from Dartmoor "one tick for every mile walked "

Wearing long trousers etc seem not to protect us ,we've had Ticks on all parts ,seems once bitten the things find one extra attractive .We went for years without any ,but get them nearly every weekend now.

Link to comment

The ticks do seem to be more prolific this year. Our dog Maggie has had 3 in the space of a week, which I suppose is pretty good going, but she is a short haired dog. The first 2 were removed using the vaseline method and came away easily apart from the 2nd one which squished. Ewwww!

I bought a tick remover from the vet just in time for the 3rd one which appeared in a nasty place for poor old Maggie - won't go into too much detail, but it was just inside a hole at her rear end, which meant it kept disappearing each time we tried to get hold of it!!! <_< It did eventually get got! Ewwwwww again!

So we have now applied the solution to her which hopefully will do the trick - none as yet. Living in the New Forest though, I'm sure we will have some more.

I hate the things they are horrible and I don't want to see them again for a while!

 

Sarah xx

Link to comment
.........Thank goodness we live here in England!

Amen to that !!!

:):D

:) I certainly hope that isn't a slur on your recent trip North of the border. :o

:unsure::) I think it is time to gather the clans :):D:D:D:)

Send out the Runners with the Fiery Cross!!

Link to comment

Unusually for Ireland, and for the first time in my life, I got two ticks last month.

Even stranger, they were on my left and right thigh, in almost the exact same spots, as if placed there in a symetrical manner :bad:

 

I disinfected and pulled head and all out with tweezers. I guess I'll know what to expect from now, as I was almost sure that ticks were no threat to me.

Link to comment
.........Thank goodness we live here in England!

Amen to that !!!

:):)

:bad: I certainly hope that isn't a slur on your recent trip North of the border. ;)

:lol::lol: I think it is time to gather the clans :bad::D:P:D:P

Send out the Runners with the Fiery Cross!!

No need for that, guys.... I like Scotland too, honest ;)

 

And back on the subject of ticks.... When one of my cats had one a while back, a vet advised me to soak it (the tick, not the cat) in surgical or methylated spirit applied with an eye dropper or something similar. This I did and the cat (who didn't much like being handled anyway) went off in a mighty huff. When she returned a few hours later, the tick had gone.

Link to comment

I was once told that ticks 'screw' themselves into the skin something like a corkscrew and that removal is quite simple if you remeber to unscrew it clockwise...or was it anticlockwise...I can't remember. Perhaps someone could tell me. I could imagine that Scottish ticks would be perverse enough to be the other way round!

 

By the way, and completely off-topic... how many of you jocks want France to beat England in Euro 2004?

 

Thanks Haggis Hunter for resurecting the thread.

 

Aisledog

Edited by aisledog
Link to comment

Is there any medical evidence that some people are more susceptible to ticks and other insect problems than others? We're coming up for our sixties and during our lives have tramped all manner of habitat ranging from rainforests in Costa Rica to deserts of Africa and neither of us has ever set eyes on a tick. During one viait to Costa Rica several members of our party were badly clobbered by ticks, but not us. We always take Vitamin B before visiting tropical areas but that's supposed to have no effect on ticks... Guess we've been lucky.

Link to comment
Is there any medical evidence that some people are more susceptible to ticks and other insect problems than others? We're coming up for our sixties and during our lives have tramped all manner of habitat ranging from rainforests in Costa Rica to deserts of Africa and neither of us has ever set eyes on a tick. During one viait to Costa Rica several members of our party were badly clobbered by ticks, but not us. We always take Vitamin B before visiting tropical areas but that's supposed to have no effect on ticks... Guess we've been lucky.

I think I am more prone to insect bites than a lot of people. When the dreaded midge is out I tend to get bitten a lot earlier than anyone else and get a lot more bites. Each bite come up in a big lump and will stay for a week before it fades (asuming I manage not to scratch it) . Also when I was in canada a few years ago I ended up in accident and emergency due to mosquito bites :huh::P I got savaged by the blighters they were managing to bite my legs through my trousers and I swole up so much I couldnt sleep or sit down and was going demented with the pain!

Link to comment

I can confirm that ticks are not pleasant little critters. A friend contracted Lyme's disease from a tick bite 3 or 4 years ago and was seriously ill for a couple of months spending a couple of weeks in hospital. It took him nearly a year to get back to normal. It was a tick from Switzerland that caused all the bother but it is still contractable in the UK I believe.

I think the best solution is to avoid being bitten in the first place. I have heard of a product called Tick Off (honest) but haven't seen it on sale. I suspect it may just be a Deet based insect repellant.

Link to comment

Tick..ity boo, having seen the numerous replies, and the various suggestions for their removal, and considering the risk of Lymes disease. not pleasant!!

 

Firstly if you want to remove it via tweezers, rotate anti-clockwise as you do so, but dont squeeze so hard to leave the head in, which to the unexperienced is a risk you take also!.

 

Alternatively for a quick fix esp. for your pets, and if you want, use an alcohol based liquid.... use your auld aftershave, any perfume etc (Brut, Hi Karate, etc)..but NOT your best Highland Malt, which incidently will work equally as well if you've got a posh dog! Then on to vaseline, saturating it over the beastie works the same and is easier to apply on nearly hairless skin, but takes a wee bit longer.

 

I appreciate the problem and worry of regurgitation causing Lymes disease while using the last two methods, but similarly, the danger from leaving parts of a parasite within, and under the skin causes similar and other problems, and whose to say it hasn't regurgitated anyway while it's being pulled

 

There has been so much written about this, and various opinions . Personnally I go for, on my hairy pets the alcohol option, on myself the vaseline one.

 

Usually drink the alcohol, while applying the vaseline!

 

That doesn't sound right! Doh!... but you know what I mean..Hi!

 

Regards DD :huh:

Link to comment
We always take Vitamin B before visiting tropical areas but that's supposed to have no effect on ticks...

I was always top of the menu when it came to biting insects of any kind. The little bu**ers would always go for me and ignore everyone else. I mentioned it, in passing, to my GP and was told to take a Vitamin B Complex capsule every day. This I've been doing for the last couple of years and while it hasn't stopped the critters biting completely, it certainly does seemed to have reduced the frequency of being bitten and the bites seem to heal more quickly.

Link to comment

Vitamin B1 is effective. Also eating Marmite sandwiches (which i can not stand) before you go out will discourage the insects. We usually have some garlic bread the night before and this seems to keep them away. Natural oils like lavender discourages wasps.

Mark never seems to get bitten (just nettled and brambled :blink: ) at all while Lynn allways seems to get bitten.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...