Hi Follks;; A SERIOUS MATTER HERE -- Lyme's Disease & Others --

[TerryC]

I had a friend catch L D. He was always out hunting and fishing. He became wheelchair-bound. No use of arms and legs. Slowly got the use of his arms back. Two months later, he died. There are more common things that will put you down in our diggings. Drywashers must watch out for Valley Fever. Arizona hospitals have a pretty good handle on it as many contract it there in the desert washes. Otherwise, relatively unknown. TTC

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[LI Tom]

Permethrin treated clothing is the only proven way to protect yourself from ticks.It kills them on contact,DEET will not.I buy mine at Amazon or Walmart and a treatment will last for a month and a number of washings.

 

[SultansOfSwing]

I was bit 2 days ago. Sucker was on there for 12hrs or so. Not sure how i missed it. Didnt detach in one piece either :/

 

[Mudflap]

Permethrin treated clothing is the only proven way to protect yourself from ticks.It kills them on contact,DEET will not.I buy mine at Amazon or Walmart and a treatment will last for a month and a number of washings.

Check out Picaridin (20 percent concentration). Does not melt plastic, non greasy and has been EPA approved for use since 2005 Studies have shown picaridin to be as effective as DEET in repelling mosquitoes. Unlike DEET, however, picaridin is odorless, non-greasy, and does not dissolve plastics or other synthetics. Last I heard DEET is still better on repelling ticks. Picaridin better for no see ems and mosquitos. One company using it is Sawyers.

We had to wear Fire Resistant clothing working for an electric utility and had a spray that was used to spray the clothing before wearing and then it lasted about 3 or 4 washes and had to be re applied. It had Permethrin. Took a whole can to do a few shirts and pants. Permethrin was used because DEET destroys the flammability arc flash rating of the garrmet.

 

[Argentium]

Thanks for this Barker ! I may be going to New Hampshire in late Sept. Will tics likely be an issue at that time of year? . I will be in the Alton area (Alton Bay )

 

[Jim in Idaho]

You want to treat your clothing with Permethrin. You can buy it cheaply at Walmart. But, you should also use Picariden on your exposed skin. I just removed two dug in ticks, because I had treated my clothes, but the ticks bit me on the elbow, just below the end of my short sleeves.
Another important thing about tick removal....if you grab them, and apply pressure to their abdomen, it will force the bacteria into your bloodstream, infecting you. If atick has been on you for more than 12 hours, go to the doctor, symptoms or no symptoms.
Always use tweezers, or the special tools made to remove them, which grab them by the head. I had RMSF 3 years ago, but knew I had been bitten, and was watching for the symptoms. When they showed up after 4 days, I got my butt to the doctor. I was treated, and no problem, but it took me almost a month to get back to 100%. Tick borne diseases are serious stuff, don't take them lightly.
For you western guys...mountain mahogany has more ticks, by far, than any other plant. If you wander around in them, in the spring, you're going to have ticks. Be warned.
In Wyoming, I found a heavy infestation in the Green River Basin. That's when I contracted RMSF. The ticks were on the ground, in the sagebrush, just about any plant life at all had them.
Jim

 

[BARKER]

Hi Folks; Scary Stuff. The Mods have made this a Sticky Thread at the Top here ok. Thanks to TNMountains for his help in getting this put up. Stay safe guys. There aint enough coins etc to make getting these diseases for sure. Protect yourselves at all costs ok. PEACE:RONB

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

If you have pets check out Permethrin (Pyethrin) carefully. It's lethal to cats. Which may not be a problem for some but would be unsettling to others.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

If you have pets check out Permethrin (Pyethrin) carefully. It's lethal to cats. Which may not be a problem for some but would be unsettling to others.

I once sprayed Heidi's coat with it, but it made it sticky, and a mess. Best thing for dogs is the 3 month pill you can get at the vets. No fleas, or ticks for 90 days....it's a systemic. I've never found a tick on Heidi, though she covers 10X the ground I do.
jim

 

[gunsil]

I have several friends who got bad bad reactions from Lyme, and for one it has never fully gone away even years later and many treatments, it is a nasty disease. BUT, the tick pretty much has to be in you for 48 hours before you can get infected. I have spent many, many days in the woods and have probably been bitten over a hundred times and have not contracted the disease. I always do a check, when I get out of the woods but sometimes one gets in my skin, but I always find them before 48 hours and just get a sore which I treat with local antibiotics and although I have had many bites, no infections or diseases. They do NOT gravitate toward the crotch area, I have had many bites on my arms and neck and back, less on my legs. Get your wife or girlfriend to do a thorough body search if you suspect any may be on you, and be sensitive to the feeling of something crawling on you.

 

[Dug]

Prevention through repellents is critical for avoidance and should be everyone's focus when preparing to go out.

Something to consider though is how to deal with removing ticks that still find a way on you in a way that minimizes injecting yourself with what's in them. I recently saw this nifty little tick removal tool and now waiting for a set I ordered off ebay. Seems it is acts like the claw of a hammer but it traps the tick so that you spin the tool as you gently pull and it kind of unscrews the ticks feeding tube so the chance of it breaking off or worse the tick juice being injected into you is minimized. Here is a pic of one.

 

[Dug]

Found a video on the tool.

 

[Oddjob]

Man that flew so far over your head I doubt any information would sink in.

To make it very clear; I was saying that a forum just for this already exist.

But take it as you wish.

OJ, If this discussion prevents just one more in our hobby from getting infected, it is well worth it. They can stick this kind of data in where ever it will be read and help someone from the getting the disease. That's where it belongs!!!

 

[bowwinkles]

Man that flew so far over your head I doubt any information would sink in.

To make it very clear; I was saying that a forum just for this already exist.

But take it as you wish.

Two threads on a subject, That does seem to be over kill, so all should just search for the topic subject like "pinpointers" , "AT pro" or other prior to ever making his or her thoughts known. That would certainly make searching the one thread per topic forum a lot more simple and easy with that policy in effect. I personally like the broad thoughts an multi thread approach as long as it fits our hobby.