When I was a kid in the UP of Michigan, finding ticks on me was not at all uncommon during the summer months. We spent most of our days and plenty of our nights outdoors, particularly during the summer, and checking for ticks was just something that had to be done. Most of them were detected while still crawling but, from time to time, I'd find some that were attached. However, for the past more than twenty years, I've spent plenty of time in the woods here in Maine, particularly up north near the Canadian border, but also in the woods around Millinocket, on trails, along the lakes and such, yet I haven't seen a tick since I've been here. I've slept in tents, a hammock, and on the ground, as well as at our camp. I know we have them because there are tick warnings every year, and I know people who have come across them. But I haven't seen one. I am going to spend some time in the woods up north, probably next week, and perhaps again before the snow comes, and people often suggest soaking myself and my clothing in poisons, but I'm not inclined to do that. Besides Lyme Disease, there are plenty of other diseases associated with ticks, and I'd rather avoid these things, but I'm thinking that if I haven't come across a tick in the past twenty-two years, perhaps the poisons are more of a threat to me than the ticks. We didn't use any preventatives against ticks when I was a kid but, as I've said, neither was I able to avoid ticks. But that was Michigan, and this is Maine, and I haven't come across any here in Maine. If I were to use some type of preventative measures, which would be the safest, do you think?
It has been a long time since I have had to worry about ticks, but I think we used to tuck our trousers into our socks. Never go barefoot or in shorts, and watch whenever you come into contact with anything that could harbor ticks.
I know why they all moved down here with the other blood suckers from up north.,but at least they can't vote.
I think most safe repellents are merely placebos. I bought some permethrin to treat my clothing, but have yet to use it because--as you alluded--I don't want to poison myself. But I had planned to only treat the tops of my socks and maybe my underwear leg openings & waist band, not every stitch of clothing. Don has the best "can't harm you" idea, except I'd add that you should wear light-colored clothes so you can easily see them (who am I fooling...we all wear jeans.) I won't take us down the "Here's how to remove them" path (yet), since that's not what you asked and it's early in the thread. But with all the nasty stuff you can get from them, I will recommend that if you detach some off of you, you scotch tape them to a business card or an index card and write the time/date by each. Specific identification might become valuable. Remember, not all infections display the classic signs (20%-30% of lyme disease infections do not display a rash of any kind.)
Learned by accident...Hair spray will keep them off your head. That's the hardest place to find them.
I have only had a couple attachments over the years. But this year I have FELT them running across my shoulders etc before attachment and grabbed them. These were dog ticks not deer ticks. My daughter removed deer ticks. They got on by my just walking next to tall grass! I never encountered them growing up in New York. I have used a tick removal tool. I got a set of them on amazon. I always wear long pants and long sleeved shirts. I spray them and let them dry before I put them on.
What a coincidence. Living all life in the city I'd never considered that deer ticks would be an issue and I'd never heard of Lyme disease. Then yesterday I hear John Oates on the radio discussing his bout with Lyme disease and his subsequent dislike of deer. I think that's what is referred to as the Baader-Meinhof effect where you never hear about something or a particular word but when you do it crops up again almost otherworldly. Of course now I'll probably be responsible for some of you reading about a 70s terrorist outfit from Germany.
Well, I would buy a large bottle of the Dawn dish soap and a spray bottle. I am amazed how many insects it kills without harming anything. Maybe the chemical companies don't want anyone to know how good it really is. This morning I got up and there was a large tree roach on the floor, I gave it a couple shots of the Dawn and it was dead within a minute, just that fast. It is a killer for fleas and almost on contact it is instant. So it would be a safe cheap try out. If it don't work you can wash dishes with it. I got stung two times last week by wasp when I opened my Truck door. I want to try it out on those and I am pretty sure they will go down instantly just like they did 50 years ago before they outlawed a fly sprayer to keep people from using gasoline to kill wasp. You hit them one time with a good shot of Ethel and those devils were finished, you just had to cover the entire nest with the first shot.
I do need to clarify this post. This is not about all people who come here from up north or even Ca. of course, but those who come here to change Florida into what they ran from. and take advantage.
I am reminded of when the Atlanta Falcons played Denver in Super Bowl XXXIII for the 1998 season championship. The contract for that year's Super Bowl had been awarded to San Francisco, but when it became uncertain if renovations to Candlestick Park would be done in time, they moved the event to Miami. Apparently there was some controversy surrounding the decision. So some idiot talking head decided to stir the pot, and asked one of the Falcons players what he thought about playing in Miami. His response: "What's so bad about a place that Yankees go to die?" I wish I could remember who that player was. I can find nothing on the web regarding the incident. Back to the topic: A bow hunting website cites the advice of a Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Biologist: Spray the #@&#! out of everything with chemicals (before donning your clothes), specifically permethrin-based sprays, and tuck in your clothing. When you get home, immediately put your clothes in the dryer and run it for 20 minutes. It the ticks come off in the washing machine, they'll survive there for days, so you cook them in the dryer first and blow them out the vent. Here's a good tick website at Univ of Rhode Island with info & advice specific to New England. There's an interactive map with current tick info and advice specific to what's currently active in the selected region. The two ticks that have a very High Rate of Activity right now in New England are the Blacklegged (Deer) Tick in the larval stage and the Lone Star Tick in the larval stage. Neither transmits disease when in the larval stage. Their nymph and adult stages are currently at Low Activity.
I hate deer because of what they do to my apple trees. If it were not for the surrounding houses, (and the DNR) I could get venison for the freezer just off my deck. So they are taunting me.