TICKS. How do you deal with them ?

[TheWolfPaq82]

I'm just curious as to what different methods people use to deal with Ticks while out camping or other outdoor activities. Whenever I'm down in our woods by the cabin, always find a few hitchhiking on me.

[KyDan]

Lots of DEET and if you're there a lot pre treat your clothes with repellent and mandatory strip searches after every outing. Toss your clothes in a hot dryer for at least 10 minutes to kill them.
Be vigilant. There are more Ticks now than ever. A recent nature special on PBS said a deer is a walking tick nursery. We have deer all over the place and I can get ticks simply walking down the -mulched- path out my back door!
UGH we hate them!!

[jeff64]

DEET. Spray legs, socks shoes, pant legs, long sleeves, cap.... and play "Ticks" by Brad Paisley!, for further instructions.

I've been in the habit for the last few years of taking a pump type sprayer with and filling it up with"OFF" like the bottle you hook to a garden hose to use in your back yard. I spray the whole site after i back in but, before I set up including under the TT and any adjacent weeds. I just plain don't like biting bugs and it really helps with the critters

[BandJCarm]

Permethrin. Spray socks, THEN put them on. Spray pants leg hems.



Just a way of life down here. Always has been. I wish Mosquitoes ate them, and also black gnats.


Living where water is liquid 24X7X365 has a few drawbacks..........

[TheWolfPaq82]

Never tested it, but I've always thought about strapping Flea and Tick collars to my pant legs.

[HappyTrav]

As posted above, I treat my outer clothing with permethrin and let it dry. Permethrin bonds with the clothing and will last about 6 weeks and through several washings.

In liquid form it is harmful to cats and fish though so be aware of that.

Permethrin is an arachnicide so it will kill the nasty buggers.

Bob

[HappyCamper1962]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

I'm just curious as to what different methods people use to deal with Ticks while out camping or other outdoor activities. Whenever I'm down in our woods by the cabin, always find a few hitchhiking on me.

In addition to spraying our pants, tops and socks, we also use the repellent spray on our shoes/boots and always wear long pants while hiking. Clothes taken off in the garage and straight into the dryer. Gosh I am itching just typing this - we hate ticks!!

[5picker]

Originally Posted by KyDan

Lots of DEET and if you're there a lot pre treat your clothes with repellent and mandatory strip searches after every outing. Toss your clothes in a hot dryer for at least 10 minutes to kill them.
Be vigilant. There are more Ticks now than ever. A recent nature special on PBS said a deer is a walking tick nursery. We have deer all over the place and I can get ticks simply walking down the -mulched- path out my back door!
UGH we hate them!!

X2.

We are infested with ticks in Western PA.
We have 32 acres and they are everywhere.

Spray, spray spray!

[danny4127]

we wore cattle tags attached to our boots

[twiggw]

If/when you pull one off put it in a note book of some sort under clear tape. Write date time and location. Then if you get sick show it to your doctor. Lyme disease and other tick related stuff is sometimes difficult to diagnose.

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by twiggw

If/when you pull one off put it in a note book of some sort under clear tape. Write date time and location. Then if you get sick show it to your doctor. Lyme disease and other tick related stuff is sometimes difficult to diagnose.

That makes them really mad!

[Anderson15]

I figure the chemicals we spray on ourselves are more harmful.

I've had two this year on me. Pull it off with tweezers.

[Sebourn]

If i'm going out on our land to do mowing, weedeating or brush cutting, I'll shower before going using Pine Tar Soap. Then spray outer clothes, socks and boots with "Deep Woods" repellant.

[yakmeat123]

Several ways. A drop of peppermint oil and they should back out.

Lightly squeeze with a tweezers, pull slightly and turn counter clockwise

Tom-o tick works if you get them before they are bored in. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=o+tom+tic...l_6twrcibejc_e

other strong oils like fir oil, eucalyptus oil (campho phonique), I have heard a vasoline coating works.

[jwfrede]

I have a lot of ticks on my property. I use permethrin on my boots, socks, pants and shirts. I have two sets of clothes I keep in the mud room. I make the solution up from concentrate I buy at Tractor Supply. Its about $8 for 8 oz of 10% that will make about 160 oz. Much cheaper than the bottles of 0.5% you buy at Walmart. Takes about a qt to really hose down two sets of clothes. I redo after a couple of washes. Its supposed to kill the small ticks that carry Lyme disease on contact. Saw a deer tick just this morning roll off the weed fabric around a tree I was working on. I'm guessing it didn't like my pants, not sure it was dead. Glad the stuff really works.

[PenJoe]

Not much to add on defense. I do know from experience that they seem to love an alfalfa field. A short walk and I was covered with them. Even though we take our clothes off in the garage, I have found them on the bathroom floor.

This is a bit of info on tick bites. "The tick must attach for at least 24 hours to transmit the bacteria. Immature ticks, called nymphs, are the primary transmission source of Lyme disease in humans. They are much smaller than adult ticks and harder to see." Get them off ASAP, but if it is just in the process of attaching, you are probably safe.

[ben31]

Permethrin on clothes, hats, shoes, etc. Picaridin on exposed skin.

As others have said, Permethrin bonds with the clothing and kills the nasties, which try to cling to it.
Picaridin, in many ways is better than DEET. Picaridin is odorless, non-greasy, and does not dissolve plastics or other synthetics. It repels mosquitoes just as well as DEET, but also better repels other insects, such as biting flies, midges, etc. Finally, it lasts longer than DEET. Usually about 10-12 hours or until you wash it off, whichever comes first.

[oldsmasma]

Don't forget your four legged family members. Ticks used to be a rarity here in the Great White North but we have found 2 over the last couple of years. Our vet gave us a pair of neat tick removers and I've put one in the motorhome and the other in the house. We look like a family of monkeys checking each other out for hitchhikers.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Think I'm going pick up some Permethrin. Never used that before.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by oldsmasma

Don't forget your four legged family members. Ticks used to be a rarity here in the Great White North but we have found 2 over the last couple of years. Our vet gave us a pair of neat tick removers and I've put one in the motorhome and the other in the house. We look like a family of monkeys checking each other out for hitchhikers.

The boys get their treatment at the beginning of every season and then once a month.