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Scorpio64

Deer Ticks

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Yesterday I was doing a lot of hedge and shrub trimming.  Last night I pulled a regular old dog tick off of me before it sunk it's fangs into me.  This morning I found 4 more ticks.  I missed them last night because they are so freaking small, I mean really reallllly tiny.  They were deer ticks.   I'm a landscaper so my risk is a lot higher than the average person but this was the most ticks I ever found on me and the first time I found deer ticks.

 

Just a word of caution.  Use a repellent and check yourself thoroughly after you have been working outside (especially in brush).

 

 

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Did the 4 deer ticks you found bite you? If so, I would definitely follow up with your doctor and get a Lyme disease test at some point in the future. I have heard up to 50% of deer ticks in some areas have/can transmit Lyme disease! Don't mess around, Lyme disease can range from mild to extremely serious!!

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They say if you find them attached and it's been less than 24 hours you can remove and be reasonably assured that no infection has taken place. Yeah, Bravo Sierra. A one time dose of 200mg Doxycycline within 72 hours of being bitten provides a little more assurance of not getting disease. I have had lyme three times so far, and still dealing with after effects even though they tell me I am "cured".  

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This engineer I use to work with has Lyme Disease. He didn't know they got into his groin area. One morning when he work up, his balls were the size of a 5 lb bags of potatoes. This is not something to trifle with. He has to take meds for the rest of his life. He's lucky he ended up ok.

No chances taken. Get to a doctor asap.

 

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1 hour ago, EWC88 said:

Since I have a acre of woods and been slowly clearing some of it, this gets me nervous. What's a good spray I should use to make these suckers stay away from me?

Deep Woods Off has worked for me.  I'll have remember to pack a can in my work bag.

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2 hours ago, EWC88 said:

Since I have a acre of woods and been slowly clearing some of it, this gets me nervous. What's a good spray I should use to make these suckers stay away from me?

Anything that contains permetherin, spray on your clothes and shoes. Can buy some in bulk and make your own spray.

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Long sleeves, no cuffs in pants. Use something like velcro tied around your ankles holding pants tight to your boots.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

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23 minutes ago, EWC88 said:

Thanks guys!

mikeyjones: will spray damage clothes? Honestly don't care cause I can make a "outdoor clean up woods" outfit if it does, just curious. 

I keep Permethrin 10% on hand and mix it up into a spray bottle to dilute down to 0.5%.  We keep separate cloths for outside work where ticks may be present (and mountains etc) and treat them with the solution. Have not seen any damage on cloths, but I wouldn't spray it on expensive cloths either (whats the point). 

I also treat our dog bed with the diluted, let it dry and use. 

 

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Pesticides for the win!

I buy that bag of granular stuff from hone depot and spread it in the spring.  Before I do, the dog has ticks constantly.   Afterwards we get several months of peace.   I also use a propane driven fogger for flying insects that also lists ticks on the kill list.   I fog once a month on a still evening.    I have used liquid pump sprayer stuff as tom listed above with good results.    Shower afterwards. 

 

I do have several pair of jeans and tees that I treat with permethrin i use when I hike.  Wife got lyme and it messed up her shoulder, the muscle grew together and it took months of therepy to straighten out.

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13 hours ago, jackandjill said:

I keep Permethrin 10% on hand and mix it up into a spray bottle to dilute down to 0.5%.  We keep separate cloths for outside work where ticks may be present (and mountains etc) and treat them with the solution. Have not seen any damage on cloths, but I wouldn't spray it on expensive cloths either (whats the point). 

I also treat our dog bed with the diluted, let it dry and use. 

 

Pyrethroids (like permethrin) are just about the perfect insecticide.   Non-persistant, and safe to most mammals.

One quirk to watch out for; while they are pretty safe for dogs, they are a lot more toxic to cats.   

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Went for a hike with the wife about a month ago. Wife had those workout pants tucked into socks with sneakers and sprayed over that with bug spray with deet. Still got a tick on her foot. Went to the doctor, he said need to wait 3 weeks for a blood test. It takes that long for lymes to incubate. If tested before that the test will be negative even if you have it.

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7 hours ago, Golf battery said:

Yeah.  And i dont know why this year ?   No lymes yet.  But im sure its coming.  

Warm fall and mild winter. The first week of pheasent season in November I pulled 8 ticks off me and over 40 off the dog. 

I've already had lymes, just waiting for the next flare up. 

Pulled 2 more off yesterday 

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Had a mason work on a project for me. Pa side. Previous builder got fired( I'll never take a job like that again)

His son would occasionally help him. (Not my mason came with the job). We thought the kid was autistic, would jus stand staring at his feet. No verbal, nuffin. 

Here, he contracted Lymes and it got into his brain. Very sad. Kid was in a rock band before, typical johnny all star. Now, bad acid trip veggie.

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