Tick removal magic or hoax?
Wisconsin
There is a facebook video going around where they put a drop of the peppermint oil in the link above on the tick. The tick lets up his bite and crawls away without touching it. Is this possible or just 'fake news'? The tick did not look like it was buried in very deep to start with.
Smother ticks in Vaseline, they need to breath and will eventually come off.
They only breathe a few times an hour and can go hours without breathing. Get a tick removal tool and remove them. The safest and best way to limit exposure to pathogens.
Squeezing and rubbing various fluids on ticks can cause them to inject their body fluids into you. That is how tick diseases are spread. Best method to remove ticks is grabbing by the skin or head of the tick and remove in a fast pulling motion. Swab bite area with alcohol.
Anyone see the ad for the tick removal tool, where the tool is pushed down around the head and then twirled? I think it was on the Outdoor Channel that I saw it. Claims to work for any size tick on pets and humans.
I use this tick removal tool. Works great and gets the head too. Best tick removal tool I've ever used. Just push down and slide tick up the slot from rear to the head. I don't have to use it very often as most of the time my clothes are sprayed with Sawyer Permethrin clothing spray.
Hoot, where can I get one of these?
I recently ordered them from Amazon or REI Mountain carried them (but that was a few years ago). Amazon has them for $5.99, Pro tick remover.
Go to the local vet they have them for your dog and works on people also.
Has anyone tried a product, Sawyer premium Permethrin clothing insect repellent? its a insect repellent you spray on your cloths, gear or tents. Supposed to be good for weeks odorless when dry. I picked up some $15 for 24oz spray bottle so we'll see if it works. Well worth it if it keeps ticks off me I think.
Yes, I have used Sawyer Permethrin for a few years now and it works if properly applied and reapplied when needed. It has been mentioned on this site a few times in the past.
Sawyer works great. I've been using it for years. I've never had a tick on me with the treated clothes.
I used Off brand permethrin on my clothes while bear baiting last summer. Seemed to work. I sprayed it on every day, didn't know it might have residual qualities. Also used Deep woods off on exposed skin.
Well, there is a simple method for wood ticks, otherwise for deer ticks, try using a tool like Hoot showed. Simply take your finger and rub the tick in circles a few times. It cannot grip when swiveled to the side, and will release in seconds. It works very time. the method can be applied to your dog as well.
I have the "Tick Spoon" as we call them for years. They work great on pets and humans. http://healthyhoof.com/articles/ArticleImages/TickedOffTickSpoon.jpg
I could be wrong but all brands of tick spray contain .05 permethrin.
MF's link refers to the tick borne disease Ehrlichiosis.
Believe me, that's nothing to fool with. It can make you deathly ill. I got bitten by a tick a few years ago (maybe 2010 or so) that carried Ehrlichiosis, got very sick very quickly, was taken to the ER and hospitalized. None of the docs in Madison could figure out what was going on and I was rapidly failing. They had not seen it before. In walks a young intern from out east and he said, "this seems like something I saw once back home." He was referring to this disease, they tested for it and he was right. I was immediately given the right medicines and within 24 hours was cleared to go home, I did. But I wasn't out of the woods, the meds did not work completely and I relapsed. Back to the ER, admitted again, three more days in the hospital. More meds. More $$$ spent. More agony. Another brush with the great beyond. Eventually I got better,...total experience took almost two weeks. Not fun!
One doc eventually said something akin to, "It seems as if Ehrlichiosis is the big brother of Lyme disease." I think he was right. The moral of the story, do whatever you can to avoid ticks,. While Lyme disease is bad, Ehlichiosis is much worse! Good luck to all in the battle with ticks.
Well geeze Case.....thanks for scaring me into buying both permethrin and a tick tool.
Glad you made it. Do you have any residual effects from the disease?
I think the only residual effect is paranoia about getting it again. Yes, I use the requisite tick repellents but also do a full body "tick check" ASAP after returning from the field. My feeling now is that you can't be too careful! Those ticks are little but can carry a big bite!
Just one more thing - I contracted Ehrliciosis in 2010 and the link by MF was published in 2011. It mentions that at that time only 25 cases of it had been seen in WI & MN, I'm thinking I was probably one of those 25! That too is probably why the Docs. had so much trouble figuring out my situation, no one in the hospital I went to had seen it before,...except for a young greenhorn intern who happened to recall seeing it on the east coast. I was lucky, without him intervening who knows what would have happened?
I had a friend a few years back that was having those systems. He went to the Mayo Clinic in Rice Lake and the Dr. told him it could be Ehrlichiosis. Test confirmed it. He was started on meds immediately. He's been fine since then, but it was nice that he had a Dr. that knew his stuff.
I have been diagnosed with Lyme three times and Ehrlichiosis once. Ehrlichiosis for me was 2005. I have some residual issues like a heart problem that I am convinced is a result of one of the tick borne illnesses but can't get Doctors to make the connection. Some days extreme fatigue.
I have not used anything but Sawyer but one thing anyone using any brand is to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!. Sawyer says to hang the clothes on a line and spray entire outfit, do not get on your skin. Let garment dry before wearing. More on the label. Read it for best results. Some people I have known say it doesn't work for them but then i learn they only sprayed the lower pant legs and boots while wearing. One of those people dropped the Sawyer brand and got the veterinary type. Again not reading the label.
I also have some of these clothes. The parent company is Insect shield.
Smokey - Your link about so many tick borne diseases is a real eye opener. Who would have ever thought there could be so many? Sure makes a guy want to take precautions.
If you don't want to use a spray form look into this. Some people might think this clothing is a joke but it isn't, it really works. I have the socks, pants, shirt. When the ticks are heavy I wear all 3 in the field. Made by Gamehide
MF, that was my first link of mine on the 21st. Sold by Gamehide , made by Insectshield. It is treated with permethrin but lasts much longer. I like the clothing.
had one of the little buggers buried in my side last week. I could not get that devil out. had to go to the doc to get it removed and even he had a hard time.
I have had Ehrlichiosis. TWICE!!!
Neither event was fun and both times costly and painful. I never was hospitalized, but I consumed a large amount of drugs both time as it left me slow, sluggish and with joint trouble - hurt all over.
We go to Farm and Fleet and buy the concentrate. It's something like eight bucks for a quart. We mix it with water in a clean five gallon pail and saturate our clothes then line dry them. It's supposed to be good for six washings or so.
Now that Powassan Virus is around, you can count yourself lucky if you get Ehrlichiosis. Supposedly, Powassan can be transmitted in as little as fifteen minutes.
"Powassan virus, which is a far rarer and more deadly pathogen than the bacterium that produces Lyme, is also transmitted by the deer tick. The virus can cause inflammation in the brain, which leads to death or permanent disability in 60 percent of cases."
Death or permanent disability in 60% of cases. Buy some Permethrin. Do thorough tick checks. Especially with kids. We'll be treating clothes tomorrow.
The bears shot in Manitoba were covered with ticks, mostly on the heads. They let go and came out while the bears were being skinned. Don't know if was the lack of blood flow or the cooling body that caused them to leave. Everyone near the skinning table (all of us) got several on them.
Jeff - Every year I get pictures of bears where their ears look like piercings. I don't know how they put up with them.
orionsbrother, is this the stuff you get from Fleet Farm? It is about $20 for a quart and is 13%. Otherwise there is this stuff that is 36% for $25
TrapperJack - Looks very similar. Same brand. I don't know if they changed the label. The last time I got some was about a year ago. I'm pretty sure it was cheaper. I think I've got a pic in my phone that I took for someone. I'll check.
I don't know if the one in your picture is a solvent based version, but I found the one I use on the website.
The one you list says only at Blain's Farm & Fleet Stores, not Fleet Farm. So that might be the difference. So do you soak your cloths and then let them dry?
Yeah. We mix the concentrate in an empty five gallon bucket, dunk the clothes, wring them out while wearing gloves and hang them up to line dry.
Where are you in WI?
By saturating the clothing aren't you guys fearful of the chemical leaching onto/into your skin when you get sweaty? I spray Sawyers on my clothes but not saturate them.
I am not overly concerned about exposure to Permethrin once it's dried on the clothing. According to a friend of mine who worked in the clothing industry, almost every piece of imported clothing that you own is made with fabric that was washed in a Permethrin solution to ensure that there could be no insect damage in transit. Permethrin supposedly lasts through six washings or so. You may want to wash your next Chinese T-shirt eight times before you wear it.
I've never tried soaking my clothes in the concentrate. I may go that route. I've always used the spray. Thanks for the info on the concentrate at F&F. I did read where permethrin is poorly absorbed through the skin.
orionsbrother, I'm from the Stevens Point area. Plenty of ticks here. In facts was out yesterday and went home, showered and changed cloths. Today at work around 3pm I feel a tick crawling on my neck. Where the hell did he come from? I was at work.
TrapperJack - Yeah. I wasn't questioning your tick count. I was trying to figure out if I'd be driving past you. I won't be rolling past you on my way up to Spooner. I was going to say that I could give you six or eight ounces if you were on the way. If that stuff at Fleet Farm is the solvent based Permethrin and you can't find any water-based, shoot me a PM and I'll see if I can't pick up a bottle and drop it in the mail. It'll just be a while before I'm anywhere near a Farm and Fleet.
orionsbrother, thanks for the offer. I will try the stuff from our local Fleet. Looked at the one from Fleet Farm and you can mix with either oil or water. 1 quart mixes with 266 gallons of water. My questions is how strong do you make it to say make 5 gallons to soak your cloths? Follow label or make it stronger?
We mix it a little stronger. We put about four to six ounces into 3 1/2 gallons of water in the bucket. I think they talk about an ounce per gallon as a mixing ratio as a normal mix.
On another outdoors sight a guy mentioned that they put too much on an infested horse and killed the horse. Does crazy things to fish too. I guess it's a nerve agent.
I use the stuff too but I'm more careful with it after reading that.
Link to the above mentioned thread.
The solution that I use is a 13.6% concentration. Mixed at 1 oz per gallon of water, you end up at a 0.102% concentration. The way we mix it, we end up at about a 0.175% concentration. The Sawyers spray is a 0.5% concentration. To get that with the stuff that I buy, I'd have to mix about 17 oz into my 3 1/2 gallons of water. Nix is a permethrin based lotion used to treat lice on kids. Nix is a 1% solution.
The solution we put on our clothes is not as concentrated as the Sawyer solution. It seems to work well for us. I think soaking the clothes to saturate the fibers gets a better and more even and thorough application than the spray bottle. The solution we mix is considerably less concentrated than what they rub on kid's heads.
We take the precaution to wear gloves when treating our clothes to limit wet exposure and fully line dry everything before any clothes are handled. It's an insecticide. We feel the risk associated with dry exposure is less than the risk of Lyme's, Ehrlichiosis and now, Powassan. Your mileage may very.
I do treat the top of my socks, but don't soak my boxers or the wife's panties.
Do you wear a T-shirt under your treated shirt?
I like the idea of soaking opposed to just spraying. Sorry if I missed it above but how long does the treatment last?
Wow! I didn't know nix was such a high concentration.
I just wear the shirt. No T-shirt. They're loose fitting shirts. I don't treat my base layers before hunting trips. And I dip the tops of my socks from the ankle up, but not the foot.
Supposedly, the treatment lasts through more than six washings or up to six months. I can't say how long it's effective for sure. I just retreat if it's been more than three months or the clothing has been washed repeatedly.
Prior to using Permethrin, there were times that I'd had more than thirty ticks on me when I've been up at my buddy's place. My wife got Lyme's in the first month of pregnancy with our second kid. Our oldest was about twenty moths old at the time and had more than a dozen ticks crawling around too.
I'm not fond of ticks... but don't ask me how I know about Nix. That experience had me in full blown creepy-crawly heebie-jeebies mode.
Great read, and advice.
I contracted the tick borne Anaplasmosis disease from a tick in Missouri about 3 years ago. Flu like symptoms for 2 weeks. They ran a tick panel and found out what was the cause. No lingering effects. I use permethrin now on my clothes, boots. I read where ticks always come from the ground up - and don't drop from trees, or such. Hate the little boogers....
Good discussion. I tried to replace the pants from Insectshield this week but they don't have my size at this time. I could have them hemmed I guess or wait until they get more made (in China).
Setting the record straight: It is spelled and pronounced LYME not LYME'S disease. For Lyme, Connecticut where it was first found.
Another site with more information.
Deerdown - I've always been told that they drop on you.
Can you spray them with Deet while they are attached to make them detach? Or put a drop of permethrin directly on it?
dc-archer, NO and NO. While they may back out ( I have never tried this) it might take too long for them to do so. If they carry Powassan it takes as little as fifteen minutes to transmit it to you.
As for permethrin; It is not to be applied to the skin, only to clothing. Read the directions for proper and safe application.
