Ticks are back in force

[bobmak]

Just a note to those that hike in the southern regions. My dog took an unexpected hour long run in the woods behind my house which prompted me to take a walk looking for her. I was wearing tan colored nylon pants and when I returned found maybe 15 or so ticks (those were the ones I saw in front) climbing up my legs. Pants are outside waiting to be washed. I spent the next 1/2 hour pulling ticks off the dog and depositing them in a jar of alchohol. I ended up with quite a collection, maybe 30. I am sure there are more burrowed into her fur. I have friends battling lyme; nasty disease. Be careful and check yourself after a hike.

 

[Waumbek]

Thanks for the heads up. It's still OK in northern NH, but I have been doing the brushy bushwhacks I'm interested in now in anticipation that the ticks will be out up here soon too. The current spell of warm weather may bring them out early. If you could see these ticks, it sounds as if they were dog ticks, not deer ticks (nymph).

 

[marty]

Bobmak and I live in the same area and have the same tick problems.

My dog and I do get ticks on us and the majority of them are deer ticks, which carry Lyme. I had a similar incident to Bobmak once when hiking with Sapblatt in the Hunsley Hills in Rowley, MA. My dog picked up 32 deer ticks, which took me hours to locate and remove, due to their small size and her thick coat. I removed four deer ticks from my body, despite having wearing long pants tucked into my socks and using DEET from my knees to boots. Sapblatt, quite remarkably, picked up none. Guess they didn't like his scent.

I do tick checks whenever I go out to the woods and always use DEET from the knees down (except in snowy, wintry conditions). Despite these actions, I have twice discovered deer ticks fully attached to me, requiring a doctor visit for antibiotics. Both times I sent the ticks out to a lab and both times they were positively identified as deer ticks.

Oh, the joy living in Northeast Massachusetts.

Marty

 

[sierra]

I pulled a huge tick off my dogs head 3 days ago, she still has a bad scab from it. Im very disapointed as my dog is on frontline and I never find ticks on her. 3 years ago my dog was diagnosed with lyme d. and although she is hanging in there quite well, she gets very stiff and her hiking days are over. I encourage all dog owners to be viligent about ticks, seeing your dog go lame as mine did is one of the most heartbreaking sights youll ever see.

 

[Barkingcat]

I have a nervous tick...

 

[Lawn Sale]

And people wonder why I love winter...I HATE ticks and black flies.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Waumbek]

Still OK up here (Franconia). I brush-whacked all afternoon and checked carefully when I go home. No ticks. Just saw the first robins today.

 

[jrichard]

Southern NH:

Our outdoor thermometer says it didn't make it past 50 today. There are still big patches of snow on the ground. And I'm wearing big pac boots with the pants legs tucked in.

But I still ended up with deer ticks while in the woods clearing debris from the ice storm.

Did I mention that I hate ticks too?

 

[Hillwalker]

Repel - Permanone

I'm the Appalachian Trail Corridor Monitor Coordinator for the 165 miles of AT boundaries running from Woodstock Vermont to Ore Hill, NH. Consequently I'm in the woods bushwhacking from early spring right through until snow cover hides the Boundary monuments.

During tick season I spray my "woods clothes" every two weeks with Permanone and rarely see any ticks on my clothing anymore much less on my skin.

I highly recommend that stuff but it must be used as directed, and not directly on the skin.

I buy the stuff a half dozen cans at a time

 

[Waumbek]

During tick season I spray my "woods clothes" every two weeks with Permanone and rarely see any ticks on my clothing anymore much less on my skin.

I highly recommend that stuff but it must be used as directed, and not directly on the skin.

I buy the stuff a half dozen cans at a time

Thanks. I'll give it a try. Is Permanone available "OTC" in hardware and outdoor stores, etc., or do you order online?

 

[1HappyHiker]

Thanks. I'll give it a try. Is Permanone available "OTC" in hardware and outdoor stores, etc., or do you order online?

I use this stuff also, and am generally happy with the results. I usually get mine at our local Walmart in Littleton, NH. However, I feel pretty certain that it's readily available at other local retailers, and online.

 

[Waumbek]

I use this stuff also, and am generally happy with the results. I usually get mine at our local Walmart in Littleton, NH. However, I feel pretty certain that it's readily available at other local retailers, and online.

Thanks, I'll stock up.

Concerning ticks on dogs, my experience is that Frontline Plus is most effective. I've used another brand that was disappointing, and some dog flea repellents (e.g., K9 Advantix) do not repel or kill ticks (nor do they claim to do so). FP says that it can take up to 48 hours to kill ticks on dogs, which might be long enough to transmit Lyme, so I still check the dogs carefully and remove any that I see. Most often, I see half-dead ticks emerging on the top coat in under 48 hours since the dog presumably picked them up (although when you're out daily, it's hard to tell). Since I have one 85 lb. dog who now tests positive for Lyme but is asymptomatic, I asked my vet whether I should bump up to a higher FP dosage (88 lbs. and over). The vet's advice was not to go higher but to increase frequency and dose every three weeks in high tick season. Vet advice probably differs on this matter, so check with your own vet. I hate using this stuff on dogs, just as I hate using chemicals on myself, but, like Sierra, I'd hate to see a dog go lame.

No personal commercial interest, but 1-800-PetMeds currently has a sale on FP:

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Frontline+Plus-prod10459.html

 

[Hillwalker]

Repel - on line

Since I buy it six cans at a time I have found it slightly less expensive on line even with S&H.

AS advertized, it does withstand laundering, and I wash my woods clothing on cold water settings just to be sure.

I have also used a product called "Flys-Off" from Farnam Pet Products that has the same basic ingredients and is used for animals. Evidently the hair or fur on animals doesn't neutralize the active ingredient like application to bare skin does. I used it on my dogs to counter black flies and ticks. I used to buy mine at an Agway store and it also worked.

 

[sardog1]

If you're thinking about using Permanone in its various permutations, I suggest that you buy it when you see it. The available supply can be hammered sometimes by waves in the demand, e.g., as turkey hunting season approaches at the first of May.

 

[DougPaul]

Permanone is brand of permethrin (a contact insecticide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin). EMS has carried it in the past, but I cannot currently find it on their website. REI carries it as well as the Sawyer brand of permethrin (which I have used for a number of years). http://www.rei.com/search?query=permethrin&button.x=0&button.y=0

Permethrin is the active ingredient in the ExOfficio insect repellent clothing as well as some mosquito nets.


Just used some on my clothing today--I was out clearing blowdowns on the MA AT.

Doug

 

[bobmak]

The only thing that I have found to be effective on my four legged friends are Preventic collars. I buy mine through Amazon. Unfortunately I just moved and the collars are packed away somewhere. Not sure if humans can wear them; they aren't very fashionable Pulled my first tick off my shoulder yesterday; I am good for at least a dozen a season. I check myself very carefully after each outing in the woods and usually get them within 12 hours, although occasionally I miss one. Two years ago I got a nasty infection on my arm due to tick bite that took a very strong course of antibiotics and a couple of weeks to set right again.

 

[Raymond]

What were your symptoms?

 

[Tom Rankin]

Laurie found a tick crawling on her yesterday after a hike in the Hudson Highlands.

 

[peakbagger]

Cabela carries a civilian version of the "wash in" permetherin treatment, possibly made by Sawyer (?) . Not sure how the military does it, but the kit consists of a heavy duty zip lock bag and a liquid. You fill the bag with clothes and pour in the liquid and let it them soak, then hang the clothes up and line dry. Some of the bug net products use a similiar treatment for Deet. I would expect it would last longer than the spray on that is sold at Walmart which is a very high percentage inactive ingredients required to spray it on your clothes. From personal experience, if you do use the spray on stuff, do it outside in a real well ventilated area

Do note that the precaution against spraying the Permetherin on your skin is that the oils in the skin breaks down the product so its a waste of time versus that it is toxic.

 

[smitty77]

I do tick checks whenever I go out to the woods and always use DEET from the knees down (except in snowy, wintry conditions).

After a walk through the scrub with a co-worker late last fall we each found 3 ticks on our clothing, all on the upper body with one near the neck. All deer ticks, and I had the creepy-crawlies for days afterwards.

IIRC, ticks like to transfer to a host from elevated places so I would advise applying DEET or some other repellent all over and not just below the knees.

Smitty