Tick # 2 of the season

Had a couple of dog ticks crawling on me but got 'em before they drilled in. Then a few days ago I pulled off 3 deer ticks that had just started to attach. I think I got those when I went in the woods to take a couple pics. I didn't go through my usual routine; Fold the bottoms of my pants legs, put a rubber band around them, tuck them into my boots. That makes them crawl far to find any skin. I haven't been using repellant, just taking note of any itches and investigating immediately, in case one escapes the tick check.
I got nothing done over the winter. Even though I don't have to get wood this summer, I have a bunch of stuff down that I should grab. Maybe I'll just wait until the ticks subside, later in the summer.

 

It's incredibly frustrating how they have ruined one's enjoyment of the woods, isn't it? And they are such a health hazard. All too frequently, there seem to be new diseases found that they carry.

My children from a young age ran freely through the woods over the 160 acres along the lake that the family owned when they were little. Could not let a child do that now.

In addition to the ticks, we have deer, coyotes, wolves, fisher and bears, none of which were here 30 years ago.

And we have lost the fox, ground hogs and seemingly even raccoons (haven't seen or heard of anyone seeing one in two years). Have not seen a snapping turtle in a long time. The black water snakes are gone. Frog numbers are down, and have not seen a mink or pickerel frog in twenty years. Bullfrog numbers way down. Haven't seen one here in many years, but there are some other places on the lake. Number of wood frogs much lower last year.

 

As soon as the snow melts enough to reveal patches of earth, I start itching all over. And checking for ticks. And I put the dog on leash until winter returns. Hate to do that, but otherwise he gets so many ticks. He still gets plenty. He's a terrier, and his nose constantly is investigating the lovely scents of the woods . Just going off the road or out of the yard enough to do his business, he gets ticks. If I am lucky, I see them running on his coat.

 

We've got plenty of ticks and worse yet chiggers here so I take precautions: once it is warm enough that I don't need my cold weather clothing I switch immediately to my tick-proofs and don't wear anything else when out in the fields or woods until it is cold again. The tick-proofs are shirts and pants that have been soaked in permethrin goat and sheep dip (diluted to 1% permethrin). I re-soak them annually. Shirt is always tucked into the pants, pants are always tucked into boots. I also soak the brim of my boonie hat annually and wear that frequently but not always. I've had excellent results.

Every so often during tick season I also treat my hair with dog shampoo- rub it into my dry hair and let it soak ten or fifteen minutes. Being half Italian, it takes a generous amount to treat all my hair, so I buy the big bottle at the pet store. I'm not sure if the dog shampoo routine is necessary in addition to the tick-proof clothing, but I figure it is a nice insurance policy.

I'm screwed if it turns out permethrin and/or whatever pyrethrin is in the dog shampoo are bad for people. But if I have to cut some years off the back end of my life to keep the ticks and chiggers off me until then, I think it is worth it.

 

So, s permetrin goat and sheep dip a mixture you buy, or do you mix sheep and goat dip with 1% permethrin?

And, how evil do your clothes smell? Can you keep them inside? I gather you never wash them? Do you use a shirt like a turtleneck (to have tight seal at neck and hand) or do you just use a work shirt? Again, jeans or sweats that are tight at your ankles?

After reading the label on the permethrin, I've been hesitant to use it. Maybe I'll try.

Or, maybe I'll soak my clothes in 100% vinegar and hang them on the line to dry and try that.
Usually spray myself and the dog with a vinegar and water solution, but have not started yet this year.

 

The sheep and goat dip has the permethrin in it. The military treats clothes with permethrin and you can buy it but the Sheep and goat stuff is way less money.
I use either a t shirt or a golf type shirt nothing special. Pants are BDU pants- it is way too hot and humid here to work in jeans. Soak about two hours and let it drip dry. Has a scent until first washing. I wash normally- the stuff in theory lasts the lifetime of the garment but I re treat annually

 

The military has done a ton of testing on how to prevent insect and arthropod disease transmission. Permethrin treated clothes are the way to go. I admit I'm off label using the sheep/goat stuff from the farm store rather than the official stuff. The proper stuff is not actually expensive but my way is cheaper and Im happy with it. The only time I got a tick wearing my tick-proofs is when I failed to blouse my pants into my boots.

 

Thanks for the information. That should be easy to try. SO, you don't get ticks on your bare arms when you use this stuff? Or you see them and take them off?

I believe some of the ticks I get come off the wood I lift, as opposed to running up my clothes....

I guess one could soak a bandanna in the stuff and tie it rather loosely at the top of the shirt to stop ticks climbing onto the neck.

 

Interesting stuff guys! I had never herd of the stuff before, just read all about it, and ordered a bunch on Amazonian!

Info on the product:
https://sawyer.com/products/permethrin-premium-insect-repellent/

Quart of the SFR (36% Perm...)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0048EY6KY/ref=pd_luc_rh_sbs_02_01_t_img_lh?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Gallon + containers of SFR
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/p...=70093104&zmas=1&zmac=4&zmap=1208&sub_id=1208




From the Sawer site:

 

I've never gotten a tick on my bare arms. Before the permethrin they would hit me on the belt line mostly. Chiggers get the ankles or behind the knees. Mosquitos get the bare arms - permethrin doesn't help with them anyway because they come and go too quickly but DEET fixes that.

 

So, this may sound crazy, but I am thinking of sewing a doggie union suit, soaking it in that stuff, letting it dry and outing it on my dog. Maybe I could let him run in the summer then. Only problem is, most of the ticks he gets attach to his head, and he has his nose on the ground sniffing all the time. So don't know if it would do much good. Can't be any better for him than it is for us to have the stuff directly on him.

 

43 cords, Scotty? Really? When you retire, you'll never need to cut another stick of wood. Your pension plan.

 

I'm going to taste some!! Then I will sweat it out!

 

Y'all think that's funny but it happened to a guy I used to work with. I worked for an engineering company with a surveying department, and I would go out in the field once in a while if they needed another hand (I was the senior design engineer, so I sat on my butt in the office mostly). Anyway, he was out doing survey work, came back from a job and said that he had felt something strange in the "twig & berries department", went to the doctor and found that a tick had embedded itself IN his urethra. Just barely visible inside the "tube". Needless to say that caused some psychological issues for him. I think the guy started duct-taping his pants to his boots after that, and using up most of a can of Deep Woods OFF every day in the field.

I haven't been that unlucky but I've had a lot of ticks on me this year already. I don't think anything of it anymore. I had Lyme a few years back, did the antibiotic regimen, I know I'm gonna live with the aftereffects for the rest of my life. I make sure to wear boots and long pants, even on a hot day, and spray plenty of bug repellent on me. Around the house I try to keep the yard as clean as I can, no place for them to hide. Gonna get some chickens in a few weeks and hope they keep the insect population down.

 

It's the same stuff (main ingredient) that's in AdvantixII for dogs. Been using it on our dogs for years.

 

Have you tried tick collars? They work on our low grass sniffer here. She can't handle the drops for some reason. Vet thinks it may burn her... and she acts like it. So, we use collars now.