While working in the woods. How do you keep the ticks away?

It is nearly impossible to avoid these things if you are in the woods, especially in the spring. NJ is a hotspot for Lymes, historically speaking though I am sure other areas will be catching up. I wear light colored clothes and tuck in the cuffs of the pants. Spray liberally with off. Avoid the woods in May and June. I had the bulls eye bite mark. They said no sense in testing for it, just take the antibiotic. If you miss the opportunity to treat in the first month or so, you will need intravenous antibiotics. Most of my friends have had Lymes. Some people got it from the Lymerex vaccination too. Off the market now. I didn't take the chance with it since it was so new. Not into being the guinea pig.

 

You said most of your friends have had Lyme… how are all of them now?

 

No one is suffering beyond joint aches. The thing about Lyme is that so many symptoms could be associated with it; headaches, fever, exhaustion, joint pain, and vision and/or liver issues in advanced cases.

 

Yep, that's a big problem! I have most of those symptoms from just last nights "festivities"!!

 

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/westnile/permethrin.htm

Lots of other good info out there.
It works.
Don't need to buy premade...mix your own and save a ton of money. Doesn't work on human skin.

 

Thanks for the link.

 

We have a terrible problem with ticks. Last year I started keeping a spray bottle with a vinegar/water mix at the door. Sprayed the dog all over, and my legs, every time we went out. No ticks. Previously, if the dog ran in the woods for 30 seconds, it was not uncommon for him to have up to ten ticks.

Completely safe...no poison...no risk to bees or fish, or me or my dog.

For us, the vinegar has worked. Surprised me.

 

What made you decide to use this mixture? And do you know how/why it works? What % of each do you use to be sure it is strong enough?

 

I read somewhere (don't remember where) that it was one of the many uses of vinegar. Decided to try it. Believe it is the smell that keeps them away. I didn't believe it was possible that the smell could keep the things from getting on me or my dog, but it did. Used white vinegar, don't remember the % water/vinegar, but suspect 50/50. Vinegar isn't very expensive, and doesn't hurt one, so I'll likely just use straight vinegar in the future.

I guess I could watch for a tick, and then put it in some vinegar and see what happens. Or get two, and put one in, and one where it has to go through, vinegar. Ugh. Don't really want to deal with the darn things. When I see one, not attached to anything, I grab it really tightly between my thumb and forefinger, carry it to a jar of alcohol I keep handy, and drop it in. Kills quickly. When they were attached to the dog in the past, I poured alcohol on them, waited a minute, then removed by grabbing at the head with tweezers or tick remover.

Two years ago the ticks were bad in my fenced in vegetable garden in my yard. I had quite a few, both wood and deer, ticks on me the first day I worked in the garden in the spring. Had one attached to my neck, one to my chest, quite a few on my clothes. Freaked me out, so I raked everything into three piles, got the hose handy, then lit the piles on fire. Didn't have any further problem with ticks in the garden.

My Dad, a surgeon, always said the tick had to be on for twentyfour hours to spread disease. I never asked him why. Was interested to read the info above.
One of his best friends, Mr. Lloyd, had one of the first, if not the first, reported cases of Lyme disease, lived in Old Lyme, CT. They didn't know what the disease was at the time. Shortly after another friend of his got it working in his garden in Nantucket, was terribly crippled and eventually died of complications.
Nephew working on Nantucket got Babiosis and Lyme, was terribly sick for two years, has been fairly well for about 5, and is now ill again.

So glad there were not ticks here when my kids were growing up. I too stay almost completely out of the woods from Spring to Fall.....................Went in once or twice last summer, once or twice in the fall. I used to spent a huge amount of time identifying and photographing fungi and flowers. To a great extent ticks have destroyed my enjoyment of my property. They have certainly changed my life. Am hoping the winter was cold and long enough to reduce the population somewhat. Am not too hopeful, as we seem to have more deer, squirrels, chipmunks and mice than I have ever seen before.

There is a new disease I read about a while ago in NY. Can't remember its name, but fatality rate is quite high, and very quick...I think about 25 % fatality. Highest rate of that tick disease, which thankfully so far has been a low incidence disease, is in NYS. A teenage boy died of it in Westchester or Putnam last late spring or early summer, right around graduation time. That's when I read about it.

 

The reason the 24 hours is of interest is that the tick needs to consume blood of the host and then regurgitate it, passing the Lyme Disease at that time.

 

ticks out already. pulled 3 off myself and dug one out of my boy last night. we were in the woods for less than an hour.

 

Good that you found em… Gonna get the new tick collar on Giz soon. I'm going to take Scotty's advice and try Sawyers bug dope this year, for my clothing. It's a real shame that ticks have become such a concern being in the woods. I'm sure it's just another thing keeping many young folks from exploring their world… in addition to computers…

 

what kind an where is best to order Permethrin? seems to be a few options on the intrawebs...

 

saved the tick. pediatrician will do a test in a week if there is any sign of bullseye (might make them do it any way). we have mostly wood ticks, this being one. but there are small wood ticks and large deer ticks so i guess it can be hard to say. that lymes is not something to take lightly. i know i have not been taking the precautions that i should...

 

yeah, i never remember a problem with ticks until about 5 years ago or so. i mean they were there before that, just not in the numbers they are now.

you better believe i caught an earfull from SWMBO yesterday how "none of this would have happened if you didnt move us way out here in the woods. blah, blah, blah..." try to tell her that ticks are becoming a problem in urban areas as well, lol. oh my city girl...

 

Tell her you can move back to the city and deal with drug dealers and shootings and traffic up the ying yang and road rage, instead.
See if that helps.

Not quite sure why you guys are buying the premade stuff, when you can get a bottle and mix it yourself for a ton less money.
I bought a small bottle that makes several gallons and it only cost about 8 bucks at the Amish feed store.

 

im all aobut it! some more guidance? is this still the sawyer brand? i saw some Permethrin type at tractor supply that is for livestock. same stuff?

 

yesterdays miscreant