How do you deal with ticks?

[luvflorida]

I AM TOTALLY CREEPED OUT AND FEARFUL OF TICKS!!!!! IS THERE ANY WAY TO AVOID THEM? I can understand if you're out walking in the woods or tall grass, but they seem to be EVERYWHERE! A few days ago, I walked out of a store, got into my car and felt something on the back of my neck. IT WAS A TICK! WHERE THE HECK DID IT COME FROM!!!???!!! Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.

Is there any place in the United States that ticks DON'T live? Do you check yourself for ticks after you've been outside? Have you ever had any burrow into your skin? How do you get rid of one if you find one on you? Have you ever had one on you and not know how long it had been there?

Some ticks are extremely tiny and it would be easy to have one on you and not know it. They also can bite and burrow into your skin without you even being aware of it. They carry diseases and can make you sick weeks after the tick is gone.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! In case you don't know- I HATE TICKS!!!!!!!

 

[Pin Wizard]

LOL! I get your message and agree with you.

I go Geocaching all the time (spend lots of time in the woods and tall grass.) I've finally given in to using Deep Woods Off. It works great if you spray all over. Whatever you don't spray, expect ticks there! I do check for them when I'm done for the day. Found the tiniest one yesterday...little bugger. A couple weeks ago I was in an urgent care center because I had one in a spot I couldn't reach too well. Expensive bugger!

I don't spray every time I leave the house, but I am pretty conscious about checking for them. Guess this is it during the summer!!

 

[Pin Wizard]

Oh! I had called my doctor's office prior to the urgent care visit. They couldn't get me in that day so sent me there. Any way, when I mentioned a tick, they said put vaseline on it. It might take a while, but it would/should "back out."

 

[luvflorida]

Oh! I had called my doctor's office prior to the urgent care visit. They couldn't get me in that day so sent me there. Any way, when I mentioned a tick, they said put vaseline on it. It might take a while, but it would/should "back out."

Well, I guess I'm going to stock up on vaseline. Honestly, the thought of one of them burrowing into my skin and me NOT KNOWING it almost makes me sick to my stomach.

 

[SillyMe]

I just pulled one off my dd's toe last week with the tweezers. It was so gross. That's the first time I ever had to do that.

 

[sajetto]

I had one on me last weekend from doing yard work. When I went in the house to take a shower the thing was trying to latch on to my thigh!

 

[beckmrk04]

I have got them a couple of times, and my dog got them all the time before we started using Frontline instead of Advantage. Just pull them off and burn them- no biggie.

Most tick bites will not make you sick. Just make sure you inspect your body very well, and if you do have a bite, watch it and be wary of any symptoms.

 

[bcvgal]

Please watch for signs from tick bites (severe headache and vomiting) My daughter got bit 3 years ago-never saw the tick but we ended up in the ER with her contracting Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. She had to have a spinal tap to rule out mengistis(same signs) and got antibotics thru an IV to treat it. Very scary for her-4 at the time and our family.

 

[chris1gill]

These things are NASTY!!!

We have them all over the yard... We spray our yard three times a summer to get rid of them & it does work to get rid of them (thank god)...

If you have one that has burrowed, smother the thing with vaseline & wait for it to start backing out, then use tweezers to pull it off... BLECH... it is absolutely disgusting & yes, there are places in this country where there are no ticks & too bad we don't live there... so GROSS!

 

[SillyMe]

Stupid question, but do you have to burn them or will they drown, too?

 

[chris1gill]

Sorry, they do not drown.... we stomp on them until there is NOTHING left of them... BLECH... what a way to start a morning LOL....

 

[SillyMe]

Uh oh

 

[luvflorida]

These things are NASTY!!!

We have them all over the yard... We spray our yard three times a summer to get rid of them & it does work to get rid of them (thank god)...

If you have one that has burrowed, smother the thing with vaseline & wait for it to start backing out, then use tweezers to pull it off... BLECH... it is absolutely disgusting & yes, there are places in this country where there are no ticks & too bad we don't live there... so GROSS!

Do you have a professional come in and spray?

I agree with you on the NASTY part! I can live with bees, spiders, and other crawly things, but ticks totally freak me out. They can be so hard to find on clothes and skin. Usually we don't have too much of a problem with ticks around here, but I've already come across three in the past week. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

And how in the world does anyone go camping!?! I just know I couldn't do it.

 

[N.Bailey]

I don't know why, but we really don't have a lot of them in our area. I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania and they're all over the place down that way.

I remember moving here at age 16 (central PA - south of State College) and our teacher asking students, "who has had ticks on them? Raise your hand." Heck, where I grew up, the entire class would have had their hand up. Turns out that I was the only student that raised their hand. LOL Then I got lots of ewwwws!! Gosh, this was an everyday occurrence for me growing up and here I was getting ewwwed.

We always just checked daily to make sure we didn't have them on us and when we found one, we'd simply burn it till you hear it pop. We never found them anywhere but in our hair. Maybe that's because we checked daily for them?

 

[SillyMe]

I thought you might like to read this.

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/jake/mosaic/lyme.html

 

[luvflorida]

...when we found one, we'd simply burn it till you hear it pop.

Now THAT'S somethng I won't be able to get out of my mind for a long time.

 

[luvflorida]

I thought you might like to read this.

Um, thank you, I think! I am going to go take a shower now!

Seriously, thanks for posting the info. I'm not sure if it makes me feel better or worse about ticks, but at least I'm more informed. And I know I still HATE them!

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

We live on Cape Cod and ticks love DH and DS. Vets sell a tick remover which looks like a plastic teaspoon with a tiny slice out of it. You slip put the notch under the tick and lever it out. Called "Tick Off" Works much better than tweezers. We have had ticks break apart using tweezers,leaving the head still embedded.

But to prevent ticks ever getting attached I am springing for "Buzz Off" and "Mumz" clothes by EX Officio that are impregnated with permethrin. Permethrin treatment lasts therough 25 washes. I bought shirts,pants and socks. Also bought clothing treatment at EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports). Will use treatment on hats we already have.

 

[luvdzne]

After reading this I think I need a shower. I am itching everywhere

I don't know if I would know a tick if I saw one. Hopefully I will never see one.

 

[SillyMe]

Um, thank you, I think! I am going to go take a shower now!

Seriously, thanks for posting the info. I'm not sure if it makes me feel better or worse about ticks, but at least I'm more informed. And I know I still HATE them!

Oh you're welcome.

Ever since I pulled that one off my daughter, I freak out when I feel like something is crawling on me.