Tick Season is started

[Team Deejay]

@SammyClaws wrote:

We spent a bit of time hiking in the Kettle Moraine Southern Unit on Saturday. Ms. SammyClaws had one tick on her, I had two and the geo dogs attracted about 12 apiece.

For some reason Team Deejay managed to avoid them or did they avoid him?

You know, all those years working in an insecticide factory did have some side benefits….

[cheezehead]

@hogrod wrote:

Anyone try a Permethrin based repellent? from what I heard if a tick crawls on your treated clothes it dies within a few seconds. your clothes with remain treated for up to 6 washes or weeks.

They make smaller bottles, but even the big one at REI seems responsibly priced defense against these things.
http://www.rei.com/product/768970

This is a pesticide so it will kill any bugs it comes in contact with, and it can also be harmful to some small animals. From what I’ve read though it’s actually safer than deet for humans, since you are applying to your clothes not your skin. http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/permethrin_fs.htm

I agree, it works pretty well and can also be found at any Wally World. I also apply Deet when heading into the bush.

[GetMeOutdoors]

@Team Outdoorsman wrote:

I also found if you use Garlic pills that helps keep ticks and mosquitos away. but if you sweet alot you will smell like garlic. but it works for me.

garlic is the universal repellant. It works on bugs, people, the flu…etc.

[cekcacher]

As usual, I’m jumping on board a day later with a thought . . .

Question: I know the deer tick carries Lyme’s Disease, but has Lyme’s been found in the wood tick population?

[cheezehead]

I think that Deer and Bear and wood ticks are one the same and male and female, and in diffrent stages. But I could be wrong on this.

[furfool]

As far as I know, they are all different.

[elfdoctors]

deer ticks = bear ticks (Ixoides subscapularis)
wood ticks = dog ticks (Dermatocenter mirabilis).

Wood/dog ticks do not transmit Lyme disease (there is no ‘S in the name).

[Buy_The_Tie]

@Team B Squared wrote:

I would definitely recommend trying Permethrin repellent on your clothes if you are worried about picking up ticks.

I’m in full agreement with this. For the last WGA campout at Hartman Creek, I had a pair of pants and a T-shirt that I treated with Permethrin. I then went and helped the park naturalist (along with many others) go and pull garlic mustard. The naturalist wore an all white jump suit so she could see (and remove) the ticks before they found pay dirt. We were stomping around in the same woods for hours, and I saw her pick off no less than 3 or 4 dozen ticks from her white suit.

Every time I looked over myself for the little buggers, I never found any of them. She could not believe how well the treatment worked.

It was about a week before the campout that I took my pants and shirt outside, hung them on the clothes line, treated them with the chemical, then let them dry. I will do the same before the camoput at High Cliff this spring.

[furfool]

Does the Permethrin act as a repellant or as an insecticide?

[Buy_The_Tie]

@furfool wrote:

Does the Permethrin act as a repellant or as an insecticide?

I believe it acts as an insecticide.

As an aside, it is also the main ingredient in the shampoo used to treat head lice. So, it probably doesn’t cause too much dain bramage.

[furfool]

I think I would rather pick them off myself in that case. I don’t even use Deet unless the skeeters are really bad. At least in a shampoo it gets rinsed off.

I don’t know why I care so much. I used to mix insecticide with my bare hands when I was working on a farm as kid. I was a kid. I didn’t know any better and nobody told me not to.

[furfool]

Now that I think about, that explains a lot.

[Buy_The_Tie]

@Buy_The_Tie wrote:

…The naturalist wore an all white jump suit so she could see (and remove) the ticks before they found pay dirt.

I knew we had a picture of her around here somewhere!

[ExecLink]

We always use Permethrin when entering tick areas.

For the last WGA campout at Hartman Creek we got there early on Friday and took some time to hike and bike around a little. At dinner we did a tick check and pulled dozens off. It was really bad, the worst we had been in. That night I sprayed all our gear with Permethrin and let dry overnight. The next day of full caching, we never found a single tick on skin. We spray everything, shoes, socks, pants, shirts, hats, backpacks. They say it lasts for up to 2 weeks, and even after a washing.

We have tried pump and spray bottles. The spray is more expensive, but a lot easier to use.

[Timberline Echoes]

Even up here where we still have snow on the ground.. I’m not just talking about all the new accumulations) the ticks are out. Found two on my friends dog yesterday. Oh and the bears are out of hibernation now too…. the joys of non-winter caching.
TE

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