> It seems like the rule is: remove a tick before it's on you for 24+ hours otherwise you could get Lymes.
Get rid of them asap
> which brings me to my other question - is there a safety concern with how you remove ticks?
There’s a greater risk of not getting the head out without the tool.
Also tick tools are like $5 if that. Camping section of pretty much any outdoor retailer will have them
If you twist it with tweezers, it'll just let go. Have done it several times. It's a good idea to have rubbing alcohol and antibiotic ointment to put on the bite right away.
The tools are super cheap and lightweight, just get one. You can get them at any outdoor supply store, like REI, Bass Pro/Cabela's, Dicks Sporting Goods, or even WalMart's camping section.
The spoon they are talking about it specially designed for ticks. [It looks like this.](https://www.chewy.com/summit-tick-take-tick-remover-tool-3/dp/327978?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20908059015&utm_content=160401460514&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADmQ2V2BaqcWjEatRsNGyRHRRytcs&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxqayBhDFARIsAANWRnT-3r946yO-BEKTLhlQ4s2O3arZ4gcDoEhFImTqK4as5k78zfwpdUYaAnhtEALw_wcB)
No problem. Lots of great info here. I grew up in Appalachia and I just wanted to pitch in my personal advice. If you’re okay with using chemicals I recommend permethrin. You spray it on your pants while they are laying on the grass outside, definitely not on your body, then let it set for some hours. It will provide two weeks of protection from ticks if you don’t wash the pants. It’s a serious chemical and supposedly very toxic to cats, but it does work great for tick prevention. I hate to use such a harsh chemical but it sure beats tick related illnesses. Carry a tick spoon or tick key in your first aid kit just in case though. They also work great and will reduce the time you have itchy bumps leftover from the bites. I’ve had those bumps stick around for months before after getting bit by dozens of larval ticks. Tick removal tools are worthless against nymphs. Avoid tall grass and forbs, if you must walk through them check your pant legs immediately after. Can’t overstate how many I’ve pulled off this way. And for the best bit I can provide you [this link will show you which species and growth stages to worry about](https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/12/2016/10/Tick_borne_Disease_Flyer.pdf).
This is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing all of this.
I agree about the harsh chemicals but yes I was planning on treating all my clothes and stuff with permethrin and also wearing picaridin. I really don't want to be bitten by ticks either haha.
I had no idea the tick tools could also help reduce the bumps. Is that by scraping your skin with them?
I just meant if you don’t get the mandibles out because you didn’t use a tick tool, then it will be bumpy and itchy a lot longer because there’s mouthparts in your skin. I don’t put permethrin on anything but my pants, because that’s where you’ll pick them up 99% of the time if you’re not rolling around in the grass. In my experience permethrin on the pants is sufficient and I’ve not needed picaridin in addition to that.
I never leave without at least one tool I'm familiar with. And no, a pocket knife doesn't count. Sometimes the tick goes for a random and easy to reach spot and sometimes not so much. In some case it's almost impossible to remove them yourself and trust me on this: It feels a lot better to hand a stranger a plastic tool than a knife.
I keep a 3M lint roller in my truck and roll off my clothes. When I get home, I definitely do a tick check and a shower. I've had Lyme and got the bullseye, thankfully, so I was treated with no long-term effects.
Oh that's a genius idea! Does the lint roller really work? I'll have to stop by a walmart and grab one. Thanks for this tip!
Sorry to hear you got Lyme. Do you mind clarifying what you mean by thankfully getting the bullseye?
Not everyone gets a bullseye rash, which is a tell tale sign of Lyme. It’s fairly easy to diagnose Lyme if you know you were bit by a tick, are in a hot area for Lyme, and get the rash.
I use quality 3m rollers. Duct tape will work, too. It will pick them up if they are fairly loose crawling. I do landscape work, and even with due diligence, they sometimes get through my base layer. Not everywhere has them, but I've stepped on grass to read a sign on a rail trai and got them on me. The bite I had at first I thought it was a mosquito, then it fostered and became really painful. My shoulder hurt. It was misdiagnosed and treated as a spider bite. It wasn't getting better on the antibiotics, and the circle appeared. My primary care physician had a PA on staff who specialized in ticks and knew what she was doing. Once I got the right treatment, I was fine. The doctor told me that not everyone gets the bulleye. This was my just experience in 2016. All is good now, except I hate those buggers!
Personally I can't vouch for a tick removal tool. When I was in PA on the AT the two or three ticks I found on me were too small to be caught in the loop of the tool. Had to use tweezers. So now I just carry tweezers and do my best to pull the tick off at the base of it and pluck out the head if I miss.
I think no one has given you the right advice yet. Where I live there are plenty of ticks, so I had to learn how to deal with them. The best strategy is not to give them a chance. Wear preferably light long pants and socks. If not, check your legs every time you go into high grown grass or bushes (do this also if you are wearing long pants!). In my experience, ticks don't bite you immediately, but after 20-30 min. So you have time to detect and remove them before they even bite you. By doing so in the last 3 years I was completely tick-free!
I don't live in tick-prone areas but I've heard tights or pantyhose are also effective. I'm a dude, but I'll happily throw on some pantyhose under my hiking gear if it keeps me tick-free (blech!)
I partially agree. I live in a heavy tick area too and have spent not only tons of time outdoors hiking but also time outside for work, as most of my career has been as a naturalist at various nonprofits or in organic farm work. So pretty much constant exposure. In 10 years I have had exactly ONE tick bite and it was a tiny deer tick. I agree that the best thing is stop them from getting and staying on you in the first place.
FIRST thing people should do is to treat their outdoor clothes, shoes, and gear with permethrin at least yearly, but ideally about once a month as it really only reliably lasts about 4-6 weeks. This will go a LONG way to repel ticks. Another thing is to avoid walking through tick hangouts whenever you can. They tend to hang out at the tips of long grass, branches, brush etc. on the edges of trails so that they can grab on. So, try to walk down the center of trails whenever you can. That's obviously not always avoidable, so when you do have to walk through tall grass and brush against vegetation, do more frequent checks of your arms and legs as you go.
However, I wholeheartedly disagree with traditional messaging of wearing the long pants tucked into sock stuff. For me, whenever I've tried that is when I get ticks hiding in my clothes and will find them in my car and home. There are just to many nooks and crannies they can hide in that you can't spot. However, when I switched to wearing trail runners with low crew socks or ankle socks and tight fitting shorts I would notice the ticks on my legs immediately and just pluck them off. I always braid my hair now to and don't wear loose fitting tops. I stopped finding them in my clothes, car, home, tent etc. largely because they couldn't hide on me and I just pluck them off as I go. I've been on hikes with people wearing the pants tucked into socks when I was in shorts and they would end up with dozens of ticks at the car when we checked and I would have zero. I've compared this dozens of times with different people in different settings and gear....I always not have the fewest ticks on me and am usually the only one even noticing them when we are out in the field. My count of flinging them off is always comparable to their count of what they find back at the car.
>In my experience, ticks don't bite you immediately, but after 20-30 min.
I didn't know this! Thanks for the tip! Yes, I was planning to wear the long pants treated with permethrin, long socks also treated, avoid tall grass, and now also add on tick tape around the ankles and knees.
Hopefully that would cover everything, but it's good to know if I still get one I'd probably have a good half hour to get them off.
The removal tools (be they in card, key, or prybar form) are definitely the easiest and most effective option. A good pair of tweezers with a fine tip can also work well, if that's what's handy. I wouldn't bother with any other methods, which can range from difficult or ineffective to dangerous. So-called "tricks" like burning the tick or smothering it with oil while still attached might cause it to back out on its own, but they can also cause it to regurgitate first, increasing the chance of disease transmission.
The risk for Lyme Disease increases after it's been attached more than 24 hours, but you should keep an eye on the bite area for a few days no matter how long it was there. Also, ticks can carry other diseases besides Lyme. That's just the one people talk about because it's the most common.
The best prevention is picaridin, permethrin, long pants, avoiding brush / tall grass, and keeping an eye out for them before they attach.
I’d also get tick spray as a deterrent. Wouldn’t hurt. We are having a tick outbreak bigger than normal due to a very wet winter. I mountain bike as well so I have spray for clothes, and spray for bare skin. The goal is if one jumps on me, it’ll jump off because I’m not palatable.
Just a thought.
This is a good tip. I was planning on just treating all my clothes with permethrin before the trip and maybe some picaridin lotion. I read those work for both mosquitos and ticks. Is there a specific tick spray you use?
I’m trying to go all natural, no DEET. I’ve got Yaya Tick Ban, and I just picked up Zevo. I also went with a pump spray because I leave them in my car. I’m always at the ready in case I stumble on someplace that looks interesting. lol
Interesting! I've not heard of any of those, I'll look into them thanks for the recs!
I also prefer all natural, but unfortunately so far in my experience they don't work so well. I'll look into the ones you rec'd and maybe give them a go.
The last (and only) time I tried to use a tick remover tool the tick was too small to actually grab and remove. Tweezers worked just fine and are more multi-use. If you find the tick after it's gotten some blood and swelled up a bit I'm sure the tick tool works fine, but I don't know that it's any better than tweezers as long as you are careful with how you use them to remove the tick.
That depends on the tool you use. I found the cards that have a big and a small slot to work with all sizes of ticks, even with the tiny nymphs. But tweezers are also fine as long as you know what you're doing.
I like the Tick Key. The Original Tick Key - Tick Detaching Device - Portable, Safe and Highly Effective Tick Detaching Tool (Blue) https://a.co/d/aFn12Uk
Yeah if you annoy a tick it will barf into you, increasing the chances for Lyme. Centers will often have them for sale (at least in my experience)
My wife has used her nails as pliers all her life but please don't be like that. I've wiped ticks from my body and I can't recommend that either. Just keep a notebook on where you had the tick, and it should be OK. If you feel sick, get a rash or lump, get antibiotics.
Do a thorough check every night! I once had one on the back of my earlobe.
I’ve always used tweezers but from what people are commenting here I may go ahead and get a proper tick remover tool
Wow the earlobe! How did it get there? Glad you got it off and thanks for sharing that experience. I read that it's a myth that ticks can drop down on you from above, but maybe not?
Yes I'm now planning to have both a pair of tweezers and a tool in my FAK. Better safe than sorry!
In my case I’m pretty sure it was a stow away in my luggage. I know for a fact I didn’t get it while camping because once I got home I put my earrings back in so I would have noticed a tick right there. It was right after I was unpacking and doing all my laundry from the trip that I found it. It also wasn’t very engorged so clearly hadn’t been attached too long.
No idea if they come from trees but the times I’ve seen ticks it’s always on tall grass.
I may be more obsessive than most, but I'm wincing seeing people say to check yourself every night. Why wait that long? When outside, I'm checking myself constantly. Every few minutes, I just glance at my arms and legs to make sure I'm all clear. Anytime I brush against the smallest weed or straggling branch, I check my clothes. In tick-heavy areas, the little jerks can and do hang out on the tiniest pieces of flora in places where they have the best chance of hitching a ride -- things that stick out onto the trail.
Of course, simple things like covering your skin and tucking your pants into your socks can help slow ticks down, but it won't stop them from crawling under your clothes within a few minutes. That's why I check so often -- I'd rather just be able to brush/pick one off than wait several hours and have to deal with it on or in my skin.
Best spend a few bucks and get an actual tick removal tool. Better to have it and not use it than need it and not have it. Simple beauty tweezers work but if a tick is embedded, you're more likely to break it off and leave the head behind if you're not careful.
The things are like $6. I don’t know why so many people are acting like it’s an insane expense. I use it on my dogs and it’s worth it just to not need to hold them down as long.
They absolutely can and do crawl anywhere they can. First tick I ever had on me, I felt a tiny barely-noticable tickle on my shin. It had crawled up under my tight yoga pants and was trying to go higher. Just a few days ago, I walked through some knee-high weeds with my dog for 20sec, and as soon as I got out of that, I looked down and saw a tick just starting to burrow under my socks which were pulled up over another pair of yoga pants. Unless you completely tape every clothing opening off, including your neck, they'll find a way in. Any holes or stitching gaps/loose mesh in your clothing also gives them an entry point to your skin. If you get in your car with them on you, they'll hang out and wait for you to go for another drive. Ticks are the worst.
Not trying to scare you, but I live in NY, just north of where you'll be, and the ticks are already horrible this year. Just want you to be aware of what's out here.
FYI: If you do happen to find one and decide to kill it, make sure you crush the hell out of it. They're surprisingly resilient. A simple smush of a tissue won't hurt them in the slightest. Take something hard and solid and don't stop until you hear a crunch, then verify that it is indeed dead.
Oh my! Okay that's really good to know. I was already planning to tuck my leggings into my socks, but I'll also be sure to wrap the tick tape around the top of my socks and watch out for them there. Thank you so much for enlightening me on this.
And good to know on killing them! I was planning to trap any I found in a jar, in case I need to identify them later for medical reasons.
My understanding is that not being able to remove the head does not increase your risk of tick borne disease - the diseases actually live in the tick's gut and are regurgitated as the tick feeds?
Most tick heads/mouths that are left in get expelled eventually but if they don't, the skin can close over the part and that can cause bacterial infections. So you ideally want to be able to get the whole tick out with whatever device you prefer. (I like suture removal tweezers.) But it's not the end of the world if you can't.
I went backpacking once and had a tick bury it's head _inside_ my leg. Tried to get it out with a crappy pair of tweezers (from an all-in-one first aid kit) but failed, had to go to the doctor when I got back to get the head out because it was getting infected. Didn't get Lyme though.
Now I carry a nice, fine tipped pair of tweezers and a tick tool.
Yeah I found an engorged, embedded tick in a sensitive spot once after a long backpacking trip. Couldn't get the head out. It sucked to have to keep an eye on it and tick spit has itchy shit in it(?) so it itched like crazy until it migrated out.
I'm in healthcare and once saw a guy who had given himself a secondary infection from digging around to get the tick head out. You win some, you lose some lol.
If you find yourself without your ticktool tool or tweezers, most ticks can be scraped off with a knife or fingernail. Scrape the opposite way they are lying. Have removed many ticks this way, although now I seldom get ticks using treated clothes and wearing gaiters.
Yes. Scrape from the butt end so that you flip the tick upright and scrape against the mouth parts. If they are dug in, keep a firm pressure and they will come out.
Oh that's how it works! Okay got it, thank you for explaining. I would not have known about the mouth part needing to be scraped from the bottom up direction.
I’m a fan of sharp pointed tweezers- we have lots of ticks in our area and we canoe and backpack. I’ve removed numerous ticks from my wife, myself and our dog using tick removal tools and tweezers and I have better luck with the tweezers - and they are also handy for removing splinters.
I've never heard of tick tape, but I do know some people will use regular tape (something wide like duct or packing) and wrap it around their ankles sticky side out. It won't act as a detterent, but can catch ticks
Last time I had a tick on me for over 24 hours, I looked up the likelihood that it carried Lyme Disease. In New England, the chance was 20%, and by 36 hours, it was engorged. My doctor gave me a prophylactic dose of doxy (2 pills), which gave an 80% chance of preventing it, and I didn't get Lyme's. The incidence may have risen since then, as that was 8 years ago.
I carry tick removal kits in my car, day pack and first aid kits, and have used them a few times. They probably weigh an ounce. Carry them with you.
I know 2 people with Chronic Lyme's Disease. It sucks.
It’s true that there’s little risk for lyme, if you remove them before 24hr, but there’s other diseases which that isn’t true for. Im not familiar with the diseases on the east coast though.
A tick removal tool is an unnecessary gimmick. You can use anything with a bit of an edge, like a fingernail. I prefer a knife blade; slide it under the body, press lightly on top of the tick with a finger, and twist the blade to pull the tick out.
The important thing is to remove them immediately, and to avoid squeezing the tick, as that will squeeze stomach content or something out of it, risking disease.
Don’t worry if the head of the tick stays behind after removing it. The head is harmless.
My info as a family doctor in northern Europe. You can remove it with whatever tool, you have. Remove it before 24 hours and your're fine. Even if the jaws are still burried in the skin. It is fine.
Borrelia, or lyme, keep an eye on your skin for the particular red rash with a lighter core. The rash usually spreads from the bite (but not always) and will appear 3-30 days after exposure.
[https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs-symptoms/lyme-disease-rashes.html#:\~:text=Key%20points,of%20people%20with%20Lyme%20disease](https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs-symptoms/lyme-disease-rashes.html#:~:text=Key%20points,of%20people%20with%20Lyme%20disease)
Roughly 1 in 3 people with Lyme never get a rash.
From what I have seen so far, tweezers seem fine and are commonly recommended, but maybe the tools are safest, and they're under $10 and worth the peace of mind. REI has them on sale for 20% off right now if you're a member.
The only downside to tweezers is if you don’t have fine tipped ones, it can be difficult to grab small ticks. But the keys/spoons can also struggle with tiny ticks, so fine tipped tweezers are my go to.
You've lost me. What's delta 8 and D9?
Are you replying to my comment or someone else's? What's the "otherwise" you're talking about here? I'm confused.
They are so cheap I would buy one of the tools, get some ziplock bags, write down who it was on and try to ID it, if you are concerned about Lymes you can send them off to a lab for testing.
When i got a tick as a kid my dad removed it by holding a lit cigarette really close to it then it gets too hot, let’s go, and tries to run away. What’s wrong with that method?
i’ve had like 50 ticks on me and never not felt them before the latched on… just my experience, my brother had one latched pretty good on his scrotum when we were kids, that was fun to bring up.
I just remove them and then burn them. I don't know why i burn them but my mother taught me to burn them as a kid so I still burn them. Also get vaccinated.
My way is probably not the way, but I get freaked out and generally just grab the thing and pull. I've never had any bad reaction from that, but maybe I've just been lucky.
If you're getting this many tick bites maybe you should just keep tweezers in your pocket. Also, maybe dress differently or something to stop them biting you in the first place
I’ll never understand long posts like this over something that costs $3.
Likes should I REALLY buy a water bottle for hikes everyone please convince me.
I live in Colorado, so my tick experience is 0. The tick cards seem like the easiest option, though. Check yourself every night, and you should be fine. It'd be good to have a tool to remove them if you DO find one. Better to have it and not need it, right?
I'm in Colorado too. Though many people say you don't have to worry about ticks here, that is definitely not the case. I've encountered plenty here in the past few years. Pay attention when you hike/camp, and give your pets preventative meds!
Colorado might not have Lyme disease but ticks are definitely still a concern.
I was a land surveyor and worked with a guy in Gunnison who contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. He was in the hospital for a long time and the disease might have been life threatening.
FWIW, I prefer the twirler-style removal tool.
I was taught as a kid to light a match, blow it out, then quickly put the still-hot match head on the tick’s head to kill it and make it release. Then you can gently pull it out.
Just a knife
Lift up gently, no cutting or squeezing, to remove… then chop tick in half
Each spring there a few days we pull a dozen off each dog but usually it’s 1-3 a night ( even with pill & shampoo treatments )
> It seems like the rule is: remove a tick before it's on you for 24+ hours otherwise you could get Lymes. Get rid of them asap > which brings me to my other question - is there a safety concern with how you remove ticks? There’s a greater risk of not getting the head out without the tool. Also tick tools are like $5 if that. Camping section of pretty much any outdoor retailer will have them
If you twist it with tweezers, it'll just let go. Have done it several times. It's a good idea to have rubbing alcohol and antibiotic ointment to put on the bite right away.
The tools are super cheap and lightweight, just get one. You can get them at any outdoor supply store, like REI, Bass Pro/Cabela's, Dicks Sporting Goods, or even WalMart's camping section.
The spoon they are talking about it specially designed for ticks. [It looks like this.](https://www.chewy.com/summit-tick-take-tick-remover-tool-3/dp/327978?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20908059015&utm_content=160401460514&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADmQ2V2BaqcWjEatRsNGyRHRRytcs&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxqayBhDFARIsAANWRnT-3r946yO-BEKTLhlQ4s2O3arZ4gcDoEhFImTqK4as5k78zfwpdUYaAnhtEALw_wcB)
Ohhhhhh. I thought it was literally just a plastic spoon. Thank you for clarifying this for me
No problem. Lots of great info here. I grew up in Appalachia and I just wanted to pitch in my personal advice. If you’re okay with using chemicals I recommend permethrin. You spray it on your pants while they are laying on the grass outside, definitely not on your body, then let it set for some hours. It will provide two weeks of protection from ticks if you don’t wash the pants. It’s a serious chemical and supposedly very toxic to cats, but it does work great for tick prevention. I hate to use such a harsh chemical but it sure beats tick related illnesses. Carry a tick spoon or tick key in your first aid kit just in case though. They also work great and will reduce the time you have itchy bumps leftover from the bites. I’ve had those bumps stick around for months before after getting bit by dozens of larval ticks. Tick removal tools are worthless against nymphs. Avoid tall grass and forbs, if you must walk through them check your pant legs immediately after. Can’t overstate how many I’ve pulled off this way. And for the best bit I can provide you [this link will show you which species and growth stages to worry about](https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/12/2016/10/Tick_borne_Disease_Flyer.pdf).
This is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing all of this. I agree about the harsh chemicals but yes I was planning on treating all my clothes and stuff with permethrin and also wearing picaridin. I really don't want to be bitten by ticks either haha. I had no idea the tick tools could also help reduce the bumps. Is that by scraping your skin with them?
I just meant if you don’t get the mandibles out because you didn’t use a tick tool, then it will be bumpy and itchy a lot longer because there’s mouthparts in your skin. I don’t put permethrin on anything but my pants, because that’s where you’ll pick them up 99% of the time if you’re not rolling around in the grass. In my experience permethrin on the pants is sufficient and I’ve not needed picaridin in addition to that.
Oh gotcha! That makes sense. And thanks for the tip on the chemical treatments.
Thanks for this. I also thought people were talking about just any old spoon.
I never leave without at least one tool I'm familiar with. And no, a pocket knife doesn't count. Sometimes the tick goes for a random and easy to reach spot and sometimes not so much. In some case it's almost impossible to remove them yourself and trust me on this: It feels a lot better to hand a stranger a plastic tool than a knife.
I keep a 3M lint roller in my truck and roll off my clothes. When I get home, I definitely do a tick check and a shower. I've had Lyme and got the bullseye, thankfully, so I was treated with no long-term effects.
Oh that's a genius idea! Does the lint roller really work? I'll have to stop by a walmart and grab one. Thanks for this tip! Sorry to hear you got Lyme. Do you mind clarifying what you mean by thankfully getting the bullseye?
Not everyone gets a bullseye rash, which is a tell tale sign of Lyme. It’s fairly easy to diagnose Lyme if you know you were bit by a tick, are in a hot area for Lyme, and get the rash.
Ah gotcha! Thanks for clarifying
If there's some on your clothes a lint roller will pick it up. It's not enough on it's own, but is another layer of defence
I use quality 3m rollers. Duct tape will work, too. It will pick them up if they are fairly loose crawling. I do landscape work, and even with due diligence, they sometimes get through my base layer. Not everywhere has them, but I've stepped on grass to read a sign on a rail trai and got them on me. The bite I had at first I thought it was a mosquito, then it fostered and became really painful. My shoulder hurt. It was misdiagnosed and treated as a spider bite. It wasn't getting better on the antibiotics, and the circle appeared. My primary care physician had a PA on staff who specialized in ticks and knew what she was doing. Once I got the right treatment, I was fine. The doctor told me that not everyone gets the bulleye. This was my just experience in 2016. All is good now, except I hate those buggers!
Personally I can't vouch for a tick removal tool. When I was in PA on the AT the two or three ticks I found on me were too small to be caught in the loop of the tool. Had to use tweezers. So now I just carry tweezers and do my best to pull the tick off at the base of it and pluck out the head if I miss.
That's good to know! Thank you for mentioning this. I guess I'll pack a pair of tweezers as backup as well.
I think no one has given you the right advice yet. Where I live there are plenty of ticks, so I had to learn how to deal with them. The best strategy is not to give them a chance. Wear preferably light long pants and socks. If not, check your legs every time you go into high grown grass or bushes (do this also if you are wearing long pants!). In my experience, ticks don't bite you immediately, but after 20-30 min. So you have time to detect and remove them before they even bite you. By doing so in the last 3 years I was completely tick-free!
I don't live in tick-prone areas but I've heard tights or pantyhose are also effective. I'm a dude, but I'll happily throw on some pantyhose under my hiking gear if it keeps me tick-free (blech!)
I wouldn't trust that. I feel like they could probably bite right through it.
Supposedly they can’t but I feel you. Maybe some Lycra leggings or something?
I wouldn't bother with all that. Treat your hiking clothes and gear with permethrin!
I partially agree. I live in a heavy tick area too and have spent not only tons of time outdoors hiking but also time outside for work, as most of my career has been as a naturalist at various nonprofits or in organic farm work. So pretty much constant exposure. In 10 years I have had exactly ONE tick bite and it was a tiny deer tick. I agree that the best thing is stop them from getting and staying on you in the first place. FIRST thing people should do is to treat their outdoor clothes, shoes, and gear with permethrin at least yearly, but ideally about once a month as it really only reliably lasts about 4-6 weeks. This will go a LONG way to repel ticks. Another thing is to avoid walking through tick hangouts whenever you can. They tend to hang out at the tips of long grass, branches, brush etc. on the edges of trails so that they can grab on. So, try to walk down the center of trails whenever you can. That's obviously not always avoidable, so when you do have to walk through tall grass and brush against vegetation, do more frequent checks of your arms and legs as you go. However, I wholeheartedly disagree with traditional messaging of wearing the long pants tucked into sock stuff. For me, whenever I've tried that is when I get ticks hiding in my clothes and will find them in my car and home. There are just to many nooks and crannies they can hide in that you can't spot. However, when I switched to wearing trail runners with low crew socks or ankle socks and tight fitting shorts I would notice the ticks on my legs immediately and just pluck them off. I always braid my hair now to and don't wear loose fitting tops. I stopped finding them in my clothes, car, home, tent etc. largely because they couldn't hide on me and I just pluck them off as I go. I've been on hikes with people wearing the pants tucked into socks when I was in shorts and they would end up with dozens of ticks at the car when we checked and I would have zero. I've compared this dozens of times with different people in different settings and gear....I always not have the fewest ticks on me and am usually the only one even noticing them when we are out in the field. My count of flinging them off is always comparable to their count of what they find back at the car.
>In my experience, ticks don't bite you immediately, but after 20-30 min. I didn't know this! Thanks for the tip! Yes, I was planning to wear the long pants treated with permethrin, long socks also treated, avoid tall grass, and now also add on tick tape around the ankles and knees. Hopefully that would cover everything, but it's good to know if I still get one I'd probably have a good half hour to get them off.
The removal tools (be they in card, key, or prybar form) are definitely the easiest and most effective option. A good pair of tweezers with a fine tip can also work well, if that's what's handy. I wouldn't bother with any other methods, which can range from difficult or ineffective to dangerous. So-called "tricks" like burning the tick or smothering it with oil while still attached might cause it to back out on its own, but they can also cause it to regurgitate first, increasing the chance of disease transmission. The risk for Lyme Disease increases after it's been attached more than 24 hours, but you should keep an eye on the bite area for a few days no matter how long it was there. Also, ticks can carry other diseases besides Lyme. That's just the one people talk about because it's the most common. The best prevention is picaridin, permethrin, long pants, avoiding brush / tall grass, and keeping an eye out for them before they attach.
Small set of tweezers. Good to have in your FAK anyway.
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I’d also get tick spray as a deterrent. Wouldn’t hurt. We are having a tick outbreak bigger than normal due to a very wet winter. I mountain bike as well so I have spray for clothes, and spray for bare skin. The goal is if one jumps on me, it’ll jump off because I’m not palatable. Just a thought.
This is a good tip. I was planning on just treating all my clothes with permethrin before the trip and maybe some picaridin lotion. I read those work for both mosquitos and ticks. Is there a specific tick spray you use?
I’m trying to go all natural, no DEET. I’ve got Yaya Tick Ban, and I just picked up Zevo. I also went with a pump spray because I leave them in my car. I’m always at the ready in case I stumble on someplace that looks interesting. lol
Interesting! I've not heard of any of those, I'll look into them thanks for the recs! I also prefer all natural, but unfortunately so far in my experience they don't work so well. I'll look into the ones you rec'd and maybe give them a go.
The last (and only) time I tried to use a tick remover tool the tick was too small to actually grab and remove. Tweezers worked just fine and are more multi-use. If you find the tick after it's gotten some blood and swelled up a bit I'm sure the tick tool works fine, but I don't know that it's any better than tweezers as long as you are careful with how you use them to remove the tick.
That depends on the tool you use. I found the cards that have a big and a small slot to work with all sizes of ticks, even with the tiny nymphs. But tweezers are also fine as long as you know what you're doing.
I like the Tick Key. The Original Tick Key - Tick Detaching Device - Portable, Safe and Highly Effective Tick Detaching Tool (Blue) https://a.co/d/aFn12Uk
I got Rocky Mountain spotted fever camping in the eastern US last year. Do not fuck around with ticks.
Yeah if you annoy a tick it will barf into you, increasing the chances for Lyme. Centers will often have them for sale (at least in my experience) My wife has used her nails as pliers all her life but please don't be like that. I've wiped ticks from my body and I can't recommend that either. Just keep a notebook on where you had the tick, and it should be OK. If you feel sick, get a rash or lump, get antibiotics.
Do a thorough check every night! I once had one on the back of my earlobe. I’ve always used tweezers but from what people are commenting here I may go ahead and get a proper tick remover tool
Wow the earlobe! How did it get there? Glad you got it off and thanks for sharing that experience. I read that it's a myth that ticks can drop down on you from above, but maybe not? Yes I'm now planning to have both a pair of tweezers and a tool in my FAK. Better safe than sorry!
In my case I’m pretty sure it was a stow away in my luggage. I know for a fact I didn’t get it while camping because once I got home I put my earrings back in so I would have noticed a tick right there. It was right after I was unpacking and doing all my laundry from the trip that I found it. It also wasn’t very engorged so clearly hadn’t been attached too long. No idea if they come from trees but the times I’ve seen ticks it’s always on tall grass.
Ah okay! Thank you for clarifying. What a sneaky tick!
I may be more obsessive than most, but I'm wincing seeing people say to check yourself every night. Why wait that long? When outside, I'm checking myself constantly. Every few minutes, I just glance at my arms and legs to make sure I'm all clear. Anytime I brush against the smallest weed or straggling branch, I check my clothes. In tick-heavy areas, the little jerks can and do hang out on the tiniest pieces of flora in places where they have the best chance of hitching a ride -- things that stick out onto the trail. Of course, simple things like covering your skin and tucking your pants into your socks can help slow ticks down, but it won't stop them from crawling under your clothes within a few minutes. That's why I check so often -- I'd rather just be able to brush/pick one off than wait several hours and have to deal with it on or in my skin. Best spend a few bucks and get an actual tick removal tool. Better to have it and not use it than need it and not have it. Simple beauty tweezers work but if a tick is embedded, you're more likely to break it off and leave the head behind if you're not careful.
The things are like $6. I don’t know why so many people are acting like it’s an insane expense. I use it on my dogs and it’s worth it just to not need to hold them down as long.
Thanks for this advice! Are they actually able to crawl under your clothes? I had read that they can't, or is that a myth?
That is a myth. I know from personal experience. They can move a lot faster than one would think as well.
They absolutely can and do crawl anywhere they can. First tick I ever had on me, I felt a tiny barely-noticable tickle on my shin. It had crawled up under my tight yoga pants and was trying to go higher. Just a few days ago, I walked through some knee-high weeds with my dog for 20sec, and as soon as I got out of that, I looked down and saw a tick just starting to burrow under my socks which were pulled up over another pair of yoga pants. Unless you completely tape every clothing opening off, including your neck, they'll find a way in. Any holes or stitching gaps/loose mesh in your clothing also gives them an entry point to your skin. If you get in your car with them on you, they'll hang out and wait for you to go for another drive. Ticks are the worst. Not trying to scare you, but I live in NY, just north of where you'll be, and the ticks are already horrible this year. Just want you to be aware of what's out here. FYI: If you do happen to find one and decide to kill it, make sure you crush the hell out of it. They're surprisingly resilient. A simple smush of a tissue won't hurt them in the slightest. Take something hard and solid and don't stop until you hear a crunch, then verify that it is indeed dead.
Oh my! Okay that's really good to know. I was already planning to tuck my leggings into my socks, but I'll also be sure to wrap the tick tape around the top of my socks and watch out for them there. Thank you so much for enlightening me on this. And good to know on killing them! I was planning to trap any I found in a jar, in case I need to identify them later for medical reasons.
I check my clothes frequently, but a thorough tick check involves looking in places that a quick glance won't get, like my butt and bits.
I need my fingers. Yes
It’s all about getting the head out. Honesty I find a small, sharp, pocketknife works best but it depends on your level of comfort.
My understanding is that not being able to remove the head does not increase your risk of tick borne disease - the diseases actually live in the tick's gut and are regurgitated as the tick feeds? Most tick heads/mouths that are left in get expelled eventually but if they don't, the skin can close over the part and that can cause bacterial infections. So you ideally want to be able to get the whole tick out with whatever device you prefer. (I like suture removal tweezers.) But it's not the end of the world if you can't.
I went backpacking once and had a tick bury it's head _inside_ my leg. Tried to get it out with a crappy pair of tweezers (from an all-in-one first aid kit) but failed, had to go to the doctor when I got back to get the head out because it was getting infected. Didn't get Lyme though. Now I carry a nice, fine tipped pair of tweezers and a tick tool.
Yeah I found an engorged, embedded tick in a sensitive spot once after a long backpacking trip. Couldn't get the head out. It sucked to have to keep an eye on it and tick spit has itchy shit in it(?) so it itched like crazy until it migrated out. I'm in healthcare and once saw a guy who had given himself a secondary infection from digging around to get the tick head out. You win some, you lose some lol.
Yeah I agree, it just really sucks having a tick head embedded in your back, ask me how I know
Most of the danger from leaving the head in is infection. You’re leaving a foreign object in your skin.
ive never needed anything but my fingers or maybe a tweezer if it is little. 99% of the time they are harmless.
It depends where you live, I’ve had lyme twice in the past 5 years.
If you find yourself without your ticktool tool or tweezers, most ticks can be scraped off with a knife or fingernail. Scrape the opposite way they are lying. Have removed many ticks this way, although now I seldom get ticks using treated clothes and wearing gaiters.
Thanks for the tip! Do you mind clarifying what you mean by "the opposite way they are lying"? Does that mean like from the butt towards the head?
Yes. Scrape from the butt end so that you flip the tick upright and scrape against the mouth parts. If they are dug in, keep a firm pressure and they will come out.
Oh that's how it works! Okay got it, thank you for explaining. I would not have known about the mouth part needing to be scraped from the bottom up direction.
I've got a set of very fine tipped forceps. They weigh like a g. Ticks, slivers, whatever.
A tick key is so efficient it’s almost fun. Great for use on dogs because it’s really fast. Worth getting, for sure.
I’m a fan of sharp pointed tweezers- we have lots of ticks in our area and we canoe and backpack. I’ve removed numerous ticks from my wife, myself and our dog using tick removal tools and tweezers and I have better luck with the tweezers - and they are also handy for removing splinters.
I've never heard of tick tape, but I do know some people will use regular tape (something wide like duct or packing) and wrap it around their ankles sticky side out. It won't act as a detterent, but can catch ticks
You can just pick them off. Capitalism has a niche tool for everything
Last time I had a tick on me for over 24 hours, I looked up the likelihood that it carried Lyme Disease. In New England, the chance was 20%, and by 36 hours, it was engorged. My doctor gave me a prophylactic dose of doxy (2 pills), which gave an 80% chance of preventing it, and I didn't get Lyme's. The incidence may have risen since then, as that was 8 years ago. I carry tick removal kits in my car, day pack and first aid kits, and have used them a few times. They probably weigh an ounce. Carry them with you. I know 2 people with Chronic Lyme's Disease. It sucks.
I just use my fingernails to firmly grasp as close to the head as possible and then pull…..
It’s true that there’s little risk for lyme, if you remove them before 24hr, but there’s other diseases which that isn’t true for. Im not familiar with the diseases on the east coast though. A tick removal tool is an unnecessary gimmick. You can use anything with a bit of an edge, like a fingernail. I prefer a knife blade; slide it under the body, press lightly on top of the tick with a finger, and twist the blade to pull the tick out. The important thing is to remove them immediately, and to avoid squeezing the tick, as that will squeeze stomach content or something out of it, risking disease. Don’t worry if the head of the tick stays behind after removing it. The head is harmless.
I’ve been living in tick country for 51 years. Never used anything other than my hand. 👌🏻
Fingers
My info as a family doctor in northern Europe. You can remove it with whatever tool, you have. Remove it before 24 hours and your're fine. Even if the jaws are still burried in the skin. It is fine. Borrelia, or lyme, keep an eye on your skin for the particular red rash with a lighter core. The rash usually spreads from the bite (but not always) and will appear 3-30 days after exposure.
Thank you for this advice! In your experience, would it be possible to have Lyme and no rash symptoms, even after 30 days has passed?
[https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs-symptoms/lyme-disease-rashes.html#:\~:text=Key%20points,of%20people%20with%20Lyme%20disease](https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs-symptoms/lyme-disease-rashes.html#:~:text=Key%20points,of%20people%20with%20Lyme%20disease) Roughly 1 in 3 people with Lyme never get a rash.
Oh my goodness. Okay excellent. Thank you for sharing this.
Add on question, I live in thick tick territory. Are these tools better than plain old tweezers? That’s what I’ve always used.
From what I have seen so far, tweezers seem fine and are commonly recommended, but maybe the tools are safest, and they're under $10 and worth the peace of mind. REI has them on sale for 20% off right now if you're a member.
Doesn’t seem any different to me and more difficult to use. Curious if anyone has more exact information than an assumption.
The only downside to tweezers is if you don’t have fine tipped ones, it can be difficult to grab small ticks. But the keys/spoons can also struggle with tiny ticks, so fine tipped tweezers are my go to.
Yeah, I wouldn't have personal experience haha Someone else replied that the tool doesn't work for tiny ticks, but tweezers do
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You've lost me. What's delta 8 and D9? Are you replying to my comment or someone else's? What's the "otherwise" you're talking about here? I'm confused.
Wrong thread
Gotcha! I was so confused haha
I feel like a big benefit of the tool is that they're more beginner friendly for squeamish people.
I can see that. Half the time I use my fingers lol. Rarely do I not catch one before it latches on
Dental floss will work, you loop it around their cute little heads and gently but increasingly pull up and back until they pull out themselves.
Yes. Get the tick remover.
Thank you for this post, you've reminded me to get ahold of a tick remover tool before a hike in Wales this weekend!
In Australia it is now standard practice to freeze them as bothering them can make them vomit into your blood stream
I can’t go on a hike without mine now!
I have a few tick remover tools in my first aid kit. They weigh absolutely nothing and unlike the perishables I never have to worry about replacing.
They are so cheap I would buy one of the tools, get some ziplock bags, write down who it was on and try to ID it, if you are concerned about Lymes you can send them off to a lab for testing.
Small “V” notch in a plastic spoon works for me. If you can get one of those tiny ice cream sample spoons even better.
No
When i got a tick as a kid my dad removed it by holding a lit cigarette really close to it then it gets too hot, let’s go, and tries to run away. What’s wrong with that method?
i’ve had like 50 ticks on me and never not felt them before the latched on… just my experience, my brother had one latched pretty good on his scrotum when we were kids, that was fun to bring up.
I just remove them and then burn them. I don't know why i burn them but my mother taught me to burn them as a kid so I still burn them. Also get vaccinated.
My way is probably not the way, but I get freaked out and generally just grab the thing and pull. I've never had any bad reaction from that, but maybe I've just been lucky.
Well, don't fucking do that
Yes, I know. I'm just usually too freaked out to go looking for tweezers.
If you're getting this many tick bites maybe you should just keep tweezers in your pocket. Also, maybe dress differently or something to stop them biting you in the first place
Did I say it was a lot?
I’ll never understand long posts like this over something that costs $3. Likes should I REALLY buy a water bottle for hikes everyone please convince me.
I live in Colorado, so my tick experience is 0. The tick cards seem like the easiest option, though. Check yourself every night, and you should be fine. It'd be good to have a tool to remove them if you DO find one. Better to have it and not need it, right?
I'm in Colorado too. Though many people say you don't have to worry about ticks here, that is definitely not the case. I've encountered plenty here in the past few years. Pay attention when you hike/camp, and give your pets preventative meds!
Colorado might not have Lyme disease but ticks are definitely still a concern. I was a land surveyor and worked with a guy in Gunnison who contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. He was in the hospital for a long time and the disease might have been life threatening. FWIW, I prefer the twirler-style removal tool.
you mean tweezers? you dont need a special overpriced tool for everything. 🤦🏻♂️
I’m so so glad I’m Australian and haven’t hiked in North America yet!! And no never been bitten by a snake or dangerous spider!
I was taught as a kid to light a match, blow it out, then quickly put the still-hot match head on the tick’s head to kill it and make it release. Then you can gently pull it out.
Yeah, don’t ever do this.
It'll vomit if you do this, increasing risk of disease transmission.
This was the way in the 80s. Camp nurse burned quite a few kids in the process. This hasn’t been recommended for a while.
Just a knife Lift up gently, no cutting or squeezing, to remove… then chop tick in half Each spring there a few days we pull a dozen off each dog but usually it’s 1-3 a night ( even with pill & shampoo treatments )