I Wanted to Go to the River for the Snow Melt Run Off. Then I Read Online About Ticks.

Remy

Remy

Well-known Member
Location
California, USA
Now that scares me. We have an area in my town with the river. It should have a lot of water right now. I've actually never been to the area I want to go. I read online a review about one of the trails, it said to watch for ticks. One thing I can't risk is getting sick. I'm on my own.

When I went to a specialist due to something that was going on with me, he asked me if I go to that area. I told him no. He was asking about tick exposure.

Perhaps I'll just make due with the fake lakes and the ducks around here.
 

If you really wanted to go there, you could dress to minimize exposure. Long pants, heavy shoes and wear socks that pull up over the bottom of the pant leg. Long sleeved shirt that you tuck in and have the collar buttoned up. If you have long hair, pull it up and tuck it under a hat. Come home, take everything off and shake all the clothes out well.

One of my walking routes has sidewalk on one side and wild grasses on the other. I walk on the sidewalk and enjoy the scenery from there.
 
Remy said:
Now that scares me. We have an area in my town with the river. It should have a lot of water right now. I've actually never been to the area I want to go. I read online a review about one of the trails, it said to watch for ticks. One thing I can't risk is getting sick. I'm on my own.

When I went to a specialist due to something that was going on with me, he asked me if I go to that area. I told him no. He was asking about tick exposure.

Perhaps I'll just make due with the fake lakes and the ducks around here.
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Spray yourself with tick deterrent , cover your arms, feet and legs up.. and go off and have a good time, enjoy what you want to do while you can. I'm in the same boat...on my own so in trouble if I get sick.. but that's what I would do..(y)
 

Remy watch this video...


However I'm here to tell you, I am surrounded by rivers.. canals.. woodland and parks and fields... I walk in them all the time, just wearing shorts and t-shirts.. never ever been bitten by ticks.. the dogs get them sometimes.. but I never have , and I don't ever wear tick repellent.. altho' in high summer I do wear Mosquito repellent..

..so if you wanna go.. just cover up.. and follow this Doctors advice..
 
Nathan said:
I am very leery of tick exposure, we're traveling to Vermont in 3 weeks, which as a heavily wooded area is full of ticks. We'll be bringing a can of Off! insect repellent, just in case...
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I would suggest Cutter Backwoods rather than Off. Maybe check online comments to be sure there isn't something better. Spray it on outer clothing, pant legs, shoes, socks. Be careful of breathing it and wash your hands.
 
Myrtle said:
I would suggest Cutter Backwoods rather than Off. Maybe check online comments to be sure there isn't something better. Spray it on outer clothing, pant legs, shoes, socks. Be careful of breathing it and wash your hands.
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Thanks. I was wondering what the difference would be between Deet(Off!) vs Cutter Backwoods(Picaridin), in terms of effectiveness....Picaridin vs Deet.
 
The miserable killjoys are at it again. Every year at this time, we get the same BS about those "terrible" wood ticks that are waiting in the bush just to "get you" and to suck all the blood out of you. Of course, they love telling stories about people that either went insane or died from those awful ticks.

Me, I love going into the forests and hiking on those wonderful trails. Once in a while I find a tick on me. I either pull it off with my hands or put some gasoline on them. God, they hate gasoline and soon drop off. I'm from Canada where our winters are long and hard and our summers are short and hot. I am not going to let some urbanites put the "fear of ticks" on me. Probably the same writer or writers who were trying to tell us we are all going to die from Covid 19. Ha! I'm still around! Those killjoys never stop!
 
Nathan said:
Thanks. I was wondering what the difference would be between Deet(Off!) vs Cutter Backwoods(Picaridin), in terms of effectiveness....Picaridin vs Deet.
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I've not tried anything with Picaridin in it and Deet does stink and it is oily. But we always found it effective in the Cutter product. Maybe buy some of each. Ticks can carry some nasty things in some locations and it's best not to have them attach to you if possible. The last paragraph of your link says Deet is better for ticks but if you or your wife can't handle the smell you won't use it, so then it would be better to use the Picaridin.

Few studies have evaluated the relative efficacy of DEET and picaridin in fending off ticks, black flies, sand flies, no-see-ums, midges, and other biting insects. Available evidence indicates that picaridin and DEET are both effective at repelling black flies, while DEET is more effective at preventing tick bites. Conversely, picaridin seems to be better at repelling other biting insects, notably no-see-ums. The insect composition of your travel destination—and perhaps some personal field tests—will determine which repellent works best for your needs.

The other thing that is very effective after being out in the woods is a strip search before bed. It takes awhile for a tick to attach and if you can get them off early that's much easier than getting them to let go once they dig in.

​

Yes Packerjohn, some do it your way.
 
I use Permethrin, and it is deadly to ticks and flees. It's in Walmart or most any sporting goods store. It's relatively new, and it's dangerous if you spray it on yourself. Hang an outdoor outfit (socks, pants, and shirt) on an outdoor line, and in still air, spray it on your clothes, wearing rubber gloves and a mask. After four hours it becomes harmless to humans, but any tick that walks near it dies. It remains in your clothes for six washings or 3 months. I can't remember exactly, but it's on the spray can. You can buy clothing already treated with Permethrin. I've seen it in the LL Bean catalog. LL Bean is based in Maine, and believe me, people in Maine know ticks. Spraying yourself or your clothes while you are wearing them can cause nerve damage, so I'm not going to push this product too hard. I worry about the stuff, but not too much because I worry about hungry ticks far more, and where I live and hike, I will pull ticks off me after an hour in the woods, each time. But not when I'm wearing my tick treated gear.

The over the counter tick and flee repellent you apply to your dog's back is Permethrin. I don't use it on my dog because it's applied in a liquid form. I give him prescription pills with something else in it. Not sure which is more dangerous to the dog.
 
That was a very helpful video @hollydolly I hope others watched it.

However, I don't think I'll be going to that river place. But now I'm also thinking about the grass/weeds/foxtail area at work by where I feed the feral cats. I've asked the maintenance guy when that area is going to be cut down and he's saying the gardeners haven't done it. I don't know why he doesn't get out there with a weed whacker. He takes enough smoke breaks.
 
Packerjohn said:
The miserable killjoys are at it again. Every year at this time, we get the same BS about those "terrible" wood ticks that are waiting in the bush just to "get you" and to suck all the blood out of you. Of course, they love telling stories about people that either went insane or died from those awful ticks.

Me, I love going into the forests and hiking on those wonderful trails. Once in a while I find a tick on me. I either pull it off with my hands or put some gasoline on them. God, they hate gasoline and soon drop off. I'm from Canada where our winters are long and hard and our summers are short and hot. I am not going to let some urbanites put the "fear of ticks" on me. Probably the same writer or writers who were trying to tell us we are all going to die from Covid 19. Ha! I'm still around! Those killjoys never stop!
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Lol, I doubt that any "urbanites" even know that you exist! 😅 But this rural kid(me) has had ticks(and leeches) suckin' my blood and really don't care for either to have another shot. The diseases that ticks carry really warrant taking preventative measures .

The strip search on the front porch always gets the neighbor's attention. :D
 
I spent a lot of time in the outdoors. Lyme Disease always concerned me. I know the CDC usually puts out safety tips and what repellents are best for certain diseases. Lyme Disease can be nasty and keep you sick for a long time.

For Lyme Disease, make sure you get a repellent with Picaridin, Deet and IR3535 as it’s main ingredients. Spray it about every 3-4 hours and you can rub it in a little and when you’re done hiking through the brush, not only check yourself, but check anyone else with you. Checking each other is a good idea. Having a second set of eyes can help find any ticks that may have skipped past your eyes.
 
Jules said:
If you really wanted to go there, you could dress to minimize exposure. Long pants, heavy shoes and wear socks that pull up over the bottom of the pant leg. Long sleeved shirt that you tuck in and have the collar buttoned up. If you have long hair, pull it up and tuck it under a hat. Come home, take everything off and shake all the clothes out well.

One of my walking routes has sidewalk on one side and wild grasses on the other. I walk on the sidewalk and enjoy the scenery from there.
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and take a shower with dawn dish soap....here they like cedar trees and the like trees but of course grass-- problem is they ride the wind out of the trees then they gottcha--dawn soap will get off
 
As California landscape photographer, during spring when ticks are most active, I am frequently out hiking in rural areas especially off trails where I may pass through grasslands. In 5 decades, I just recall a couple times when ticks actually got onto my skin but had not begun to dig in, much less been bitten.

The primary reason people out hiking get tick bites is because they wear the wrong clothing. Same issue with mosquitoes and black flies. There are many urban people (often those moved to California from the East) that regardless of weather, only ever hike wearing shorts and t-shirts like it is supposed to be the West Coast uniform. And that includes even many hiking the JMT or PCT thru trails in snow. The second reason hikers get tick bites is because they fail to occasionally check if ticks are crawling on one's clothing. That is why such persons often have a tick that not only climbed way up clothing but got into their hair and scalp where they can easily hide.

As a hardcore backpacker, I ALWAYs hike in Levi 505's and in mosquito season wear a lightweight zippered nylon shell that insects cannot bite through. Long pants like heavy blue jean material also make possibility of rattlesnake bites low even if they strike. A month ago, I walked right over a fat northern Pacific timber rattler in Carrizo Plains NM grasslands.

I never bother with repellent for ticks as they are much too easy to avoid. Mosquitoes and black flies in some places I visit that form huge swirling clouds, require 100% DEET. I've occasionally used DEET for decades on my face and hands. My senior facial skin is about as wrinkle free as any senior your ever going to see so no DEET won't necessarily damage skin but yes it is oily.

If there are lots of ticks on vegetation which is easy to notice IF one often checks if they are crawling up pants, I'll duct tape the bottom of my Levi 505 jean cuffs to my hiking boots with Gorilla or Duct tape. This spring saw only one and it was on my daypack. If one is merely walking through knee to thigh height grasslands, ticks can only become an issue if they crawl up one's pants to reach belt level where they may then get under ones shirt if loose. Also should check one's clothing anytime one sits or lays on vegetation. Of course ticks can also crawl from a daypack one temporarily placed on the ground or a hat one laid down during a break.

So NO. Don't avoid hiking just because one heard ticks were active.
 
I think the fear of living is probably the worse fear of all. We should all take some precautions when we undergo any activity. For example, don't drink and don't drive. Slow down when walking or driving on ice. Don't walk alone at night in the bad part of town. As for the great outdoors, carry water, tell someone where you are going, check yourself for ticks when you return and don't approach big bears or wild buffalo.

It is a long established fact that being outdoors has great mental and physical benefits for the human body. Don't let the media stop you from living your life. The media always emphases the negative and very, very seldom the positive. Life is too short enough not to be enjoyed!
 
We have ticks in our yard carried in by birds and rabbits. Our Labrador is getting over Lymes and has terrible arthritis because of it. We spray with a bottled insecticide that goes on the garden hose and that seems to help. Unfortunately he got Lymes so early this Spring we had not sprayed yet. The land we hunt turkeys on is full of ticks. My husband got ehrlichiosis from a tick as well. We now take our hunting clothes and boots and spray them with Pyrethrin and store them in a garbage bag. I also sprinkle flea and tick powder on the ground under my chair.
 
Take a walking stick and beat any brush before you pass through. Wear faded jeans and check for ticks every few minutes. Strip at home and check yourself out.
 
Permethrin is hands down the most effective tick repellent on the market. Actually, it's not a repellent. It kills ticks, and quite fast too. It's been on the market for a few years, and approved over the counter. It says on the can that it was developed by the US Army, as if that's a good thing, rather than a red flag for most of us who remember Agent Orange. If you read the directions for application on the can, you will know right away that this stuff is dangerous if not used correctly.

This doesn't bother me personally, but I know so many people don't read the directions. "Oh, look. This is good for ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes. Come over here Jimmy. Close your eyes as I can spray you with it." I remember an article years ago, that people were taking Bear repllent, which is nothing more than pepper spray, and spraying it on their kids to protect them from bear attacks, creating the possibility that it could attract rather than repel. Of course the media hyped it as "Bear Repellent Attracts Bears, without even knowing whether bears are actually attracted to pepper. Thank you, media, for NOT explaining why it doesn't work, which of course would NOT be as fun a read, and would not meet the Daily Standard's quota for misinformation.
 


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