Monday, June 14, 2010

Ticks SUCK!

Other than biting insects that can instantly kill you, I would have trouble identifying another creepy crawly that annoys me more than the deer tick. These troublesome critters are the carriers of lyme disease, a potentially lethal affliction if left undiagnosed or unchecked. Even with massive doses of antibiotics, humans as well as animals can suffer debilitating effects their entire lives from the plague that these little creatures carry. My retriever Onxy has contracted the disease twice, despite taking multiple levels of medical precaution. This fact worries me as my family and I constantly venture into the woodlands. Along with bug suits and tucking and taping pant legs comes a new weapon in the tick prevention arsenal . . . Permethrin. Sure, it to will eventually kill you and the warning label alone is enough to scare your body into developing cancer but at least you won’t die of a tick bite!

Anyone struggling with ticks, like we are in central Maine should seriously give it a try. Since I started using I can seemingly sit in the leaf litter and tall field grass all day with not a tick in sight. Just MAKE SURE to read the back of the can as it has to be applied in a very specific way and cannot be applied directly to any bare skin. Yeah, I know . . . but like I said before at least you won’t die from a tick bite!

6 comments:

  1. Right you are about the warning label. Although where the ticks are concerned I will use Sawyers Pernethrin and then spray with deet what is not covered by my clothes. I haven't a clue as to anything benefiting from ticks. Glad to hear it is working for you and your family.

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  2. I'll be looking into this stuff. I found a tick on my daughter a little over a month ago now. Luckily, it wasn't a deer tick - but still nerve wracking nonetheless.

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  3. Just got done reading a great book by fellow Mainer Jerry Genesio titled: “UNSEEN HAZARDS That Threaten Hunters, Campers and Hikers: What you should know about pathogens commonly found in wildlife” has an interesting section on ticks. I have a review of the book and an interview I conducted with Gerry being featured in a blog post next week.

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  4. Rick, I have a friend who had his "lyme" misdiagnosed and the doctors told him he had 6 months to live and was dying of cancer. Thankfully, he finally got to a person who knew it was lyme disease and he is on the road to recovery, however, he still has bouts of problems from time to time.

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  5. As hay farmers with many animals, we are inundated with all kinds of ticks. My husband has recently been diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, courtesy of a tick bite (or two or three). He was grateful to have it...he thought all the aches and pains, headaches and fatigue were a result of aging. At least with medication he can improve, something not possibe to do for old age. We have yet to find a remedy for the tick population; it's just something we live with day in and day out. We really feel sorry for the dogs as the ticks seem unstoppable this year no matter what treatments we use on them. The bigger animals don't seem to get as many, but when they do, the ticks go deep. I hate ticks!!!

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    1. Betty, Ticks remain a thorn in my side here at Maine. This was actually the FIRST year where I went an entire season without a single tick on me during the Spring turkey hunt. A combination of effective use of a thermacell and specialized tick sprays were just a few of the elements that kept them away! I HATE TICKS AS WELL!

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