Ticks

R

rrt

Well-known member
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Nov 20, 2006
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Be careful out there. I managed to get out today, and when I got home, I had 3 ticks on me. Those little b-------s give me the creeps, and I don't want to get Lyme Disease either. I am washing all my clothes in the hottest setting on the washer, including my vest. After that, I plan to spray my vest tomorrow with Sawyer's tick spray. I know several guys who got Lyme Disease, and it isn't nice. Anyhow, if you aren't aware of them, the ticks are out there, so watch out. Better check yourself and have your wife check the parts of yourself you can't see when you come home from fishing.
From everything I've been reading and hearing, this is supposed to be going to be a bad year for them.
 
rrt,

What area of the state or county were you in. Western PA historically hasn't had as bad a tick problem as South Eastern. Just wandering if I should be upping my alertness around here.

Thanks,
 
I was out at Letort and the YB on Sunday, found 3 crawling on my clothes when I got home. It's still only March and they don't typically come out in force until May around here...
 
Blair County, central PA. But, 2 falls ago, my son and I got them on us up in northcentral PA in Clinton Co. while turkey hunting. I know a couple guys who don't hunt any longer b/c of them. One of the "young lions" around here wears chest waders even when fishing trickles b/c of them. I don't like them. Even after having gotten cleaned up, it still feels like they're on me. Sawyer's tick spray is going to get a workout tomorrow.
 
I found 2 on my clothes one day but missed another one and it buried itself into my belly. I've been a little sick ever since though the symptoms aren't really consistent with a tick bite. Finally after a week I think the symptoms are over. At least it wasn't a deer tick.
 
They are infinitley more prevelant in southeast PA than in other areas. I used to go hiking every weekend in north central and north east PA and never once got a tick. However, I can hike in the woods behind neshaminy highschool in langhorne pa and pull off dozens. I never even saw a deer tick before I moved here. Sure enough, I went exploring a small limestone spring in my area and unknowingly took a deer tick home with me. About 10 days later I was driving home from the LL and I suffered unbearable leg and back pain w/ general malaise. I later developed a fever of 101. Fever wouldnt go away and went to my Dr. who gave me a full exam and said it was viral, nothing to worry about. 4 days later I still had a fever and was having serious issues driving and thinking properly. Serious neck pain and stiffness set in and I thought it was meningitis. I went back to the Dr. and got bloodwork done. I was to call the next morning for preliminary results. When I woke up, I felt something on the back of my thigh and found a large bulls eye and migrating smaller ones all over my torso. It took about 2 wks from the bite to develop. Lyme's disease is terrible. Im glad it wasnt something worse though. I missed a ton of work and did not feel normal for over a month with treatment. I always thought I was being careful checking for ticks after coming home. I never even found the tick so be extra, extra careful...
 
Permethrin guys! Spray each layer your going to wear and keep them in a garbage bag or sealed tub until your next adventure. ****'s sells it by the gallon. Wal Mart no more.

It is not a tick deterrent it kills em dead.
 
Fwiw... You won't see the deer tick that will give you Lyme. Now through late spring is the worst time as the nymphal version of tick is a more prolific carrier than the adults.

Cover all exposed skin, use your permanone and shower as soon as you get home.

A large proportion of cases don't develop the bullseye rash, many have no rash at all. It takes a few weeks to develop the antibodies to flag positive on a test.

The big ticks are dog ticks. They give you rocky mountain fever, not Lyme.
 
I just read an editorial in the latest PA outdoor news on ticks. According to 2 scientists that are tick experts, the warm winter would not cause an overall increase in tick numbers, but it will make ticks much more active. Bad news either way I guess. Those little buggers scare me more than snakes.
 
I use the Sawyer Permethrin for my hat and clothes. I use Sawyer Repellent, 98.1% deet, for exposed skin.
 
FrequentTyer wrote:
I just read an editorial in the latest PA outdoor news on ticks. According to 2 scientists that are tick experts, the warm winter would not cause an overall increase in tick numbers, but it will make ticks much more active. Bad news either way I guess. Those little buggers scare me more than snakes.
Click to expand...

I have a dislike for snakes, but I know that is an irrational fear. However, I know a number of posters on this thread, and more on the site in general, have been afflicted with Lyme disease. From a statistical perspective:

Estimated number of venomous snakebites in US, annually - 7000-8000
Deaths from venomous snakebits in US, annually - 5

Snake bite stats

Confirmed cases of Lyme disease in US, 2010 - 22,561
Lyme disease stats
Deaths from Lyme disease (as recorded on death certificate) - 114 from 1999 - 2003 (avg. almost 23/year)
Lyme disease fatalities research

Note, however, that while the decedents may have had Lyme disease, the article points out that it may have been coincidental with other natural causes of death.

Statistics aside, I'm not sure if I've seen more snakes or ticks in my life, but I'm confident that the mite of a tick that bites me has the potential to do far more damage than the snake that I irrationally fear.
 
My nephew live along Clarks Creek and last week got bit. Red welt w/ bullseye. Center of the welt was moving around. Rushed to doc's office where he put some crap on and it made the tick back out. Deer tick, completely burried. They said the meds would stop the lyme disease since they caught it so quickly. I hope. Don't want to see a 9 year old w/ that stuff.

+1 on LL tip.
 
havent encountered any while fishing, but i've never seen so many while mountain biking in rothrock state forest, many of the ones that are visible appear to be deer ticks unfortunately, makes we kinda worry about the ones that cant be seen
 
Why can't we just put the crap on us like we do our dogs...or better yet...find a pill that is toxic to the little blood suckers...
 
I worked for 10 years for DCNR in southwest PA from 1996 to 2005, and never once had a tick on me while working in the forest exclusively. In the last 3 years, in the same areas, I have had numerous ticks on me during hunting and fishing excursions. I don't know what happened, but these critters have exploded in southwest PA. Every incident happened to be the larger ticks but I have a feeling I will not always be so lucky. I am picking up some Permethrin tomorrow, thanks for the tip guys.
 
I am a forester and spend a ton of time working in the woods of SE and SC PA as well as the northern tier of MD. Lots of experience with ticks. I have literally pulled thousands of ticks off of my clothes in the past 20 years and have been bitten by hundreds of deer ticks. I know that may sound like a bunch of crap but I assure you this is no exaggeration. Most of the ticks I see are deer ticks (percentage wise I see very few of the larger wood ticks. I do a lot of tick pickin on the drives home from work. I usually just chuck em out the window because I have realized that trying to kill ticks while driving could possibly be more dangerous than texting while driving. Over my career I have personally proclaimed Robeson Twp., Berks County as the "tick capital of PA". Thankfully I have not worked much there lately. I have battled Lyme disease since 1992 with 4 or 5 occurrences of classic symptoms during that time period.

Here are some of my tips:
1. AWARENESS is the most important factor. We all like to spend time in the great outdoors, the ticks are there all the time. Do not become complacent to that fact. A lot of people that are severely affected with Lyme never realized that they were even bitten by a tick.
2. Check yourself thoroughly. I have heard that if you remove a tick within 12 hours your chances of contracting Lyme are much less. I don't know if this is actually fact, but it certainly can't hurt to get them out before they get embedded.
3. I've tried taking garlic pills. I think it does deter them from biting you but on those 100 degree, 97% humidity days it just oozes out of me and I can hardly stand to work with myself.
4.Tick repellant does work but use common sense some of those chemicals into your body may be worse than the ticks.
5. If you happen to find one in bed with you don't make a broadcast announcement about it, just quietly dispose of it so you don't deter your wife's enthusiasm about your next planned flyfishing trip.
6. Again, be aware but don't let the little suckers rule your life or ruin your enjoyment for our great sport. Good luck to all!J
 
I have lymes. Gfen is 100% right. Never saw the tick. Went a year being misdiagnosed. Worst year of my life by far. Seen every diagnosis there was- fibro, chronic fatigue, etc. doctors really give no respect to lymes which is a ****in joke. The disease is real, I'm living it. Be very very careful. I got it wet wading and I advise all of you never to do that. My eyesight sucks now, muscles are poor at best, neck stiffness, lots of terrible side effects. I literally had to go into my doctors screaming before they treated me for it. The testing a normal doctor uses is almost useless. Finally got a positive.

Believe me you do not want this!
 
I worked outside for 30 yrs and never had a tick on me. I have had 2 occassions now in the past 2 yrs with ticks. Last year I had one on me that my wife broke off trying to get it out and we had to go to the er and have them dig the rest out of me. It was on my side just above my belt line. The very next morning there was another right in the same spot. Luckily they gave me a pack of tick twisters at the hosp. and my wife took the second one out with no problem. Then last week we were out on a small hike and afterwards I took a shower and we went out for the night. 2 days after that I found a tick on my thigh. It was not engorged yet so I just put the tick twister on it and popped it out like a champagne cork. Those things are great and they told me you can get them at any veterenarians.I should have known to put the spray on and tape my pants legs but its only march who knew!!
 
In my line of work, I spend a fair amount of time outdoors. Never really had a problem with ticks until about four years ago when I started picking them up occasionally (I work mainly in Blair, Cambria, Somerset, Huntingdon, Fulton Co). Now, I can't go out AT ALL without having at least one on me. I was looking at some pipe crossings in Fulton Co last week - wasn't even really going off of the road. The very first pipe I got out of the truck for all of 2 minutes, got back in, and found one crawling up my hand. Ticks checks have just become a regular part of my routine. My family owns some property in Blair Co, and this past season I went for about an hour long walk and picked between 40-50 deer ticks off of me. Just another suggestion as an alternative to the permetherin is Uncle Ben's Ceder Oil Spray. I recently heard about this stuff from someone from the Game Commission. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but he swears but it. Around $25 for a 16oz bottle.
 
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