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All 4 stages of the Deer Tick.
Note the dime's
edge for scale. |
Ticks prefer long
grass on the edges of woods.
They crawl up onto the grass blades and cling to
you
as you walk past. Once on your
body, their compulsion is to climb upwards so don't expect them to burrow into
your skin right away. Rather, they
look around for good real-estate first by crawling around for up to 24 hours
before attaching themselves.
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Be sure to check yourself and your coworkers for ticks after each
day in the field.
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If possible, change you clothes
each day while in the field.
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Use insect repellant.
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Wear
long pants and a long-sleeve shirt.
Consider putting rubber bands around your wrists on the outside of your shirt,
and blouse your pants into your socks or boots.
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Wear
your wide-brimmed hat: reportedly, they can drop from trees onto your
head, though this is under considerable debate.
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Clothing
properly treated with
permethrin is quite safe -- the body easily metabolizes the chemical
into a harmless
natural waste product that's passed in the urine.
Ticks will die within moments of having crawled over just 12
inches of clothing treated with permethrin.
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Do
NOT
use any of the folklore remedies (matches, cigarettes, pins, gasoline).
These will only irritate the tick and
increase
the likelihood that it will "spit up" in you thereby
greatly increasing the risk of disease.
After you remove an IMBEDDED tick, ALWAYS preserve it
in a small container of alcohol and have a doctor analyze it.
ALWAYS wash your hands after handling or removing a
tick! Ticks carry a lot of rickettsial diseases, including
Lyme
disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
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When you find a tick, use tweezers to lift the body and
grab as near the head as possible. Pull straight out s-l-o-w-l-y and
gently, WAITING for the TICK to release its mouthparts ON ITS OWN.
(They will release, but it may take a few minutes of steady, non-stop, gentle
pulling! Remember, you don't pull the tick out, you coax it to let go by
applying a steady outward tug.) After removal, you should see a small
crater in your skin. If you see what looks like black lines, you've left
the head in. If this happens, see a doctor as the head parts will likely
lead to an infection.
Regardless of whether the head has been left behind or
not, treat the area thoroughly with antiseptic or rubbing alcohol.
(It takes about 5 minutes for alcohol to sterilize an area.) In a pinch,
vodka or any high-proof liquor will also work. Then apply an antibiotic
ointment and bandage.
Tips:
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The
preferred method is to use special tweezers designed just for this
purpose, and gently pull straight out with steady, long-term pressure.
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Oil
or Vaseline is NOT effective because the breathing requirements of the
tick are so small it could last hours covered with oil.
Further, it increases the chance the tick will die with its head buried
in your skin.
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The
mouthpiece is barbed, NOT spiraled, so trying to rotate the tick out
doesn't provide any advantage and may actually promote breaking off the
head thereby leaving it in your skin.
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Squishing
a tick is NOT recommended. This
will likely expose you directly to whatever diseases the tick is carrying. |
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If the tick was NOT imbedded, drop it into alcohol (not your
buddy's beer) or a campfire to kill it. Flushing a tick down the
toilet WILL NOT KILL IT. Don't
forget to wash your hands afterwards. |
Infections
or abscesses
Chances
are there will be an infection or an abscess in a week or so if you have left
the head of the tick in your skin. In
this case, retry disinfecting the area thoroughly with alcohol and see
a doctor as soon as possible.
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