Tick Talk

SD51555

5 year old buck +
@Foggy47 finding ticks and some conversation there got me to thinking we've got to have the tick talk again. There's nothing new in the tick world, but it's always a good topic to see how others deal with them.

I used to be a dip-everything-in-permethrin guy. I've since gravitated away from that. Not a believer in the three letter agencies and their blessings of what is safe or what they've been paid for which to not find problems. No, I go the all natural route now.

*Avoid high tick areas - Tall grass, tall brush. Stay on trails and keep those trails mowed wide and short. This includes overhanging brush. I whack anything I can reach with the silky. My standard is to be able to go down a given trail and never have to touch anything. If I see something crowding, I stop and deal with it immediately. Do not give an inch back. This includes walking trails, ATV trails, and even vehicle trails. I don't want a single leaf touching my vehicle on those trails. This also includes keeping your trails smooth. You cannot effectively mow a rutted up trail.

*Check yourself often - If you just went through a high probability area, as soon as you get out the other side, check your latch points. Much easier to flick them off when they're running. Check yourself at the end of the day, every day.

*Have good tick PPE - calf high rubber boots. Ticks don't seem to want anything to do with grabbing onto rubber in my area. That covers me in ankle deep grass and hides denim onto which that they'd otherwise latch. Have a good full length mirror available at the end of the day so you can do the twirl and check for ticks on your back and other areas you cannot see. They're pretty cheap at any big box store. High contrast colored clothing helps keep those ticks visible as well. Short sleeves also help keep your latch point feelings. I was rooting around in a trailer load of sawdust last weekend and had two ticks grab onto my arms. Because I had short sleeves on, I felt/found them right way before they got up to my shoulders.

*Get a haircut you friggen hippy - If it's tick season, it's probably hot. Unless you've got visions of being a professional wrestler, get a haircut.

*Quarantine your woodland clothing - I keep all my outdoor clothes in the garage. I only go into the cabin in socks and underwear, and I head straight to the mirror. This helps to avoid that awkard 2am, "what's crawling up my back" sensation. When you bring your woodland clothing home, straight to the washing machine with it. Don't let them crawl out of your bag and wander around your home.

*Know the height of tick season in your area - In my neck of the woods, it's thaw through July. After July, they've mostly found a home, and their incidence drops off quite a bit. They're still out there, but you won't get the high numbers like there were in spring.

*Get your dirty work done outside of tick season if you can - Thankfully, winter puts all bugs to bed in the northland. I can get all up in and over anything I want when it's frozen outside.

Have a plan, and execute it. Alpha gal, lime disease, and those TV commercials that start with "If you used insect repellents with permetrin in them and now have one of these 5 cancers, you may be entitled to compensation" are things I never want to experience. You shouldn't either.
 
Most of the risk from permethrin is when it is liquid.. and let’s be honest, it has less of a chance of giving me cancer than the plastics we use for plumbing/clothing/and food storage do of disrupting my hormones…
I apply it to clothing with proper PPE and allow to fully dry. Run it through a light wash and dry again… Then I watch the ticks die as they try to find a way off of me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have a few sets of dedicated clothing for use on my land and keep them in an enclosed plastic "closet" shelving unit we picked up somewhere along the line. I use a permethrin spray on my clothing and leave them to dry outside before storing in the closet. The odors in that closet seem to permeate everything inside.

We have an attached garage on our home......so I usually undress in the garage....leaving those tick clothes out there. Or, they go directly to the laundry.

I think the permethrin clothing takes care of about 80% of the normal tick issues I have otherwise.....but I still do inspections. I use a handheld mirror to inspect my back side and underside as well as a full length mirror. Still.....a few times each year I wake up with a tick crawling on me in the middle of the night. Only had one imbedded in the past 15 years or so.....and that one was of concern so I did some medication for it.

I keep a "pocket comb/brush" in my truck and will go thru my hair when done working. It's one of those flexible plastic "pads" with lots of little teeth on one side. They are cheap and effective.

I have a chemical called Talstar which I have applied with my spray unit. I plan to use it again this year as soon as it dries up here. I go around the perimeter of my buildings and will do yard areas. I have a respirator and will wear this when spraying this product. Not sure how necessary the respirator is......but don't like breathing any sprays I can smell.

I also use some barn "fly spray" from fleet farm....which contains permethrin. I spray my tractor and UTV with this stuff. I put a small can in my boat too.....and when horse flys are bad.....I will spray the floor in the boat. Really effective.

I have been mowing less in the past years on my trails......as I like the cover the tall grasses provide for deer and critters (other than the ticks).
 
Last edited:
Wrapping your permethrin treated pant legs to your shoes/boots with duct tape will take care of the small percentage of ticks that make it up your leg before the permethrin gets them.
 
Wrapping your permethrin treated pant legs to your shoes/boots with duct tape will take care of the small percentage of ticks that make it up your leg before the permethrin gets them.

I tuck my pants into my rubber boots for this reason. It is MUCH hotter on your feet, but forces the ticks onto the treated clothing.

I also wear long T-shirts so that they stay well tucked in. That way they can’t get to skin at my waist line either. I have yet to have a tick make it to my neck line with this setup, and that is the first skin they can access.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have a hot mixture of permethrin mixed and I’ve watched ticks crawl right up my leg despite that. Pulled 9 off me last week in my truck riding home.
 
 
Since I find most of mine around my head and neck area I wonder how many fall which by the way is called tenting on me
 
I got angry today. Because of all the rain, my trails aren't in shape enough to mow, and I've got grasses getting high. i walked the property today to check water levels and see what's growing. I ended up with a tick on my shoulder and another on my back 3 hours after I got out of the woods. Neither had dug in, but that's 4 now that have made skin this year. I am going to stay out of the woods until I can get those trails properly mowed. I have no desire to risk getting any plum island diseases.
 
I got angry today. Because of all the rain, my trails aren't in shape enough to mow, and I've got grasses getting high. i walked the property today to check water levels and see what's growing. I ended up with a tick on my shoulder and another on my back 3 hours after I got out of the woods. Neither had dug in, but that's 4 now that have made skin this year. I am going to stay out of the woods until I can get those trails properly mowed. I have no desire to risk getting any plum island diseases.

This kind of stuff sucks. We haven’t been fishing down on the creek in a couple years now. Last time I did, I walked out with literal hundreds of tiny seed ticks all over me. Getting a proper trail mowed there would require access from the neighbors which I will not be able to acquire. Good fishing spot too…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I get ticks almost daily and thats probably why in my family we have had multiple cases lyme and RMSF.I try to use sawyers whenever in much brush now
 
I must be a magnet because I got four on me between Monday and Tuesday and was pleased because that didn’t seem like a lot.
 
I have a hot mixture of permethrin mixed and I’ve watched ticks crawl right up my leg despite that. Pulled 9 off me last week in my truck riding home.

I would consider buying a new batch. I have watched the curl up and die when they couldn’t get off in time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Just walked to look at a field real quick in shorts. Down a road and 10 yards throw some higher stuff. Pulled 7 off me.
 
Now that I have my sprayer operational (and if it will stop raining for a few days) I plan to spray around my shed and cabin with permethrin.....and possibly with Talstar too. You could spray your main trails with the permethrin.....and it would not break the bank. I did spray with Talstar a few years back....and that was quite effective. I think Talstar is what the pro's use to control mosquitos in peoples yards.

Mosquito's are really bad by me this year.....and I do plan to spray around my home with Talstar.

Can anybody provide any results from spraying outdoor areas with permethrin?
 
Now that I have my sprayer operational (and if it will stop raining for a few days) I plan to spray around my shed and cabin with permethrin.....and possibly with Talstar too. You could spray your main trails with the permethrin.....and it would not break the bank. I did spray with Talstar a few years back....and that was quite effective. I think Talstar is what the pro's use to control mosquitos in peoples yards.

Mosquito's are really bad by me this year.....and I do plan to spray around my home with Talstar.

Can anybody provide any results from spraying outdoor areas with permethrin?
Had a buddy drone spray permethrin for mosquitos and it worked initially. Bifen may be better. Think it can stand up to elements better?
 
Stay out of the woods because you find a couple ticks? Lol
Ok , Nancy
 
Had a buddy drone spray permethrin for mosquitos and it worked initially. Bifen may be better. Think it can stand up to elements better?
Even for residential yards, I can never get behind broadcast application of insecticide. Can’t be good.
 
Even for residential yards, I can never get behind broadcast application of insecticide. Can’t be good.
I feel like it would have a negative impact on my quail and what little turkey I have. Not for me
 
Walked about 20 yards into some thick stuff to check out a paw paw grove and had a dozen or so tiny ticks on me. Ridiculous. Luckily I had on permethrin soaked clothes. Later, there were two that had attached under my shirt, but they were dead.
 
Back
Top