Ticks falling from the sky !!! 😳

[Rickster]

Yes literally ticks were falling from the sky yesterday! The local mts here have hundreds and hundreds of deer taxis’s , I mean they are EVERYWHERE ! It’s getting so bad with ticks now I am starting to hesitate going out… Yesterday I got so hot I took off my gear and shirt. Within 5 minutes I had 3 ticks land on me without even moving! They were falling from the sky , there was no trees anywhere near where I was !! It’s getting stupid already. I stood and picked off a total of 23 , yes 23 ticks that I could find. This is happening Every time I’m out riding or hiking. I come home and completely strip and put my clothes in the washer and jump in the shower. I have found ticks still attached after showering and even the next day in the house So far I found only one buried into my hip two days later. I do not like DEET especially when you sweat and the entire body would have to be covered. The only answer I can see is that the Bambi’s need massive thinning out country wide as this isn’t just a local problem. Is it just a matter of time before I get one with lymes ? My family doesn’t even want me to go out there now it’s so bad. We know of at least three people in the immediate area whose lives have been changed forever because of lymes… maybe it’s time to go back to being a roadie and just fight with exhast fumes and vehicles. What are you guys doing beyond the obvious?

 

[B1rdie]

I use long sleeves and legs, do not stop, take shower…
But when its not enough I take ivermectin. One pill is enough for a month of protection.

 

[urastus]

From one of my fb posts a while ago re tick:

"We've been mountain biking. Got home, and I found this thing in my head. I had a couple of spills trying to get over this one obstacle, my left foot won't come out and over I go rolling around in the dirt. It was a tick. Gail pulled so hard with tweezers I could feel the skin lifting off my skull - I was amazed. She put him on a piece of paper so that I could check him out with a magnifying glass to see if he still had a head. Five minutes later he's mobile and walking around! Scary little fuckers - we should give them little guns and put them in the army."

 

[Tim1023]

Tweezers not the best tool as you can end up squirting their gut contents back into your bloodstream. Keep an eye out for the dreaded bullseye rash around the wound. Straight to the doctor if you see it

We have cats and use these extremely effectively. Just place the hooked part under the tick and twist:

You can probably find something similar in pet stores / chemists near you

 

[DrStupid]

I feel your pain, and basically live in the woods.

Not all in the link below is relevant to MTB, but a fair amount of information is in the article.

The Best Clothing, Chemicals, and Sprays to Prevent Tick and Chigger Bites

The best way to keep ticks, chiggers, and other disease-spreading insects off of you is to use either chemicals, or bug resistant clothing. Here, we cover some helpful products along with the best way to apply DEET for maximum protection.

www.fieldandstream.com

Use waterproof riding socks during tick season wet or dry. This also keeps most of the ivy, thorns, and thistles away too. Shoes and the riding socks get sprayed with permethrin every two weeks, let dry as per instructions. Wear full length stretch pants under shorts, long sleeve cycling shirts, spray deet around neck and wrist.

As soon as the ride is over, It all gets peeled off outside, and then goes directly in the dryer for 20 minutes to desiccate the ticks, shower off the deet.

 

[JimBo]

Tweezers not the best tool as you can end up squirting their gut contents back into your bloodstream. Keep an eye out for the dreaded bullseye rash around the wound. Straight to the doctor if you see it

We have cats and use these extremely effectively. Just place the hooked part under the tick and twist:
View attachment 85014

You can probably find something similar in pet stores / chemists near you

Those tick pullers are great. As someone who's had Lyme Disease, however, I can say for sure that the bullseye rash can appear elsewhere than the bite site, but also only appears in ~70% of Lyme cases.

 

[lumpy]

Spraying your clothes with Permethrin helps

 

[Rickster]

Guys thanks for the suggestions and comments but taking pills and spraying down with chemicals just doesn’t work that well. One of the biggest problems I have is Preventing them from getting everywhere. It’s impossible to find every single tick that hitches onto you. I have found them in my truck, in my bed in my house, on my pets. We had company over and they had one crawling on their arm obviously from the couch. I have pulled clothes out of the dryer after being washed two days later and they are still alive ! It’s really getting too be too much. Riding but not stopping, don’t dare put my pack down, find them in my helmet or cap a week later still active. Riding and hiking now instead of being chill n fun now has become a tick vigil. When clothed from top to bottom in 35-40c temps the fun is slowly draining out. I am not exaggerating, clothes n socks give the ticks something to latch onto plus you can’t feel them crawling. With bare legs I at least feel them moving. They always seem to climb upwards and pulling them off becomes difficult if you don’t see/feel them right away. I certainly don’t have the answers but I am now putting my entire family, friends and pets at risk. Riding used to be my love n life now tick scouring has become an obsession that I have no control over except not to go anymore until winter.

 

[urastus]

Tweezers not the best tool as you can end up squirting their gut contents back into your bloodstream. Keep an eye out for the dreaded bullseye rash around the wound. Straight to the doctor if you see it

We have cats and use these extremely effectively. Just place the hooked part under the tick and twist:
View attachment 85014

You can probably find something similar in pet stores / chemists near you

our ticks (australia) are probably different. Yes, you're not meant to use tweezers or anything that squeezes or pulls - their heads can get left behind. I think all our ticks have tiny heads - really small heads. We don't get lyme disease, but some ticks can cause paralysis. Burning or smothering in vaseline, the idea being that you get the tick to leave of it's own volition .

 

[Tim1023]

Just about everything in Australia is different! Full of the weird and wonderful. Can't comment if either of those applies to you

 

[Tim1023]

Those tick pullers are great. As someone who's had Lyme Disease, however, I can say for sure that the bullseye rash can appear elsewhere than the bite site, but also only appears in ~70% of Lyme cases.

Interesting. Good to know. Hope you don't have any lingering affects from it.

 

[The Hodge]

Apart from giving consideration to moving to a different country..
This is the best repellant I've used ..I have never had to pull a tick ( touch wood )..some say that I've bad blood !

Stingfree

Human - Stingfree.

ballistol.de

 

[apac]

There was a woman on the tv the other day who had long term Lymes disease from ticks. Nasty business.

 

[steve_sordy]

I use Jungle Formula Max strength (50% DEET). It repels mosquitos, midges and ticks. That is what JF say, but in my personal experience it also repels just about any insect that flies or crawls in the UK. I have also been to Malaysia, Singapore, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Sydney & Brisbane Australia and South Carolina USA. Neither my wife nor I got bitten.

I also travelled on business all over Europe and never got bitten either, except in Austria when I forget to apply my JF and got eaten alive during the night. The room was not air conditioned and I left my window open as it was too hot. I drifted off to sleep to the sound of millions of frogs chirping (that should have been a clue - what were they feeding on and what body of water were they living in?) Each bite looked like half a large black grape had been inserted under the skin. Not pretty but they faded in 24 hours without ill-effect.

 

[DrStupid]

Guys thanks for the suggestions and comments but taking pills and spraying down with chemicals just doesn’t work that well. One of the biggest problems I have is Preventing them from getting everywhere. It’s impossible to find every single tick that hitches onto you. I have found them in my truck, in my bed in my house, on my pets. We had company over and they had one crawling on their arm obviously from the couch. I have pulled clothes out of the dryer after being washed two days later and they are still alive ! It’s really getting too be too much. Riding but not stopping, don’t dare put my pack down, find them in my helmet or cap a week later still active. Riding and hiking now instead of being chill n fun now has become a tick vigil. When clothed from top to bottom in 35-40c temps the fun is slowly draining out. I am not exaggerating, clothes n socks give the ticks something to latch onto plus you can’t feel them crawling. With bare legs I at least feel them moving. They always seem to climb upwards and pulling them off becomes difficult if you don’t see/feel them right away. I certainly don’t have the answers but I am now putting my entire family, friends and pets at risk. Riding used to be my love n life now tick scouring has become an obsession that I have no control over except not to go anymore until winter.

The single best defense I have found, excluding the use of chemicals, is skin-tight Lycra or Dryfit under garments.

Also, if ticks are coming out of the dryer alive, your dryer is broke or your doing it wrong.Heat from a clothes dryer generally does not kill ticks. Desiccation inside the dryer kills ticks. To desiccate, dry gear goes in the dryer for 10- 20 minutes.

I don't bring my gear in the house unless its in a bug bag, my bugbag is just a beach bag with a zipper. Riding gear goes from bugbag to dryer.

 

[Binhill1]

Yes literally ticks were falling from the sky yesterday! The local mts here have hundreds and hundreds of deer taxis’s , I mean they are EVERYWHERE ! It’s getting so bad with ticks now I am starting to hesitate going out… Yesterday I got so hot I took off my gear and shirt. Within 5 minutes I had 3 ticks land on me without even moving! They were falling from the sky , there was no trees anywhere near where I was !! It’s getting stupid already. I stood and picked off a total of 23 , yes 23 ticks that I could find. This is happening Every time I’m out riding or hiking. I come home and completely strip and put my clothes in the washer and jump in the shower. I have found ticks still attached after showering and even the next day in the house So far I found only one buried into my hip two days later. I do not like DEET especially when you sweat and the entire body would have to be covered. The only answer I can see is that the Bambi’s need massive thinning out country wide as this isn’t just a local problem. Is it just a matter of time before I get one with lymes ? My family doesn’t even want me to go out there now it’s so bad. We know of at least three people in the immediate area whose lives have been changed forever because of lymes… maybe it’s time to go back to being a roadie and just fight with exhast fumes and vehicles. What are you guys doing beyond the obvious?

I get loads as I hill walk and camp in Scotland. Not so easy to find some are tiny . Got 3 in February once. Soon be midgie time here that's a nightmare , tried every lotion invented but they just loove my rich blood.

 

[Raffe]

I use long sleeves and legs, do not stop, take shower…
But when its not enough I take ivermectin. One pill is enough for a month of protection.

Interesting! Do you mean that Ivermectin works like a tic repellent?

 

[JimBo]

Interesting. Good to know. Hope you don't have any lingering affects from it.

Unfortunately I do. It's a big reason I got into pedal assist - I was hike-a-biking too many climbs. eMTBs saved my sanity, maybe even my life

 

[B1rdie]

Interesting! Do you mean that Ivermectin works like a tic repellent?

No, it remains in the human blood for one month and is toxic for the ticks, so that the ones that get to punctur the skin die before they can fix.
I only use it when the trails around are really infested, because I do not like the idea of having this “venom” on my bloodstream but it is very common on veterinary application.
Also, people have been taking ivermectin on a dayli basis to “prevent covid” and surviving so it must not be so bad…
I have said before that a pill would last for one month of protection, but in fact, a dose will depend on body weight and that means a few pills, not only one.

 

[Binhill1]

Unfortunately I do. It's a big reason I got into pedal assist - I was hike-a-biking too many climbs. eMTBs saved my sanity, maybe even my life

Invermectin sounds like it could be a Scottish town near Inveralachy

 

[Zimmerframe]

Invermectin sounds like it could be a Scottish town near Inveralachy

I thought you would say it reminded you of a chance encounter with a young lady, a long long time ago on a cold windy day, when you managed to charm her into the wrinkly tin mechanics shed.

When telling your mates about it later, you told em you "toook er In ver Mec tin, nay once, nay twice, but trice !"

 

[Binhill1]

I thought you would say it reminded you of a chance encounter with a young lady, a long long time ago on a cold windy day, when you managed to charm her into the wrinkly tin mechanics shed.

When telling your mates about it later, you told em you "toook er In ver Mec tin, nay once, nay twice, but trice !"

Found out again , not much gets past you .

 

[soundwave]

But when its not enough I take ivermectin. One pill is enough for a month of protection.

You count on this? A quick google search shows no data to support this, actually to the contrary.

 

[B1rdie]

You count on this? A quick google search shows no data to support this, actually to the contrary.

Nah… its april 1st joke

Seriously, I’m just kidding.

In fact, I guess it depends on the formulation. But I would not give this to my dogs, this is cheap $20,00 ivermectin and the ones formulated for dogs cost $200,00.
This is sold without the need of prescription and is widely used on rural population:

 

[Tim1023]

Interesting! Do you mean that Ivermectin works like a tic repellent?

Seems to work like a brain repellent for Trump fans.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Coming out of winter, I always found here in New Jersey, USA, that the first warmish-days results in a mass of tick hatchings and/or coming out from their winter slumber. Then, after a week or two, tick sightings begin to ease, only to explode again mid summer. Just an observation, nothing scientific!

Permethrin like the poster Lumpy above stated, is used in treating your clothes and is good for several wash cycles. It pretty much kills the critters before they have a chance to burrow into you. Mind you, treating your riding clothes does not mean you spritz wet permethrin before you go out riding. It is washed into your clothes, which are then allowed to dry.

Lyme disease is nothing to trivial with; if we ride in tick country we have to use any and all means to prevent from getting swarmed by them.

 

[urastus]

Geez, we have it good. One tick in about 20 years and reasonably dry tracks all year round. I have seen more snakes than ever before this summer but I have no problem with them.

 

[urastus]

Nah… its april 1st joke

Seriously, I’m just kidding.

In fact, I guess it depends on the formulation. But I would not give this to my dogs, this is cheap $20,00 ivermectin and the ones formulated for dogs cost $200,00.
This is sold without the need of prescription and is widely used on rural population:
View attachment 85296

I would not be surprised if that $20 med is every bit as good as the $200 med. Business is business and will take advantage of perceptions based on ignorance. A 5x profit just based on a label change would be considered very good business. This cheapy has 6mg of ivermectin - compare that with the $200 dose and administer accordingly.

 

[Waynemarlow]

I get bitten by every horse fly within a mile and are now beginning to react to the bites as I've been bitten so many times. I was recommended to start taking a course of vitamin B1in the Spring and it seems to work really well, surprisingly well, I can only recommend give it a go, it may work with ticks as well.

Taking Vitamin B1 shown to prevent insect bites and stings

Vitamin B1, also called Thiamine is a water soluble vitamin that when taken in excess is excreted in your urine or through your skin when you sweat. Sweating out excess thiamine through the skin may offer some protection against mosquitoes and other insects. Find out more.

www.justvitamins.co.uk

 

[Tim1023]

First thought was "ah interesting" as my wife gets bitten a lot. Then I saw the website and thought "uh-oh, sounds a bit alt-'med' to me", also not entirely unbiased.

Pubmed is a pretty good source for scientific medical research. The conclusion from a study there is that some people simply taste better than others to mossies, but consuming vitamin B doesn't make any difference. I would guess that's also the case for horse flies, but couldn't (quickly) find any scientific studies.

While taking excessive amounts of some forms of vitamin B can be harmful, there appears to be no current conclusive research to suggest B1 (thiamin) would do much to you other than cost money. See report from the NHS.