HELP - Ticks everywhere

[Explorer624]

I went camping on a small island up near the Isle of Skye last week with my two girls. After getting back off the island I started noticing the Ticks all over my girls. They were so small they were barely recognisable as ticks. Both girls had at least 40-50 tiny ticks all over them. It took hours to get them off. Every day afterwards I'd find a few more.
It's now been a week since the camping happened. I thought I'd do a neater pack job on the tent. Within a short time I was covered by very active tiny ticks. Every time I simply placed a hand on the tent I'd pick up a new one.
How do I get rid of them????

 

[Limaed]

Not much you can do I'm afraid - I had a similar situation a few years ago, where I was literally brushing them off my trousers. I think all you can do is cover up followed by regular inspections along with trying to avoid long foliage (none of these things are easy in summer). I guess you could also try spraying your clothing with insect replant although some of it is nasty stuff.

I've been getting ticks for years - its something you have to live with if you like being outdoors in summer. Just make sure you read up on the various signs & symptoms associated with ailments like Lymm's Disease then if you or the kids get ill after a bite you can get appropriate treatment. Also buy some proper tweezers or tick card so you can get them out cleanly.

 

[Explorer624]

Thanks Limaed,
Been keeping an eye on the kids. It's been therapeutic picking them off. Especially for the kids attacking me with tweezers.
My concern at the moment aside of Lymes disease. Is that every time I use the tent I'm going to get attacked by these little critters. I've sorted my clothing out through the tumble dryer but can't obviously put the tent through to kill em.

 

[starsailor]

I don't know much about tents (yet) - but could you put it in the freezer? That should kill them if it's possible.

The best removal method I found for my dog, btw, was surgical spirit on a paper towel - the tick will instantly withdraw and you're certain to get all the bits out.

 

[Robson Valley]

You might get all the mechanical bits out but not before the tick pukes up a stew of nasty arboviruses.

Ticks can wait for months for a new host. That tent does not ever belong in the house.
Starsailor is quite right with the freezing treatment but over and over again = freeze/thaw.
They don't have the biochemistry to cope with repeated sudden & profound temperature changes.

 

[Nice65]

Buy the tick tools, don't use tweezers, surgical spirit, hot match heads, cigarettes etc. An antiseptic wipe after removal wouldn't be a bad idea either.

http://www.otom.com/en/

For the tent, I'm not sure. I'm the sort of person that would empty a can of Raid and Ant spray on it and air it a few days. Or do a Fabsil which ought to seal the ticks breathing apparatus and help waterproof your tent.

 

[Toddy]

Huge bin bag (or empty your black rubbish bin and use that) put the tent into it and squirt fly spray. Close the bag or the bin and leave the whole thing alone for a day.

Open it up on hardstanding somewhere and spray again and bag it again.
The problem is that the tent is waterproof, and unless you can actually put it up somewhere where the blighters will not crawl off and find another host, you're going to have issues getting them all with the spray. Sealing it in a huge bin bag (the ones for lining wheelies are excellent for this) gives the spray time to kill the wee blighters.

If your bathroom is a wet room you could clear that, spray the tent inside and out (wrap your face! don't breath the stuff if you can avoid it) and then just wash the whole thing off, and the ticks, down the drain. Drape it overnight to dry off a bit then hang it outside to finish the job.
If it's a huge tent though …..not easy.

Best of luck with it.

M

 

[Leshy]

Buy the tick tools, don't use tweezers, surgical spirit, hot match heads, cigarettes etc. An antiseptic wipe after removal wouldn't be a bad idea either.

http://www.otom.com/en/

For the tent, I'm not sure. I'm the sort of person that would empty a can of Raid and Ant spray on it and air it a few days. Or do a Fabsil which ought to seal the ticks breathing apparatus and help waterproof your tent.

+1 for Otom tick tool

Proper job.

Fabsil ? brilliant!

 

[didicoy]

These ticks sound horrific. Especially if they start to put kids off of wild camping. Just an idea, try purchasing one of those insect (fly paper) sickly pads and placing it/them on the erected tent floor may catch a few of them when camping. http://www.thesafetysupplycompany.c...W5vCtwiP_wykYW7g6B7FV7di3SS5_vNsaAsklEALw_wcB

 

[Explorer624]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts on this.
I think I might go for all of the above solutions. Freeze them. Bug spray them with the tent in a bin bag followed by a good fabsil session.
I've just got to be careful handling the tent in the mean time. If I brush my hand along any part of the tent at the moment I have loads of the critters all over my hands. The problem is they're so small you cannot see them on the tent.

 

[clydeman]

Must admit worked on farms and in forestry for a good part of my life and don't ever remember getting or seeing any ticks on myself or others,often had to pluck them from my collies ,
Only thing I can think of is that I have so much chemicals in my system from dosing sheep they just don't like my blood..or as my grandson says they don't like old fart blood...cheeky sod.
Anyway,recently due to all the talk on facebook about ticks I bought a product that is supposed to kill ticks on contact,you just spray it on your tent....think it lasts seven hours...since lost the bottle...but as others say try cover up as much as poss and use sprays...best of luck with your tick problem and hope you find a answer soon

 

[Tonyuk]

Must admit worked on farms and in forestry for a good part of my life and don't ever remember getting or seeing any ticks on myself or others,often had to pluck them from my collies ,
Only thing I can think of is that I have so much chemicals in my system from dosing sheep they just don't like my blood..or as my grandson says they don't like old fart blood...cheeky sod.
Anyway,recently due to all the talk on facebook about ticks I bought a product that is supposed to kill ticks on contact,you just spray it on your tent....think it lasts seven hours...since lost the bottle...but as others say try cover up as much as poss and use sprays...best of luck with your tick problem and hope you find a answer soon

Your probably thinking of permethrin, which kills them when the walk on treated fabric. Its nasty stuff however when not diluted so you would need to be careful handling it.

Tonyuk

 

[stevec]

"skito-stop" from nikwax(possibly) is permethrin based, you could do the bin bag thing, take the spray head off the bottle and pour it in and give it a good mosh about, that would have the benifits of killing the little blighters and proofing your tent from them for next time.

hope it gets ssorted

steve

 

[Imagedude]

If I had a tick infestation in my tent I'd put it in a vacuum chamber, I assume even ticks need oxygen to survive.

 

[Polecatsteve]

Ticks are a pain in the hoop. Always get covered in them so do the dogs. Problem is 10 fold further north you go. They need moist conditions and only the females bite (and need to to lay eggs). They also die quite fast in dry warm conditions. IE indoors. I assume your tent has been rolled up in its bag? Open it up. Let it air and dry, don't go near it for a week or so and they will die off without food sources (you and your kids) or dog..

I sympathise. I hate them!

 

[dwardo]

I am a permethrin convert.

Some say its nasty stuff in concentrate but so are many over the counter chemicals. It has a license.

I did lot of research before using the stuff and I am happy with what I found. Used correctly it does its job very well. Soaking the whole tent would ensure the little bleeders die.

Also its not like DEET which melts stuff. It is perfectly safe to use on any type of clothing and plastics. Just be careful and remember that it is very persistent in soil and especially bad for equatic life in high concentration so careful where you treat your clothing. I did mine in the garage with plenty of ventilation. Once dry its safe. According to the bumpf it will last several washes so no need to keep re-applying either.

 

[grip]

Depending on the quality of the tent i would burn it and put it down as a learning experience. One things for sure they wont survive fire. As for ticks on you get one of the tick forks mentioned earlier they work a treat.

 

[Nice65]

I'm not sure where my post went, or maybe I didn't post it correctly.

You mention these ticks are tiny. Have a look at this pic of deer ticks. It may be you have larva or nymphs. Adults are fairly easy to see.

 

[Trig]

Me and my dog got covered earlier in the year a few times, first time ive had any bother with ticks.
But when researching them, i read that in a house environment/temperature without feeding, a tick will survive less than 24 hours. 3 days or so if in a bundle of moist clothes/tent etc

Was this wrong?

 

[Blundstoned Love]

When our cat got fleas we got some stuff from the vets to spray the house carpets, because we got the fleas off the cat, but the buggers were indoors and kept appearing - it nixed them straight away - that should do the biz on the tent.

BTW you can buyt similar products from pet stores/supermarkets and they do NOT work - just stink. And are in way smaller tins.