What's your anti-tick regime in camp?

[Gotte]

I'm camping in deep and sheep territory soon, and am trying to work out in my head the best way to avoid ticks.

Do you take your boots etc into the tent, and risk carrying ticks in, or leave them outside and risk ticks getting into/onto kit.

That said, I'm only assuming ticks will move (say you have one on clothing and bring it into your tent).

What's the general rule for the little buggers?

 

[HHazeldean]

I HATE ticks, I once went to the New Forest for the weekend and came back with 11 of the little buggers on me in various places.

To tell the truth, I honestly don't know the answer to your question, but I suppose prevention is better than treatment.

 

[treefrog]

Nikwax Skitostop for fabrics contains permethrin and good for spraying on trousers and tents/sleeping bags to keep the little at bay.

 

[Miyagi]

Andybysea is your absolute authority in this regard.

What he doesn't know about ticks wouldn't fit on the back of one.

Liam

 

[Ronnie]

Tucking your trousers into your socks and leaving your boots outside is one method. But to be honest I don't think that any kind of decontamination regime will work that well - if they're around and you're yomping through the grasses, you will pick them up.

The most important thing is to give yourself a good inspection of an evening and pull out all offending beasties. I recommend the Tick Twister, NHS Highland now uses this tool as well.

You shouldn't see ay ticks until May at the earliest in the UK.

 

[Shewie]

Andybysea is your absolute authority in this regard.

What he doesn't know about ticks wouldn't fit on the back of one.

Liam

Just don't ask him about the overalls

Permethrin is the way to go, Nomad Travel sell some good stuff in a spray bottle, I've had good results with it for the last couple of years having only picked up one on our Loch Sheil trip last summer.
http://www.nomadtravel.co.uk/catalog/browse/clothing-treatment/bugproof-clothing-treatment


I've heard good things about this stuff recently, a quick chat with Toddy makes me think it might be worth trying this year ...
http://www.bada-uk.org/products/tickrepellent.php

 

[ex member coconino]

Boots always outside anyway, who wants stinky boots in their tent? Put a couple of sticks in the ground and up-end your boots on them. Also helps to keep them free of slugs, snails, etc. and they don't fill with water if it rains.

 

[Gailainne]

Talking to various people, I'm going to go with the wash in and spray permethrin regime this year; clothes, and hammock/netting, I'm a magnet for them, my worst time was 19 embedded over the course of one weekend, who knows how many I removed before they had a chance to chomp down. I don't have a problem with them as such, its more the diseases they carry, Lymes for example. Its mostly the tiny little ones I get, it makes them hard to remove, I've found the swiss army knife tweezers works great with the tiny ones.

 

[maddave]

Little buggers make me shudder

 

[locum76]

Drink whisky, ignore the tickles and get the nurse (swmbo) to pick 'em off when I get home.

 

[big_swede]

I don't have any regimes. I seldom get ticks. Have only gotten 3 in my life, when I did my service we trained in some of the worst tick infested areas of sweden, I was the only one who didn't get any. Maybe because I eat a lot of garlic?

I once got a Deer fly on me forearm. It was weird, apparently quite rare that people get bitten, at least here. The whole forearm got inflammated and I had a swelling the size of half a peach locally around the bite. They are tough ********, hard to remove from clothes and hair. I couldn't get the whole bugger out, the head was attached for quite some time. Took a good three weeks for my arm to get back to normal. Itching like crazy. Good thing about the story was that I bought a hammock, and won't be sleeping often on the ground again.

Ticks < Deer fly

 

[spoony]

this works for me
http://www.autan.co.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1

 

[Gailainne]

I tried Autan last year Spoony, was alright against the midges, didn't seem to effect the ticks, and that was sprayed on my clothes and my skin. Shrug I might give it another go this year, I still have 2 and a bit left, (3 for 2) in boots so may as well use it

 

[bgbushman1]

Not gone any way of preventing them but the shepherds here in Bulgaria dowse them with the local moonshine (Rakia) which removes them without leaving the head and cleans the bite which accelllerates the healing proccess. Hope this helps.

 

[_mark_]

Lemon essential oil!

 

[santaman2000]

Don't really know any way to avoid ticks; especially if you're near pine trees. I do keep my vaccinations current though.

 

[Ronnie]

I've found deer fly crawling on me loads of times, they cling to your skin with those little grabby legs and need to be pulled off. I've never got bitten by one though. That sounds deeply unpleasant.

I once got a Deer fly on me forearm. It was weird, apparently quite rare that people get bitten, at least here. The whole forearm got inflammated and I had a swelling the size of half a peach locally around the bite. They are tough ********, hard to remove from clothes and hair. I couldn't get the whole bugger out, the head was attached for quite some time. Took a good three weeks for my arm to get back to normal. Itching like crazy. Good thing about the story was that I bought a hammock, and won't be sleeping often on the ground again.

Ticks < Deer fly

 

[Nonsuch]

I loathe deerfly - I think we also call them keds and the Fins call them mooseflies. Once in your hair only a nit comb will remove them

 

[big_swede]

I loathe deerfly - I think we also call them keds and the Fins call them mooseflies. Once in your hair only a nit comb will remove them

We call them moose flea here. The strange thing is that they land quite high on you and immidiately start crawling downwards on your body. Strange behaviour.

 

[spoony]

We call them moose flea here. The strange thing is that they land quite high on you and immidiately start crawling downwards on your body. Strange behaviour.

what do they do?bite? do they carry any nasties?