[Ron Fontaine]

Erickmo's post on being bitten by a tick reminds me of the proper method of removing a tick that is attached to your body.

When a tick embeds itself into your skin, remove it with tweezers buy grasping the tick as close to its head as possible. If you squeeze the ticks body you may force fluids from the tick and into your body.

You also do not want to burn the tick or smother it with grease as this could cause the tick to release fluids into your body.

Symptoms of potential tick-born illness:

• Pain, swelling, redness, or warmth around the area.
• Red streaks leading from the area.
• Pus draining from the area.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, or groin.
• Fever or chills.

Rash, headache, joint pain, fever, or flu-like symptoms could mean you have an illness related to a tick bite.

Until the local climate warmed up a bit (global warming?) we had no ticks here in the mountains of northern NH - or at least ticks were so rare as to remarkable when one was found. Now the range of ticks has moved north, some years you can get a hundred on you when walking through vegetation just a short distance.

The local wildlife is suffering from ticks. A moose was recently found with 97,000 ticks on it. The moose had rubbed its fur off attempting to remove the ticks, and as a result it died of exposure.

[LaRemnant]

97,000??? Now THERE's a pest I SERIOUSLY think we could do without. I mean really, what creatures eat them, or what benefit do they provide nature? Do they have a purpose?

[AlpineZone]

Not to mention lyme disease. Here is a good link for proper removal of ticks. I have always just dug them out myself like digging out a sliver or thorn. Then treat the area with antiseptic to wash it, neosporin to treat for pain, antibacterial problems, then cover with a 3X3 with silk tape. BTW, they kind of look like a blackhead while embedded in the skin except the blackness is shaped a little diffrently and doesn't come to a volcanic type head. Hope this was useful.

How to Remove a Tick

[AlpineZone]

Originally Posted by LaRemnant

97,000??? Now THERE's a pest I SERIOUSLY think we could do without. I mean really, what creatures eat them, or what benefit do they provide nature? Do they have a purpose?

Birds love ticks. In some places around the world its there primary food supply. Another thing about ticks is you know the ecosystem is not good in certain areas if things are NOT effected with tick infestations.

[LaRemnant]

Originally Posted by AlpineZone

Birds love ticks. In some places around the world its there primary food supply. Another thing about ticks is you know the ecosystem is not good in certain areas if things are NOT effected with tick infestations.

Interesting! Tell me, how do you know the ecosystem is not good if there isn't a tick infestation? What does that mean?

ThanX!

[heysmithy]

Interesting that you should bring that up, because it relates to the best way to keep ticks away: chickens. They eat ticks. If you have a few acres of fenced in land, and no dogs, chickens are an excellent way to keep your land tick free. The only down side is that they poop everywhere. Keep them off of your porch!

Originally Posted by LaRemnant

97,000??? Now THERE's a pest I SERIOUSLY think we could do without. I mean really, what creatures eat them, or what benefit do they provide nature? Do they have a purpose?

[Dick]

There are, apparently, a number of different tick borne diseases in North America. Lyme disease, Relapsing Fever, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, Colorado Tick Fever, and Babesiosis.

For specifics...
GORP - Tick-Borne Diseases In North America - Diseases and Symptoms

[Erickmo]

i think the biggest cause of my fears with the tick situation is that when i tried to remove the tick from my stomache with my SAK tweezers, it slipped a few times which im sure caused the tick to regurgetate blood back into my skin... them i had to use my fingernails. oh well, now im just waiting for my blood test results. Thanks ron for explaining the importance of proper tick removal for everyone... i really hope none of you will have to experience the anxiety that this has caused me.

[Dick]

there are some tick removal tools on the market, but i can’t speak to their effectiveness.
Tick Removal using Tick Twisters or TRIX
Here's a how to...
LDA How to Remove a Tick

[crazydave]

the main thing is to remember to check for the red ring for the next couple of weeks

I've pulled them out with allsorts of tweezers and multitool pliers