Tick Bite Prevention Week

[Hushwing]

The number of infected ticks was indeed 1 in 5 a few years ago, but has risen to now 1 in 3....The O'Tom Tick Twister is the best and easiest way to remove a tick, it doesn't matter which way you turn it, so long as you keep going the same way. The mouth parts of the tick has barbs, it looks like an upside down xmas tree. The barbs are what can get stuck in the host if not removed properly. Also their saliva works as a cement to hold the mouth parts in place. Ticks saliva melts the flesh which creates a hole for the mouth parts to go into.
The only definative sign that a person has Lyme is the "Bullseye" rash...but as you say most Dr's don't know as much as they maybe should about Lyme. Only 50% of people infected with Lyme get a rash of any description, so best to look out for the flu symptoms and exhaustion. Also if you remove a tick, put in between two bits of cellotape and mark the date on the calendar..keep an eye on yourself for 6 weeks as it can take a while for symptoms to appear. If caught early it is so treatable...that is why we do what we do...trying to reach as many fowk as we can to raise awareness about ticks and Lyme disease.

Thanks for the update info - will spread the news further! 1 in 3 eh? wow! cheers >H

[BushcraftCambsUk]

A friend of mine sat in a whole nest of them while in the Lakes and ended up with 11 of the little bliters in his back and buttocks that was fun helping him get them out in a camp site shower cubical. The looks from the guys stood outside the cubical brushing their teeth were priceless when we exited together. On a personal note i do not suggest using tweezers.

[saddie]

Glad could give you some extra info Hushwing...and goodness knows what will happen now there is the Asulam ban is in place!

[saddie]

A friend of mine sat in a whole nest of them while in the Lakes and ended up with 11 of the little bliters in his back and buttocks that was fun helping him get them out in a camp site shower cubical. The looks from the guys stood outside the cubical brushing their teeth were priceless when we exited together. On a personal note i do not suggest using tweezers.

Brilliant can just imagine the faces........we had one of the organisers at the Bushcraft Show who ended up with a tick on his leg around his sock line....he was so shocked that he told his son in no uncertain terms that they would check each others "hairy arses" tonight!!!!! Mind you that show had the most tick on fowk we have seen! Glad to hear you don't suggest tweezers.....O'Tom Tick Twister is so much easier and much safer.......

There are going to be questions on our Facebook and Twitter pages from Mon-Fri where you can win Tick Twisters......please have a look....and you might win something

[BushcraftCambsUk]

When a tick bites it burrys its head inside the skin and breaths brough its back. If you get something like olive oil and rub it on the exposed part of the tick it will pull its head out to breath then you can remove it safely without the risk of leaving its head in. Just a little suggestion incase anyone is cort short and is smart enough not to use tweezers unlike me lol.

[saddie]

Sorry but you really should never put anything on a tick. The only part of the tick that enters the host is the mouth parts. By putting oil on them the tick will feel threatened and it's defence mechanism is to regurgitate it's gut contents into the host. A tick carries bacteria in their guts, for example Lyme Disease. It is safer for you to wait till you can remove the tick safely than to remove it incorrectly. You won't smother the tick, as they only breath once an hour. The O'Tom tick twister has been proven to be the safest tool to use. If you look at the top of the handle of it, there is a raised oval of plastic, if you have a dremmel drill you can make a hole in that part and attach the tools to your keys to they are always with you. You can use very fine nosed tweezers if you have them, not the kind your wife/girlfriend etc uses for their eyebrows...and hold it as close to the skin as possible and pull straight upwards, not twisting...sometimes using this method you can leave some of the barbs off the mouth parts behind. So just keep an eye on the bite site in case it become infected. I have attached a link showing how to safely remove a tick. My husband removed 100's of tick the wrong way over his life and ended up getting Lyme Disease, but it took 10 years to diagnose. I wouldn't wish this on any one.....

http://www.tickbitepreventionweek.org/tick-removal.html

[BushcraftCambsUk]

Sorry but you really should never put anything on a tick. The only part of the tick that enters the host is the mouth parts. By putting oil on them the tick will feel threatened and it's defence mechanism is to regurgitate it's gut contents into the host. A tick carries bacteria in their guts, for example Lyme Disease. It is safer for you to wait till you can remove the tick safely than to remove it incorrectly. You won't smother the tick, as they only breath once an hour. The O'Tom tick twister has been proven to be the safest tool to use. If you look at the top of the handle of it, there is a raised oval of plastic, if you have a dremmel drill you can make a hole in that part and attach the tools to your keys to they are always with you. You can use very fine nosed tweezers if you have them, not the kind your wife/girlfriend etc uses for their eyebrows...and hold it as close to the skin as possible and pull straight upwards, not twisting...sometimes using this method you can leave some of the barbs off the mouth parts behind. So just keep an eye on the bite site in case it become infected. I have attached a link showing how to safely remove a tick. My husband removed 100's of tick the wrong way over his life and ended up getting Lyme Disease, but it took 10 years to diagnose. I wouldn't wish this on any one.....

http://www.tickbitepreventionweek.org/tick-removal.html

Thank you for that. It was a peice of misinformation i was given and assured that it was a good methord thank god i never had an oportunity to use it i would not have been happy to find that it was actually more harmful.

Cheers again Saddie

[saddie]

Your more than welcome, sometimes it can be hard telling fowk what they have been told is not correct....I am glad you didn't take offence...

[BushcraftCambsUk]

Your more than welcome, sometimes it can be hard telling fowk what they have been told is not correct....I am glad you didn't take offence...

Never take offence mate after all it is a FORUM a place to share ideas and knowledge that is what im here for!

[saddie]

Never take offence mate after all it is a FORUM a place to share ideas and knowledge that is what im here for!