A tick bite devastated a N.J. man’s life. Why are cases soaring?

[manumuskin]

What was your technique for pulling ticks out? The best way I found to do it in the old days was to put a little gasoline on them and then they started wiggling and could be easily pulled out. I did that a lot back then. But then I read that that is a bad way to do it because it makes them disgorge their poisons into your body, and instead u r supposed to grab them with tweezers and gently twist them clockwise or counterclockwise or something, but whenever I've tried that their heads just broke off in my body. I don't have to worry about that anymore because I now live in the desert, though they say there's ticks out here I never got one. Ants are after me now. If it's not one thing it's another, ticks, snakes, ants!

Now ants are another story.I have had a few unfortunate encounters with Fire Ants down south.I got the worst of the deal every time..They say their headed ip here.When they arrive I"m bound for the mountains.They hate rocky soil.

 

[manumuskin]

I don't know. I didn't even feel it. I had been camping in Death Valley, CA and then I went hiking through tall grass at a beautiful spot called Darwin Falls. But than I drove up to very high altitude Bristlecone Pines National Forest and set up camp - but at night I had trouble breathing and figured it was the extreme change of altitude from below sea level to 10 or 11,000 feet. But then I saw that my leg was swollen up and I saw what looked like two fang marks around my ankle. I packed up and drove down to 4,000' alt. and I was able to breathe OK and sleep there, and my leg soon got better. It was a mystery.

are you sure it was snake? Coulda been tarantula out west.The instant pain from a venomous snake bite I would think would have woke you up immediately? I have had many nasty spider bites in my sleep,they are very bad here where I live,wolf spiders and widders, and I never feel them when they bite but wake up with a hot knot that grows for six months and then bursts and drains for a couple months. A rattlesnake bit would have needed attention,might even have lost the leg if you didn't get anti venom. and without checking I believe rattlers would be the only venomous sname in that area.The Pacific Black Tail and the Mojave both live in California and are particularly virulent since they have not only Hematoxic but also Neurotoxic venom.

 

[Boyd]

Out in the woods, I just pluck ticks off as soon as I notice them. At home, I have a little pair of tweezers with very sharp points, if needed.

"...With a Pair of heavy-duty Zircon-encrusted tweezers in my hand, every other wrangler would say I was mighty grand."