Easy Tick Removal

[james ungehajer]

I figured i would pass this on from my community newspaper.

The article reads as follows:

Please forward to anyone with children...or hunters, or those that own dogs, etc. A school nurse has written the info below.. good enough to share, and it really works.

I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball, cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds ( 15-20 ).

The tick will come out on it's own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.

This technique has worked every time i've used it ( and that was frequently ) ,and it is much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me.

Unless someone is allergic to soap, i can't see that this would be damaging in any way.

I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she had one stuck in her back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers.

She used this method and immediately called me back to say, " It worked ! "

Plese pass this on, eveyone needs this helpful hint. End article.

This is what my daughter told me on Tuesday.

My daughter tried this on my grandson yesterday, he got one on him from their backyard, and it did work.

Anyone else try this ?

 

[Sue Gremlin]

Actually, it's always a bad idea to put anything on the tick while it's biting you. This is really common for some reason, we even had our company nurse post something on the company website about putting vaseline on the tick. The last thing you want is for the tick to puke while its mouthparts are inside you. This happens when you block its breathing tubes on its skin surface. You may get more of any disease it may be carrying and more of a localized skin reaction.

I would never ever put anything soapy, greasy or wet on the tick. When I find them attached, I grab them as close to the skin as possible, taking care not to squish the body, (which would also potentially inject more junk into you) and pull straight up.
People are concerned about leaving the "head" in the skin, sometimes you may get a piece of its mouthparts, it might cause a localized itchiness for a while, but that's a LOT better than getting the tick saliva injected into you.

Really. Don't put anything on the tick, just carefully pull it out.

 

[Sue Gremlin]

Article

 

[james ungehajer]

http://www.guineafowl.com/fritsfarm/guineas/ticks/tickstudy.pdf


I just saw this 15 year old article on the internet about guinea fowl.

Talk about tick control.

 

[GermanG]

I can't agree with Sue's post more. The Lyme-causing bacteria that might be in the tick is your biggest problem, not the tick itself. You need to use the safest way to remove it, not the easiest. Some of the removal methods passed about might have been fine in the days before Lyme disease, when ticks where a mere annoyance, but not now. It's amazing \ how much wrong information is out there. I've even been treated by doctors who I knew were dead wrong in what they were telling me. Pick up one of the brochures printed by a reputable source that are available in our area (like at county parks! ) if you want the best available info. And never forget that the best information available today might not be valid tomorrow. That can be frustrating, but it is the nature of science and medicine.

 

[james ungehajer]

Thanks to both of you for the input on the article i submitted, i informed my daughter to never do that again.

 

[LARGO]

I just saw this 15 year old article on the internet about guinea fowl.Talk about tick control.

I have had Guinea fowl on my properties on & off most of my life.
Tick mongers, yes. Among the most annoying & obnoxious birds on the planet, yes as well.
Once they take your property as their own, they dominate it, then invite friends & relatives over.I have had to take grave measures to reduce their numbers over the years.
I have grown to loath them regardless of their assets.
Damn good watchdogs though I must say!

G.

 

[james ungehajer]

I have had Guinea fowl on my properties on & off most of my life.
Tick mongers, yes. Among the most annoying & obnoxious birds on the planet, yes as well.
Once they take your property as their own, they dominate it, then invite friends & relatives over.I have had to take grave measures to reduce their numbers over the years.
I have grown to loath them regardless of their assets.
Damn good watchdogs though I must say!

G.

George, How many of the guinea fowl did you have on your property at one time?

I read that when they go, they can put a horses go to shame?

What year vette is that in the photo?, my vette was white also?

 

[LARGO]

Jim,
As little as two and as many as eighteen spanning a route from my Dad's place to mine. We inherited every damn one of them, never bought one. My dad had and kept/fed chickens. The gun club next door got guinees. ( O.K., THINK THIS ONE OVER ) Your a bird, sometimes an obnoxious bird, all people ever expect you to do is eat ticks so they don't feed you and there are lot's of guns going off all the time. Do you stay, or go to the place with the chickens?
Then the neighbors behind bought some and "caged" them for awhile as they were told they would stick around. But no, they wanted to hang with "ours" , Then a neighbor across the street tried it & we got some of theirs, then a place way back across a stream and even past where RedNeckF350 lives contributed some runaways. Of course they do multiply but... they are dumb as crap about crossing roads and explode nicely in a flurry of feathers on the bumper of a truck or car. Fox help out as well, old age doesn't help because I think the bastards live to 100. Lead poisoning took some and one or two got too close to the family Lab. We were back to zero but Right now one is "sitting" eggs in some brush by my house.
She is a neighbors but they tend to hide off when sitting. My Cat however has discovered her and since their maternal instincts suck one day I fear the worst. Or do I?

Their leavings are nasty but not as bad as geese and if you only have a couple it ain't no big deal.

The Vette is a custom conglomeration of a few of this and that as well as mods over the years. I rarely ever reveal it's true age ( of which it is showing ) except to say it is "QQ"
tagged as Historic and it is one of the last of the Stingrays. Back when a Vette didn't look like some European tinker toy. Body lines baby. To keep it Pines related I'll throw up a couple pics from about 10 years or so ago at Lake Nescochaque on my Friend's beach. Nice shots of the lake anyway and you can try to pick the year a little better.

G.

 

[GermanG]

They tried to establish a flock where I work years ago to control ticks. I was never sold on the idea, not having seen any solid science that indicated that they focus their feeding more on ticks than any other arthropod (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that). Also, in nature, predators rarely wipe out their prey, or they wouldn't be around much longer afterward. Even if they did, I'm not sure we'd want the amount of Guinea Fowl running around that it would take to have an effect on a 1000 acre tract anyway. No matter, as the owls and fox made quick work of them in short offer. I'm sure they appreciated the buffet we put out for them.

 

[LARGO]

German,
Like you, I really don't have science and stats behind me but...
I can say that when at their most #'s, there was a notable difference in lack of ticks.
All that came with them birds stunk though. Their noise alone is horrid!
Nowadays, we do have to be much more mindful of ticks as there are more and strangely enough this little migration we see of a few more fowl wandering in and one bedding down may have something to do with more ticks for the eating? who knows.

 

[james ungehajer]

George

Can't wait to see those vette pics, i had a 1973 with a 454 block, and four on the floor, all stock.

Was going to run it at Atco, but one day as i was coming down my street, some clown opened the door on the right hand side of a van just as my left front headlight was going by it, and made shredded wheat out of the fiberglass from the left front headlight to the back bumper. He paid for the damages but it just never ran the same after that.

 

[LARGO]

George
Can't wait to see those vette pics, i had a 1973 with a 454 block, and four on the floor, all stock.

BUGGER YOU!!!
That is, even of all the Mid years & early's, my want all car. Triple black if possible.
Last year of the metal bumpers... rear split chrome only, one of the last with Big Block and four speed options. They started to smog 'em out in '74 and take away a lot of options.
Some cool colors still available. Wow man, I actually knew a guy in Atco with a triple black.
He had a '73 & a '74. Wanted 25,000 each. Too rich for me.
I have had mine 19 years, bought for meself as an 18th birthday present. Many good memories, but I would float it upside down in the Mullica and send it packing for a triple black '73 with all the goodies. (well, maybe not).

G.

Looking at the thread, I am sorry to hijack and while I am for removing the tick and it's parts wholly as opposed to smothering methods anyway, I too did not know of Sue's info and thank her for sharing it. It is a practice I can now advise others not to engage in who I know do it. Waterford is a known HOT zone for ticks & Lyme cases. Thanks !!

 

[LARGO]

The Hen nesting in some brush by the side of my house is still at it. She has herself tucked in pretty good. I gave her a little nudge with a broomstick to get her to stand up so as to count eggs. She pecked it like crazy.(She will not leave the nest now, getting close) My best count has either 27 or 28 eggs under her. Now four males hang out to stand watch. My cat has already been outmatched and is not happy.
Against my better judgement, I am leaving her be. Kindness has gotten the better of me. I have noticed a tick decrease since they are around. I will probably regret this. In it's own way it is like sleeping with the enemy.

G.