# Survival > Bushcraft Medicine >  Ticks

## Tala

Hi guys im new around here and where im planing to stay thereare alot if ticks.So im curious if any one knows and herbs or plants that can repell ticks and if the tick gave me a disease how would I heal it..

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## natertot

Hi Tala, and welcome to the forum. Our rule here is that all new people give an introduction.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...-Introductions

Things that should be included are age, location, experience and the like. This will help us in understanding how to better help you.

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## Rick

Deet for prevention and your Dr. for any related disease.

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## TXyakr

> Deet for prevention and your Dr. for any related disease.


That is absolutely the truth!

100% Deet spray will burn the skin of many people so be careful and use lower % directly on your skin, but on your footwear or gators this stronger % may be appropriate depending on your region and time of year etc. There are many other things that may allegedly be somewhat effective (Permethrin, sulfur, american beauty berry leaf, rosemary etc) but I would not trust them for something as serious as Lyme disease. These remedies work a little bit for chiggers and mosquitos if applied repeatedly and heavily but ticks are persistent.

Minor anecdotal things I have noticed are that where you pitch your tent can make a difference. I.e. when tent camping I prefer to pitch mine on the river rock where it will get morning sun. Once a friend and his daughter pitched theirs high on a ridge under some trees on a river island (bed down area of deer and wild hogs). Their tents were full of ticks, mine had none. When in a camping hammock I prefer to hang it in a briar patch that I minimally clear out just enough to get in and out of. (fewer varmints and other visitors as well)

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## crashdive123

While I am a big advocate of DEET and use it regularly, for tick defense I like to use products with picardin or pyrethrin in them to spray on my pants and socks.

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## Rick

The % of DEET describes how long it will remain effective. However, using DEET above 50% offers no additional protection. 

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/o...king/deet2.htm

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## hunter63

These are pretty general...but pretty accurate.

http://insects.about.com/od/insectpe...avoidticks.htm

I don't wear shorts, tghat helps....but I have to say that the worst attact by ticks were on bare ground under the cabin, while doing the plumbing.

Had a couple of loads of "fines" dumped and spread on the site....was all clay, that got gooey quick..so the "fines" (after gravel is broken up, this is the real fine crushed rock that's left)....really made it easier to work on.

Maybe it was the shard on a hot day....or different dirt?.....But the ticks would just jump on you when crawling around under the house.

Seemed odd as all I had ever heard was "stay out of tall grass, brush etc......and this was bare ground.

BTW DW had a deer tick (bad one ) on her back......was kinda dug in....I was gonna remove it and she was kinda panicking....so off to the emergency room we go.

Wouldn't believe me, had to hear it from the Doc, says to watch it.....He plucked it off with tweasers and put some salve on it .....(what I was gonna do)....but I'M NOT A DOCTOR.

Anyway when he took out tweezers from a sealed package....used them...
So I asked if I could have them.....figuring they were getting tossed....He says . "Yeah for $80 bucks".
I guess they recycle them?

All was well.....but I have a friend that still has major health problem 10 years after a deer tick "Lyme's" bite....They didn't really test for that back then.

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## Eastree

Hunter, I've seen some medical offices will place implements inside a sealed package after coming out of the autoclave to keep them sterile.

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## hunter63

Most likely you are correct.....

I just figured if it was seal in  package it was new.....guess not......anyway,...... I figured I was being charged for it ...I wanted it when they were done.

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## tjwilhelm

Carry a Tick Key, just in case...

http://www.amazon.com/THE-TICK-KEY-T...words=tick+key

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## Rick

$80?! Man, that would have ticked me off!

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## Graf

> Carry a Tick Key, just in case...
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/THE-TICK-KEY-T...words=tick+key


TJ- I have one of those and am thankful that I haven't had to use it, do you have experience with those and do they work well?

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## crashdive123

> $80?! Man, that would have ticked me off!


That right there is funny, I don't care who you are.

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## hunter63

> $80?! Man, that would have ticked me off!


Well that came with a real Doctor plucking it off, with the said high buck tweezers....so it had to be better than me doing it with cheap tweezers....of course I don't charge $1200 bucks for the ER visit...'cause I'm not a Doc.

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## Rick

Next time just remind her that the doctor is still practicing. You have it down pat.

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## hunter63

....and some time it's better to pay the money....and keep ones mouth shut......MUCH cheaper in the long run....iffen' ya know what I mean....
Just sayin'

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## Tokwan

Tropical Ticks hates Dettol..we used to spray our body with the dettol mixture.

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## tjwilhelm

> TJ- I have one of those and am thankful that I haven't had to use it, do you have experience with those and do they work well?


Fortunately, Graf, I've not had to use mine, either.  That said, I have three friends that have contracted Lyme disease -- one really badly.  The tick key has received some good reviews, so I bought them as stocking stuffers last Christmas.  I've also given them to a few friends for their dogs.  If I ever do have to use mine (which I'm NOT hoping for), I'll write a review.

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## Wildthang

Take 2 well mannered chickens with you everywhere you camp, they will eat the ticks faster than they can crawl on you! I have also used Vicks Vaporub on my skin, it does a fair job of repelling ticks and musquitos! You will smell like a walking cough drop but it works!

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## TXyakr

Years ago a friend recommended replacing the almost worthless tweezers in a typical first aid kit with high quality ones from an electronic supply or high end medical supply retailer. These are very multipurpose.  I once removed a small leach from between my 8 yr old daughter's toes. Put it in a jar of water so she could show the kids at day camp.
Also cool to know that 100% DEET's primary value is long life I have only use this strength on footwear and placed far from my face at night so I did not need to smell it all night long. Permethrin soaked into my hammock is not quite as effective but I can tolerate the smell, just hear the mosquitos buzzing a few inches away, probably same with ticks. Never had any knock on wood. But friends definitely have.

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## TXyakr

Humid conditions during certain times of the year in this region (TX,OK,LA, AR and further SE) can cause chiggers to be very bad especially in tall grass but if there are a lot of fire ant mounds it tends to control them. (Invaders from S.A.) So I wonder if these much hated invasive fire ants also help to control ticks? The trick is to pitch you tent or tarp near fire ants but NEVER over a mound. These tiny critters are meat eaters and will feast on more than just other insects. LOL

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## crashdive123

> Humid conditions during certain times of the year in this region (TX,OK,LA, AR and further SE) can cause chiggers to be very bad especially in tall grass but if there are a lot of fire ant mounds it tends to control them. (Invaders from S.A.) So I wonder if these much hated invasive fire ants also help to control ticks? The trick is to pitch you tent or tarp near fire ants but NEVER over a mound. These tiny critters are meat eaters and will feast on more than just other insects. LOL


Won't/hasn't worked.  The researchers are continually experimenting with biological controls for insects/arachnids and so far have been met with limited successes.  One that showed a little promise for a while was for fire ant control using decapitating phorid flies.

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## hunter63

The only thing I know fire ants are good for is rotting pine stumps.......so if they are here....I am there....not close.

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## Rick

Fire ants were, of course, on the list but decapitating flies? Sheesh. No reason to lose your head over an ant problem. On the list!

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## natertot

> Fire ants were, of course, on the list but decapitating flies? Sheesh. No reason to lose your head over an ant problem. On the list!


As soon as I read Crash's post, I knew that was coming.

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## hunter63

Soooo, I wonder if the OP got the answer he/she was looking for.....

No one told him about that ....ah ..magic...ah...secret tick repellent....?
We all agree that we could only sell it.....right?

Maybe decided the "ticks are icky"....?

Anyway....
Many years ago, grew up in a small town....moved to the big city, met my wife...got married.
Her folks had a "place" up north....where I met her....and I was the local country boy.

On a visit back to the up north place, MIL/FIL decided they wanted to go picking blueberries....and as I was the local country boy, it was up to me to show there where they were.

So I did......

Now SIL and BIL being city people, did have the right shoes, or didn'tlike mosquitoes or bugs of any kind......but went anyway.
They got a couple of "ticks"....big wood ticks, not deer ticks....we all did.

OMG........the swamp fever struck them down.....and it was MY FAULT..........Bhohahahaha ......sorry but they had been such azzhats, figured it served them right.......Told them they better go to the emergency room ASAP......
Off they went.

DR, picked them off......hadn't dug in yet.....(the rest of us just picked them off)....gave them some meds(?) and gave them a bill for a couple of hundred bucks.

They had to go to bed...the rest of us had blueberry cobbler......

I still laugh about that......(don't like the BIL all that much to this day)

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## TXyakr

> Soooo, I wonder if the OP got the answer he/she was looking for...........Told them they better go to the emergency room ASAP......
> Off they went.
> 
> DR, picked them off......hadn't dug in yet.....(the rest of us just picked them off)....gave them some meds(?) and gave them a bill for a couple of hundred bucks.


Hope OP and Hunter63's relatives don't get in line behind these folks at the Appalachian Emergency Room when they need treatment for ticks.

https://screen.yahoo.com/appalachian...000000803.html

Warning this video is not PG!!! SNL NBC late night humor

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## Antonyraison

Prevention is better than a cure,
I take tabard insect replenet with me these days,
been bitten and had tick bite fever 
it's not fun, its a bacterial infection, and in some extreme cases can be death..
It feels like a really really bad flu, and usually only presents after about 5-7days after been biten..
You don't want that.. its not fun....  How can you tell if you got it? Well look at the bite location, you will see it goes extremely dark, dark dark red amost black and inflamed and you start feeling almost like you coming down with flu... 
Depends how badly you have it in some cases its mild other cases you need antibiotics,
they treat it with doxycycline

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## OMark

When I worked in the field daily along the N. California coast I found that tucking in my pants into long hiking socks and spraying them with Deet provided a pretty solid option. The hard part is when it gets too hot, but luckily I was long the coastline.

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## JohnLeePettimore

Lemon eucalyptus essential oil in witch hazel makes a good insect repellent.  You do need to apply it more often than DEET.

The active ingredient in LE is approved by the CDC or USDA or the BFD, or whatever nanny-state organization approves that kind of thing.
It's the same active ingredient that is in citronella.  LE smells better than citronella, though.

I live in North Central Arkansas, and it repels ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, and gnats.  Smells a lot better than DEET.  I don't like rubbing insecticide on my skin.  That's what DEET smells like.

If you're curious, I use a 5% LE solution with 5% polysorbate 20 so that it will emulsify in the witch hazel.

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## primitiveskills

There has been a lot of mention of tick prevention and removal on this thread, and all good stuff. I left Lyme Disease in the Pine Barrens of NJ in 1989 only to watch it spread into Maine and continue northward. The local protocols here with regard to modern medicine (we have had two medical Doctors through our Apprenticeship) is to take the blood for testing and administer the antibiotics as soon as possible. The blood test is considered unreliable enough that a strict determination of the probability of a Lyme Like bacterial infection is the primary premise for prescribing antibiotics. Over the last twelve years we have been using a strong decoction of antivirals to include Japanese Knotweed and Barberry. Each contain a suite of phytochemical that move through the blood/tissue barriers and get into the thicker vitriol fluid these spirochetes prefer. Without a carrier, modern antibiotics remain in the bloodstream and will not reach the bacterial infection once it makes it to places like the spinal column, joints, and vitriol fluid in the eyes. The berberine and resveratrol found in these locally gathered plants not only bypass the cyst protection of the bacteria, they get inside and dismantle the organelles. They also carry modern antibiotics to the same sites. As a result, we have had multiple incidents of Lyme here in our residential apprenticeship (living in the woods for six months), and in each case use of these plants have made each person asymptomatic (without symptoms) in less than four weeks. A good reference is "Healing Lyme Naturally" by Beuhner. Hope this helps.

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## Antonyraison

> There has been a lot of mention of tick prevention and removal on this thread, and all good stuff. I left Lyme Disease in the Pine Barrens of NJ in 1989 only to watch it spread into Maine and continue northward. The local protocols here with regard to modern medicine (we have had two medical Doctors through our Apprenticeship) is to take the blood for testing and administer the antibiotics as soon as possible. The blood test is considered unreliable enough that a strict determination of the probability of a Lyme Like bacterial infection is the primary premise for prescribing antibiotics. Over the last twelve years we have been using a strong decoction of antivirals to include Japanese Knotweed and Barberry. Each contain a suite of phytochemical that move through the blood/tissue barriers and get into the thicker vitriol fluid these spirochetes prefer. Without a carrier, modern antibiotics remain in the bloodstream and will not reach the bacterial infection once it makes it to places like the spinal column, joints, and vitriol fluid in the eyes. The berberine and resveratrol found in these locally gathered plants not only bypass the cyst protection of the bacteria, they get inside and dismantle the organelles. They also carry modern antibiotics to the same sites. As a result, we have had multiple incidents of Lyme here in our residential apprenticeship (living in the woods for six months), and in each case use of these plants have made each person asymptomatic (without symptoms) in less than four weeks. A good reference is "Healing Lyme Naturally" by Beuhner. Hope this helps.


Lyme disease is what we call tick bite fever.
I had it,. its not fun.... can take years for it to fully clear ones system.. really knocks you.
although, here in Africa we more concerned with malaria.. 
I rather have lyme disease lol....

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## JohnLeePettimore

There is something her people call "tick fever".  I was told it was the same as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but i don't know whether to believe it or not.

People here call the same things by different names, and different things by the same name.  "Water moccasin" vs. "cottonmouth" comes to mind.

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## madmax

A relatively new tick born virus is bourbon virus.  Add it to the list.

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## hunter63

> A relatively new tick born virus is bourbon virus.  Add it to the list.


Does that cause headache and upset stomach?

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## madmax

Yes.  And fever, rash, body aches.  It's so new with so few cases they don't really have a handle on the symptoms.

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## JohnLeePettimore

> Does that cause headache and upset stomach?


I knew what you meant.

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## JohnLeePettimore

> It's so new with so few cases they don't really have a handle on the symptoms.


This reminds me of a George Carlin "news report":

"Scientists have discovered a disease that has no symptoms.  It is impossible to detect, and there is no known cure.  Fortunately, it's confined to New Jersey."

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## kyratshooter

> Yes.  And fever, rash, body aches.  It's so new with so few cases they don't really have a handle on the symptoms.


I knew a guy that got drunk and fell into a patch of poison ivy and had that the next morning!

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## Wise Old Owl

Recently a young man died in Bucks county this year from a single tick bite.
 its https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babesiosis

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## Alan R McDaniel Jr

Ticks must be a lot more dangerous than they used to be.  I have had literally hundreds of ticks on me after being in the brush for a day.  Pulling three or four off in any one day working cattle was not even worth mentioning.  I have gotten into "seed" ticks so thick that baby oil and a knife blade were the quickest way of getting them off.  I've probably been bitten a thousand times growing up.  Y'all must have some badass ticks if you have to go to the ER to get them removed.

I hate chiggers.  I'd rather have ticks than chiggers.  When I'm in chigger country I soak my boots and jean legs with Deep Woods Off and spray a good coating on everything else.

Alan

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## Wise Old Owl

Lyme, Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain, Can make you wish you were dead. It affects everyone differently, It cannot be diagnosed well or 80 percent of the time. Some people are hospitalized, miserable for months, others show little symptoms, for me its like getting the flu. Babesiosis killed a young guy in Buck's County this year.

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