I have read some of those news articles too...it is a terrible disease. Your

sentence .. "aided by world travelers acting as unintentional hosts". is

so true. It makes me so angry...as that is the way the Measles have

come back to us. We had rid the Country of them...and now other

travelers have brought them back to expose babies, etc., too young

for the vaccine...that the travelers should be made to have anyway!! Sorry...just such a sore, sore subject with me.

Thanks for the links.

Good reminder. I just realized the other day I was out of insect repellant! I cleared out old bottles of it and sunscreen that either didn’t work or was old last winter and has forgotten to buy new. Remedied that real quickly.

We keep it on a shelf in the garage along with our outside work shoes and boots so it’s handy to spray when we are about to work in the yard.

I agree, ticks are very scary. We have them in Ontario, Canada now and I hope that when I am bitten that I am able to catch the tick and have it tested for Lyme's Disease - otherwise I won't be tested despite any symptoms I may have - unless my doctor has some pull. Perhaps there is an option in the U.S. (that Cdns. would obviously pay for).

I know that Lyme's Disease is well known in Europe. A friend was bitten a few years ago while visiting Europe and treated. Her German doctor gave her a note to give to her Ontario doctor advising of the treatment plan she was on and to continue it.

This year Heartworm and Tick prevention for dogs has been combined. The product is called Nexgard Spectra. Our dog had it at the beginning of the month - with no adverse reactions. He is 15 and while he has never had a reaction to anything I was worried because he is 15. Our vet has a map showing how Lyme's Disease has spread over Ontario.

I know that there are sprays etc. but I am allergic to them. You should see me when I have to go into the yard - I am totally covered from head to foot - not that my clothing stops the bees, wasps, mosquitoes, etc. etc. My vet is as well.

Bugs of all sorts absolutely love me.

A bio-safe means of eliminating them would be welcome.

I recommend one Guinea Hen per acre of earth.

I got my first tick of the season while mushroom hunting last weekend. It was only attached overnight and I got it to back out with the fingernail polish trick.

Eccentric, we have something in common. I believe you've mentioned a tendency to react to various medications, and I'm like that. Also, my doctor calls me a tick magnet. Perhaps you can try something that worked for me last year: Rose Geranium essential oil. Apparently it confuses ticks' highly sensitive scent glands. I still cover up in my version of a hazmat suit, with pants tucked into socks inside boots, etc., but I know the Rose Geraniium scent is working because I had only one tick bite (that I know of) last year. Plus it smells good and didn't bother me.

The U.S. hasn't done very well treating tick-borne illnesses. The standard Lyme test isn't very good, and produces lots of false negatives. Over the years I had many negative Lyme tests when I knew I was sick and knew I'd been bitten. I also contracted Babesiosis twice, but the standard test for that costs $2,000 and isn't covered by insurance. Not only that, but most doctors around here never even heard of Babesia. I consulted by phone with a physician in another state. I eventually found a Lyme-literate doctor about 70 miles away who ordered a much more accurate test. I was amazed when Medicare paid for it. In general, veterinarians seem to be much more savvy than MDs about Lyme.

LoneJack, we are advised not to remove ticks by any method that disturbs them and gives them an opportunity to regurgitate the contents of their stomachs (our blood, infected with their bacteria) back into us. Nail polish is one of those methods, along with spinning/twisting and applying heat.

Alisande, where do you apply the Rose Geranium oil before you go outside? Just a drop or two on your neck or wrist?

Yes, neck and wrists, and also either on my boots or just above them.

Alisande - how is one supposed to go about removing a tick then? Years ago I was advised by my PCP that if a tick is removed within 24 hours the chances of them infecting you with lyme disease was negligible. Using fingernail polish forces them to back out head and all. Seems better then pulling them out at risk of leaving the head.

I found the answer to my own question...I guess this is the new recommended method for removing ticks. I need to get a pair of pointy end tweezers!

ETA: Just ordered this set

Thanks for the info!

LoneJack, I got a pkg. of two tick piks from the Vet. They work very well.

Alisande, do you mix the oil with something?

No, I apply it straight. I've seen recommendations to use a carrier oil (such as sweet almond oil) with all essential oils, but I haven't used one for this purpose. Even so, I sometimes reapply after a period of time. (Unfortunately, I don't know what that period of time is. It seems to vary somehow.)

Oooh, I like those tweezers, Jack! I may get a set and distribute them to family members.

LoneJack, look into Ticked Off on Amazon. I've been using one for twenty years. It looks like a measuring spoon with a little notch on the end. Works well on pets and humans. I love that the tick winds up in the bowl of the spoon and I can easily discard it. Removes the whole tick intact effortlessly.

Ticks are horrible in PA. We are number one for lymes dz. My husband has chronic lymes dz and it is debilitating. My son in law and nephew ended up in ICU. Even my sons two dogs are being treated for lymes. The doctors automatically give you a one dose antibiotic if you have been bitten by a tick. They don't wait for symptoms or test you. . We have our yard sprayed for ticks and I put out tick tubes. I spray the trunks of trees in our yard with perethum. The experts say ticks will not drop on you from trees, but that is baloney. I have seen it happen. We eliminate any fieldmice or grinnys we find in the yard. We use a deet product when going in a wooded area and do body checks after. And I have found that showering with Irish Spring in tick season also helps.

Rose Geranium oil...thanks for the tip!

Husband got Lyme disease twice over 35 years ago when scoutmaster during camping trips in Rhode Island. This was early in the start of the disease, and not far from the point of origin at the time. Doctors were not as aware then as they are now.

We have had twice-yearly IPM spraying of our property since we moved to the countryside 20+ years ago on three wooded acres. The first summer here, I counted 36 ticks on me (I"m an avid gardener, used to spend more than 8 hours out in the yard daily), both the larger dog ticks and the barely visible deer ticks which carry Lyme. Freaked me out big-time! Hence the spray program -- since we have been doing that, I have had only one tick. Getting rid of mice is also helpful as they are intermediate carriers of the deer tick.

LoneJack, I take one exception to the article you shared -- generally spot-on, but flushing a tick down the toilet is NOT a good idea -- they are able to survive the flush and crawl back up into the toilet bowl. I always use the "seal them in clear tape" method.

Alisande -- Thanks for the rose geranium oil tip. Do you think that might work also on keeping those pesky "no-see-um" midges that are so annoying this time of year??

Yes, we have always removed them with tweezers, it those new tick removal things look good. Mine thing I have read about disposing the ticks is to put them on a piece of tape and keeping it a few days in an old pill bottle in case it should need to be identified if you have Lyme disease. Just as a precaution. I can generally ID them, especially in some cases. Not all.

roxanna - Its sounds like the IPM spraying really does the job! I thought about getting a few Guinea Hens a couple years ago to keep the ticks in check but found that keeping them on our property wouldn't be so easy. I have 5.2 acres and about 4 of it is wooded. I usually stay out of the woods after things green up.

I usually just burn any ticks I find with a lighter. The one I took off me last Sunday was encased in sky blue nail polish!

Alisande - thank you for the tip about Rose Geranium Oil - and how to apply it. I don't know if I would be able to use it, as I know I can't use Lavender Oil but I will look for it and "smell it". I know I can use Sweet Almond Oil though - at least as a carrier.

I too have my version of a hazmat suit - as does my vet. I agree that vets seem to be a lot more knowledgeable about ticks than doctors, especially in Canada. My husband is embarrassed by my outfits - well he has never bitten by anything thanks to a gene passed down by his Mom. So I go out alone - or he can just live with it. There are worse sights than me and having Lyme's Disease would be a lot worse. Of course he is embarrassed by my hats (my dressy ones) and by my sun umbrella.

I will be looking for one of those tick removers as per LoneJack!

I had Tularemia as the result of a tick bite that I didn't even know I had. I was sick for almost a year from it and have not felt back to normal since. I still easily fatigue and some days have very little energy. I spent a year with overwhelming fatigue mostly laying in bed all day, along with not feeling good overall. It was an awful combination of bad feelings.

I know ticks are going to be bad this year. last week my husband came home from golfing and left his clothes in the garage because he had found so many ticks on his legs. We've never come home with any ticks from our golf club before.

When I was little I spent a lot of time with my Grandma and she kept a little cloth drawstring bag filled with powdered sulfur, we would whack the bag around on our legs and we never came home with chiggers or ticks. It is available to purchase online and is pretty cheap.

Do you think that might work also on keeping those pesky "no-see-um" midges that are so annoying this time of year??

In my experience, not even close. :-)

Permethrin spray is effective at keeping ticks off your cloths. You treat a set of clothing with it several hours in advance (to let it dry) of going into the woods. When a tick gets on the treated clothing they will soon drop off. The treatment lasts for a few weeks even through washings.

Note: IT IS NOT INTENDED TO BE APPLIED TO SKIN!!!!!

> And I have found that showering with Irish Spring in tick season also helps.

I vaguely remember (way back in high school field biology class) being told that for mosquitoes at least, Coast deodorant soap works well as a repellent, but that Irish Spring works as an attractant.

I don't know Irish Spring really works, but last year I only got one tick and it was before I started using it for the season. I figure it isn't going to hurt me. So why not.

Just a note about Permethrin. It works well on clothing, as LoneJack described, but while it's wet it must be kept away from cats. It's a lethal poison for them. Apparently once it dries it isn't a problem. Permethrin is also used in tick tubes, which wouldn't be a good idea for anyone with outside cats (or who have neighbors with outside cats).