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Always check for ticks after spending time outdoors in the summer. Here's a tip: if you have body hair, use your hands to check in addition to your eyes. It's e

by pubby 9y ago

Always check for ticks after spending time outdoors in the summer. Here's a tip: if you have body hair, use your hands to check in addition to your eyes. It's easier to feel them than it is to see them.

wirrbel 9y ago
My personal experience is: After spending time outdoors, get a shower and a complete clothes change. They often don't bite right away but crawl around for some time until they find a spot they "like". Also, the lore that was told in my family was, that ticks dropped from trees in the forest. But you can get them also from gras, hedges, bushes. So not being in the wood is no protection against ticks.
- toss1 9y ago
  Yes, they will definitely keep climbing on you until they find a 'good spot'. The bite is also usually painless, so they can often hang on unnoticed for hours or days (iirc, they inject a numbing agent, as getting noticed kind of ends their life cycle). I read an article that described their basic algorithm as climb to the top of whatever they are on, blade of grass, shrub branch, etc., and just hang out there waving their arms until something brushes by and they snag it, then climb again until they find a good spot. In New England, I've had to get in the habit of immediately dropping the clothes in the wash, showering, and then diligently checking the whole body for tics after a run, mtn bike, or hike. And I still occasionally find one hours later. The good thing is that they don't really inject the disease until they've been attached and biting for 24 hours or so and are mostly engorged. Definitely a hazard to be diligent about! [edt: spelling]
  - tszyn 9y ago
    In your experience, can a tick attach to you if you just brush against it while moving fast (running or cycling)? They're rather slow-moving, so I thought they can't latch onto you that quickly.
    - arethuza 9y ago
      I've had ticks attach themselves to me cycling off road in Scotland when it was very rough and I was cycling slowly through quite thick and very wet undergrowth on an old unused track. Edit: I had no idea Lyme Disease was a risk here: http://www.ticscotland.org.uk/incidence http://www.ticscotland.org.uk/incidence
    - toss1 9y ago
      YES, especially to any fabric such as socks, shorts, etc. seem especially good for them to snag, considering the number of times I've caught them crawling up a leg or something. I'd guess less so against a shaved leg or something, but still check diligently, since shoes, socks, etc. Running is probably an ideal speed for them to snag you (think how they'd be snagging deer, dogs, etc), and I've never found biking fast enough to not get them. It seems like they don't grab by any reflex, but just by hanging a few hooks out in the breeze to snag whatever comes by. Another thing I found that I didn't expect -- I'd guessed that they'd be most active in hotter weather, making motion easier, etc., but it seems that the most active times are moderate temps, maybe 10-25C (50-77F), but we still need to watch out outside of that range. I've seen them all the way down to almost freezing and up in the 30C+/90F+ range.
  - WillReplyfFood 9y ago
    Could this be hacked, by providing a trap - that feels like a save spot to them? Something soft- warm, dark (like the back of a knee..
  - apta 9y ago
    > And I still occasionally find one hours later On yourself even after taking a shower, or in your clothes that you threw into the wash?
- meddlepal 9y ago
  They're everywhere. I play golf in Massachusetts and basically refuse to go hunting for a ball that's in fescue because that tall grass is loaded with ticks. I'll take a damn penalty if I'm playing seriously or just drop a fresh ball if playing for practice. A golf ball and game isn't worth the risk of lifelong infection.
jpindar 9y ago
Also check your dog after they've been in woods or tall grass.
DrPhish 9y ago
It may be a fashion faux-pas, but tucking your pant cuffs into your socks when in a tick infested area will make them easier to spot and pull off. Doesn't help if you wear shorts or go barefoot of course

by pubby 9y ago

wirrbel 9y ago

My personal experience is: After spending time outdoors, get a shower and a complete clothes change. They often don't bite right away but crawl around for some time until they find a spot they "like". Also, the lore that was told in my family was, that ticks dropped from trees in the forest. But you can get them also from gras, hedges, bushes. So not being in the wood is no protection against ticks.

toss1 9y ago
Yes, they will definitely keep climbing on you until they find a 'good spot'. The bite is also usually painless, so they can often hang on unnoticed for hours or days (iirc, they inject a numbing agent, as getting noticed kind of ends their life cycle). I read an article that described their basic algorithm as climb to the top of whatever they are on, blade of grass, shrub branch, etc., and just hang out there waving their arms until something brushes by and they snag it, then climb again until they find a good spot. In New England, I've had to get in the habit of immediately dropping the clothes in the wash, showering, and then diligently checking the whole body for tics after a run, mtn bike, or hike. And I still occasionally find one hours later. The good thing is that they don't really inject the disease until they've been attached and biting for 24 hours or so and are mostly engorged. Definitely a hazard to be diligent about! [edt: spelling]
- tszyn 9y ago
  In your experience, can a tick attach to you if you just brush against it while moving fast (running or cycling)? They're rather slow-moving, so I thought they can't latch onto you that quickly.
  - arethuza 9y ago
    I've had ticks attach themselves to me cycling off road in Scotland when it was very rough and I was cycling slowly through quite thick and very wet undergrowth on an old unused track. Edit: I had no idea Lyme Disease was a risk here: http://www.ticscotland.org.uk/incidence http://www.ticscotland.org.uk/incidence
  - toss1 9y ago
    YES, especially to any fabric such as socks, shorts, etc. seem especially good for them to snag, considering the number of times I've caught them crawling up a leg or something. I'd guess less so against a shaved leg or something, but still check diligently, since shoes, socks, etc. Running is probably an ideal speed for them to snag you (think how they'd be snagging deer, dogs, etc), and I've never found biking fast enough to not get them. It seems like they don't grab by any reflex, but just by hanging a few hooks out in the breeze to snag whatever comes by. Another thing I found that I didn't expect -- I'd guessed that they'd be most active in hotter weather, making motion easier, etc., but it seems that the most active times are moderate temps, maybe 10-25C (50-77F), but we still need to watch out outside of that range. I've seen them all the way down to almost freezing and up in the 30C+/90F+ range.
- WillReplyfFood 9y ago
  Could this be hacked, by providing a trap - that feels like a save spot to them? Something soft- warm, dark (like the back of a knee..
- apta 9y ago
  > And I still occasionally find one hours later On yourself even after taking a shower, or in your clothes that you threw into the wash?
meddlepal 9y ago
They're everywhere. I play golf in Massachusetts and basically refuse to go hunting for a ball that's in fescue because that tall grass is loaded with ticks. I'll take a damn penalty if I'm playing seriously or just drop a fresh ball if playing for practice. A golf ball and game isn't worth the risk of lifelong infection.

jpindar 9y ago

Also check your dog after they've been in woods or tall grass.

DrPhish 9y ago

It may be a fashion faux-pas, but tucking your pant cuffs into your socks when in a tick infested area will make them easier to spot and pull off. Doesn't help if you wear shorts or go barefoot of course