Lymes Disease

C

Carl Gustaf

Guest
A friend of mine Adrian, owns the hunting clothing company 'Kammo'.

This weekend just gone he had a stall at a small Game fair in Scotland. He very quickly sold out of his stock of gaiters. When he asked his customers why the gaiters were so popular in this part of the world they all replied 'Lymes Disease mate'.

My question is, are gaiters really that effective at detering ticks? and what other methods do you use to keep the little sods at bay?
 
Hi Carl. I have been responsible for a great deal of culling on the west coast of Scotland this last two seasons, the area is near Lochinver.

Lymes disease is very common in the area, and the ground we stalk on is riddled with ticks. the problem being there are no sheep on the area, so the ticks latch on to anything they can find. The first year we stalked the area with overseas clients my firend who works for me received over 100 bites, and by the end of two weeks stalking was feeling fairly run down and feverish. We took him straight down the doctors who put him on a course of antibiotics. Unfortunatly he likes wearing tweed breeks, and the little buggers get in between the gap in the breek and the socks.

I on the other hand wear gaters, and sprayed them with deet, I got one bite on the belly. What you must also watch is once you have the deer in the larder, that is also when you will get unwelcome visitors. Even the next day if you are standing near a carcase you can get the little blighters climbing on board.

One of the worse places I ever visited hunting was Zululand in Africa. The ticks there are terrible, in fact if you look at the Trophy room sight you will see the Nyala I took on that safari. The area was bad for pepper tick, which are so small you can hardly see them, but they carry just as many diseases as an ordinary tick. Again I wore long trousers, wlaking boots, and gaters sprayed liberally with deet. And I had no problems, as you do not want to get tick bite fever.

If you are bitten by an infected tick carrying Lymes disease, you will usually notice a red ring occuring around the bite. You should seek medical help and tell your doctor that you suspect that you have been bitten by an infected tick. A course of antibiotics usually does the trick. However if you do not detect the bite until later, you normally feel generally unwell, similar to the flu coming on, it is important that you seek medical help immediatly, Lymes disease if left undetected can kill, and will if left too late damage vital organs beyond repair.
 
Thanks Malcolm, I have only stalked in the New Forest, Shropshire and Dartmoor. I've seen a few ticks on carcasses but have never been bitten. My mate brings me the occasional Scottish Roe to butcher and joint up for him and they are loaded with the soddin things!
 
Hi there,

Re Ticks and Lymes Disease. I regularly stalk in tick infested areas and during the summer months often have to remove up to a dozen of the little darlings each day. A Stalking pal however seems to attract them fourfold, more than any other person I know. I find that the best defence is a lightweight pair of longjohns or if you have the nerve a pair of thick tights provided you keep your legs sealed within these and your socks the risks will be minimised. Malcolm is definitely 100% correct in that you have to remain vigillant for days afterwards as I have in the past found myself back at work a few days later and whilst sitting in a meeting I crossed my legs to find a half gorged tick just above my sockline, I can only presume that it came from the footwell of the Landrover. As a result of this (and from pressure from the wife) I now spray the car with frontline after a stalking trip in summer.

Cheers Remmy7.
 
Where I go stalking is also riddled with ticks and after I have finished stalking I do a regular check for ticks and at times find about 5 nymph ticks attached in various places up my legs , I have now invested in a good pair of gaiters .
I was told by my good friend in Scotland that I should go and talk with my GP about a antibiotic powder called CITITRIN which should be applied directly to the wound area of the extracted tick , also very useful to use if you by chance cut yourself while grallocking to stop infection .
 
Last week I shot a young Roe buck, and two days later my wife removed eight ticks from my legs and arms. I suspect the leg ones from the stalk and the arm ones from skinning him. It looks as if this year we are in for a bumber crop following the soft winter. Gaiters, and spray for you, your clothes, your vehicle, everywhere. Get so as it is done without thinking, that way you can concentrate on the soon to be here midges!

John
 
Nomad have introduced some excellent anti tick clothing.

Anti-Tick Shirt & Trousers– physically prohibits ingress of ticks, coating kills
ticks, minimises Lyme Disease – S thru to 3XL

http://nomaduk.net/

I think its time to get the cheque book out.
 
Pete E is right about dogs and ticks. There are also a number of tricks for removing ticks on dogs and humans, although I am sure many on this site are familier with these, so excuse me.

Before these new fangled tick removers came on the market we often used surgical spirits squeezed over a latched on tick with cotton wool makes them let go and also steralises the wound, or whisky (not single malt that is sacralidge). Also vaseline or vick used as a good blob on the tick seals off the air supply and they drop off.

What you must not do is use the old remedy that I have known some to use, and that is the old cigarette treatment, burn it off. This kills the tick, but often leave the head in, not wise as it will normally become infected.

I said i hated midges in a previous post, you can add ticks and keds to the list as well for me.
 
Wear trousers tucked into socks
Use insect repellent
Check yourself thoroughly
Check warm folds of the skin
Carefully remove with tweezers
Never burn off
Do not try to drown in Vaseline

Be aware of favoured habitats

Just some of the recommendations from the BADA UK web site.

http://www.bada-uk.org/
 
I do not know where you get your info from, but putting vaseline over a tick cuts off the air supply and they will let go without you leaving the head in, if there is nothing else available it is the sensible thing to do.
 
malcolm said:
I do not know where you get your info from, but putting vaseline over a tick cuts off the air supply and they will let go without you leaving the head in, if there is nothing else available it is the sensible thing to do.

Covering a tick with vaseline / vick or any other cream or grease can cause them it expell their stomach contents into the bite site before they drop Which is actually worse than pinching them off and leaving the mouth parts in the bite site.

Not a sensible thing to do at all. IMO

Besides they will always have enough oxygen in thier system to finish feeding. Then and only then will they drop off the host.
 
Will.B said:
Covering a tick with vaseline / vick or any other cream or grease can cause them it expell their stomach contents into the bite site before they drop Which is actually worse than pinching them off and leaving the mouth parts in the bite site.

Not a sensible thing to do at all. IMO

Besides they will always have enough oxygen in thier system to finish feeding. Then and only then will they drop off the host.

Will

I never knew about the expelling of the stomach contents. Uck!!!!
 
I would hardly call Ph's in Africa foolish, as for the ticks, if nothing else is available I would still use, and have used the remedy, never had a problem, but as I said use gaters and deet and you will keep most out.
 
malcolm said:
I would hardly call Ph's in Africa foolish,

No one has apart from you.


malcolm said:
as for the ticks, if nothing else is available I would still use, and have used the remedy, never had a problem,

Thats your choice! But to offer advise to others that goes against all of the available medical advise is not a responsible thing to do.
You'll be advising farmers to start spraying their crops with DDT next. shock:
 
Bradley said:
But to offer advise to others that goes against all of the available medical advise is not a responsible thing to do.
You'll be advising farmers to start spraying their crops with DDT next. shock:

Isn't that the problem with all discussion forms. The annonminity that the Internet allows often makes people freer with their views and opinions than they would normally be in a face to face situation. People will offer advise, views, opinions that are not always as informed or factually based as they could or should be.

Caveat emptor! As the lawyers are so fond of telling us.

I am sure that it will only be a matter of time before we see a court case based upon someone following inappropriate advise given on a web forum and suffering the consequences. Just as we have recently had the first libel case following defamatory comments being made on a forum.

Perhaps we could all do with following the "think twice before posting" rider.
 
'Horay we have a barrack room lawyer'.
Now back to the point, ticks, gaiters, face ...bothered! :lol:
 
Carl Gustaf said:
'Horay we have a barrack room lawyer'.
Now back to the point, ticks, gaiters, face ...bothered! :lol:

Face.....bothered!

It could well be if you followed incorrect advise.

It would certainly wipe the smile off thats for sure. 8)
 
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