Woodticks

[totoro]

When we were in Chesterton,IN- our cat came home with about 20 at a time on her... we treated her also, but they took the ride into the house also. For some reason Indiana had a ton... difficult child 1 had a couple on her... I found them everywhere, crawling on the walls in the bed. husband was more scared than me. I had to get them off of everyone!
Nasty little buggers!

 

[crazymama30]

I knew someone who took Brewers Yeast to keep away biting bugs. Somehow it changes your body odor or something.

 

[Scent of Cedar I]

Brewer's yeast, huh?

I was reading something about bananas drawing mosquitoes, so maybe the Brewer's yeast would keep biting, bloodsucking creatures away.

We have also heard that garlic helps.

They just seem to be everywhere!

:whew:

Barbara

 

[Marguerite]

Although I'm very interested in herbal remedies, I've lost faith in those remedies that say that certain things will keep various pests away. We put bay leaves in the pantry to ward off weevils, but gave up when we found weevils all through a tin of cayenne pepper! And I made a number of clove pomanders (where you stick an orange full of whole cloves then roll the ball in a mixture of cinnamon and orris root) which are supposed to be BRILLIANT at keeping moths out of the closet. The darn moths ATE the pomanders hollow!

I've grown basil and tomato together and still had the tomatoes attacked by pests. I've had pots of mint at the back door and still had epidemics of flies and mosquitoes in the house; we have a lady in the village who stinks out the local film night by drenching herself in citronella oil but she STILL gets bitten by mozzies - bitten AND gassed, what a lovely evening - so my current rule of thumb is, "speak softly and carry a big can of fly spray."

For bodily ailments I might try herbal treatments, but I don't think the various invertebrate nasties have read the same books about folk remedies.

Marg

 

[Scent of Cedar I]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Marguerite</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

we have a lady in the village who stinks out the local film night by drenching herself in citronella oil but she STILL gets bitten by mozzies - bitten AND gassed, what a lovely evening - so my current rule of thumb is, "speak softly and carry a big can of fly spray."

For bodily ailments I might try herbal treatments, but I don't think the various invertebrate nasties have read the same books about folk remedies.

Marg </div></div>

:rofl:

Well, here is a funny thing that happened this morning re: woodticks and the lifestyle changes they encourage.

So, I am sleeping in the other bedroom with the cat because the dog is woodtick magnet and loves to sleep next to me, transferring the creatures by, so it would seem, a process similar to osmosis. (Each body would, at the end of the process, be covered by an equal number of ticks.)

In any event, I was lying in my bed in the guest room this morning thinking about how all this is so different from when we were in Florida last year where there were no bugs...and who should lift his head from my pillow BUT THE DANG DOG.

He had sneaked into bed with me in the night.

Lord only knows how long he was lying there beside me while I slept.

Or what may have been crawling along, attaching itself to me in the night.

:faint:

So, I put the dog outside.

And when I went back to make my bed?

You guessed it.

Woodtick.

Barbara

 

[Scent of Cedar I]

Does anyone know what would happen if a person used Frontline Plus?

Barbara

 

[SRL]

Ticks do carry diseases other than Lyme.

A close friend of mine was infected with Lyme and it wasn't diagnosed until 1 1/2 years later, past the window for early and successful treatment. (She didn't have the bulls-eye rash or arthritic symptoms--all neurological). It's been VERY debilitating and has decimated all aspects of her life: job, social life, abilily to function on a daily basis, leisure, emotions, cognition, etc.

Tickborne diseases are nasty, use caution.

 

[Scent of Cedar I]

So, here is the final entry on the woodtick thing.

What I am going to do (since I cannot escape!) is take control of my responses. No more screaming or thundering to the ground with the vapors for me.

Arnold.

I will become the Arnold of the woodtick world.

Remember that movie Predator?

Where Arnold says "What the H ah you!" with those fiery blue eyes flashing?

Well, that will be me from now on, ladies.

And in another movie, Arnold said to the criminal: "You ahs***!" before he killed him.

Well, that will be me, too.

:grrr:

I am still sleeping in the other room until my new behaviors actually take hold.

But I FEEL more like Arnold.

Barbara

.

 

[WhymeMom?]

No girly men for you!!!! ARRRRRR NAHLT RULES.....love it, I can feel all those woodticks retreating into the trees.....

 

[Kjs]

TICKS..I walk my dogs daily, several times between husband and myself. We often take them to the woods, lake area. Have found ticks on the floor, assume they fall of of the dogs. Both dogs are black. Chloe having long very furry hair. I am religously putting frontline on them, and have always. However last year found a very large attached tick. Was told that frontline will repel ticks AFTER they attach. Had her tested for Lymes and that was negative. I asked about different brands to prevent attachment, they have no suggestions stating frontline is #1 prescribed by vets. They suggested the Lymes vaccine. Haven't done that yet. To many vet bills recently. With the new puppy, not having any shots, the first four months were incredible. Chloe having found out recently about her thyroid problem, the blood tests, follow up and medication is killing us.
Now, need to think about scheduling Kenzie to by "fixed". husband and difficult child want to breed her. she is 1/2 springer spaniel and 1/2 lab. They want to breed her with pure bred lab leaving offspring as 3/4 lab. That would be such a mess, expense and more added stress. But, if I schedule her without husband agreeing, it would be MORE stress!
Anyone have any other remedies for repelling ticks prior to attachment?

 

[Scent of Cedar I]

Well, someone was telling me today that olive oil prevents them from attaching because the oil coats their pores and they cannot breathe.

Another person told me baby shampoo works ~ and that it will kill living fleas, as well.

But what I am wondering is whether attaching duct tape to the dog's collar might not work.

The tick could never make it up onto the head (or down onto the rest of the body) without getting stuck in the duct tape.

Maybe.

No one told me about that.

I am just wishful thinking.

I wonder whether baby powder would make a difference?

Maybe clog up their breathing tubes or something?

I am so glad the Frontline Plus is working.

I was talking to a lady today who felt one crawling in her nose in the middle of the night.

:smile:

You don't even want to know where she found it attached.

She tried the liquid soap on a cotton ball thing (didn't work) and the burnt match thing (which also didn't work).

Finally, she pulled it out with a tweezers and put betadine on the wound.

It's like a nightmare up here.

What I am telling myself today is: "I don't have an issue with that."

Just to cut down the panic.

Barbara