What's the best gun for removing ticks?

“This question has been bothering me for a while now. What's the best gun for tick removal?”

“i use tweezers and a match to burn the tick once i'm done. hate the little buggers.”

“sometimes if you burn the little bugger with a just out match or cigarette it'll make it let go and help be sure you don't rip off its head, leaving it in your skin to create nasty infections.”

“i've read quite a few times that the head really doesn't cause infection... it just scabs over and eventually falls off.”

“maybe it's an old wives tale, my mother used to tell me it would and she was an old wife, sooooooooo, mayyyybeeeee soooooo.”

“hahaha”

“From GardenWeb!

RE: Removing Ticks?

* Posted by: vmperkins z5 central IL (My Page) on Sat, Feb 15, 03 at 12:55

As a victim of Lyme disease, I can say that most of the advice here, if used, can get you into trouble. If you squeeze, smother, or in any way mess with a tick, you are courting any one of the several nasty tick borne diseases. The little spoon device is the right way to go, or something called the tick lifter. YOu need to get under the body, between the mouthparts which are buried in your flesh and the round part with the legs, and pull straight out.

You DON'T need to worry about leaving the mouthparts in your body. At most they will cause a local infection. You DO want to avoid Rocky Mtn. Spotted Fever, Lyme, erlichiois, relapsing fever, etc. When the tick is bothered in any way, it will pull out, but it will also regurgitate its gut contents into you, with all the nasties. I learned the hard way--twice.

RE: Removing Ticks?

* Posted by: Lynn9 z9,Northern Ca. (My Page) on Mon, Jun 16, 03 at 4:59

vmperkins is DEFINITELY right. Best advice. You can also save the tick and have it tested. If you have a rash or feel dizzy or nauseaus soon after it's not good. Some counties will test the ticks, if not Igenix labs will. Put it in a jar with a peice of moistened cotten. Tick tests are more accurate than human tests. STARI or Masters disease is the southern version of lyme- tests out differently, and Montana and Wyoming have another variation that is not named yet. It shows faintly on the lyme tests. etc etc.

Knowing what I know now about lyme I would personally test any tick that was embeded, especially if it was squished or on there a few hours.

If by chance you do get sick it's best to do your own research on this and deal with it ASAP. You don't want it.

-------------------------------------------------------
Other information”

“good information, thanks, ns”

“Slack, in your case, the best gun for tick removal is a sawed-off 10-gauge shotgun using a 3-inch shell loaded with 00 buckshot. Just put the barrel up to your ear and squeeze the trigger...”

“wow....”

“did i miss somethin here?”

“Nah, Scorchie, I was just responding appropriately to his dumbass question. Read the title of the thread, darlin'.”

“yea.. i saw the title but still :P

father meanie ; )”

“I’m goin’ preemptive this year! I’m getting the Promethium (SP?) spray that kills the little bassturds on contact. Spray it on the shoes, socks and pants legs and it lasts for two weeks even if the clothes are washed.”

“I use one of these. It's so simple and ingenious even a liberal Democrat could use it. Ultralight too.

Pro-Tick Remedy”

“doesn't sound too safe, nigal”

“Wow. That thing's a lot lighter than a sawed-off shotgun...”

“Well ya ain't taking a bath in the stuff Scrotchy. This is the same stuff that is in the flea and tick stuff you put on your dog's back. Don't eat it and you'll be fine.”

“I've never had any problems just pulling the buggers out with my fingers. I've had well over a hundred imbedded in me over the years also.”

“Anyone know the origin of the expression, "Don't tick me off?"”

“Permethrin is some good #&%!$. It lasts up to two weeks on your clothes and will even withstand a few washings. It's safe for humans as long as you don't you use at a salt substitue or use it to flavor your coffee. The gubment did all sorts of studies on the stuff, and not the Army uses it as part of their insect repellent system. If you don't like the smell the sprey leaves behind you can sprey your clothes down, let it dry, then wash it. The Permethrin will still be effective.”

“The little tools with a V shaped notch really do work well. They work great at getting ticks off your dog.

The old remedies such as heat, Vaseline and things like that, more often then not, can case worse problems.

It seems that the tick gets, well ticked off, and regurgitate's
into the wound before leaving. Not a good thing.”

“That Pro-Tick tool really seems to be the best...one of the gals with CARDA (dog SAR) gave them out for Christmas presents last year. Everyone has them on their key chains.”

“Oh yeah... you can buy concentrated permethrin in gallon jugs. Just dillute a bit into a bucket and start dunking your clothes in the stuff and allow them to dry. Permethrin is less harmful than DEET when wet, and harmless when dry and absorbed into your clothed. It is stable and doesn't leach from your clothes to the environment in active form. (The permethrin lost in any washings is damaged and rendered inactive.) Chiggers and ticks are killed within 1/2 inch travel on treated clothes.”

“"Oh yeah... you can buy concentrated permethrin in gallon jugs."

Where can I buy this? The bottles at Campmor are like $5.”

“What you need is the M249 5.56x45mm SAW. Put about 100 rounds through the barrel at one burst, until it is glowing red-hot. Then apply the barrel to the spot on your leg where the tick is, and it will be burned off, along with some of your skin.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of a glass squirtgun full of hydroflouric acid.”

“Doubles as a bear gun too, just aim for the other guy's knee.”

“I put three clips from an CAR-15 into a Cobra once before I would approach it. Crocodile Man I'm not.Very embarassing. I'm sure a tick would cause loss of a limb.”

“>>>Where can I buy this? The bottles at Campmor are like $5.<<<

Look for places that sell bulk pesticides (like feed stores and , some pet stores, far supply stores,etc). The local joint sells the 32 jug of 13.3% for about $27. I beleive the ratio was something like 5oz of the 13.3% per gallon of water will give you the 0.5% strength most permethrin sprays are. I'll have to go back and check my math since I haven't mixed the stuff in a while. A gallon in a sprayer goes a long way. The 32oz jug will make up to 6 gallons.”

“One morning I dicovered a tiny tick burrowed into my leg.

I tried burning his/her little bee-hind to no avail.

It was time to go to work and I had to do something fast.

I covered it up with a dab of antibiotic ointment and covered that with a rectangular band aid of about 2" X 3".

Off to work I go.

When I checked it a few hours later the little sock tucker was dead and slid out like a greased, limp.....uh.....well, ya know!”

“That wasn't nearly violent enough!”

“how about those permethrin shake and bake kits - anyone know where to get those as Army surplus or whatever ? it is the same basic idea as the bulk solution thinned out with water but you don't need to buy a lot of solution - per Army once treated a set of BDU's are good for "life" - much longer lasting than the spray on permethrin.”

“When I checked it a few hours later the little sock tucker was dead and slid out like a greased, limp.....uh.....well, ya know!"

noodle?”

“errr - I don't think so Scorchie”

“Screw(being the operative word here) all that poison crap!


Noodle will suffice!”

“HOI, I was trying to bring it back to a G-rated level”

“some threads are doomed to go into the gutter - its the least common denominator for most of the TTers”

“especially when markO darkO posts”

“I suppose you could bathe in gasoline to remove ticks.

Thanks, La Scorcha, I've got a bad reputation to uphold.”

“hey, i'm on ur side darkO”

“whats this problem everyone seems to have with DEET??? i have used it for years doing everything from farm work to hiking/camping... i havent had any problems in any way...”

“It stripped some of the paint off our patrol box”

“My problem with DEET?

DEET + Ball Sack = Burn”

“well deoreDX if you are stupid enough to apply any chemicals to your balls then i have to say you deserve to be burnt....


no really whats the problem with it...???”