The War on Ticks. A Surveyor’s Perspective.
Ticks sucks. Here’s how to reduce your odds GREATLY. From a person who works in the woods/ tall grass for a living all times of the year.
You might have heard of Lyme disease or even alpha-gal syndrome (red meat allergy), but there are even more tick borne illnesses you can get from ticks that are no fun, just read this.
If you work in the woods like I do or have an occupation or hobby that puts you in the woods or tall grass you need to be prepared, so that you don’t live in constant paranoia.
I’m going to share what I do to extremely limit my exposure as I can get 100 ticks on me in a single day here in VA. I have already experienced effects of tick borne illnesses and thankfully caught them early and got seen, furthermore, Doxycycline (the antibiotic they put you on 2x a day for 10-21 days) is not a fun medicine to be on when you still need to work as you feel fatigued and are more sensitive to the sun.
Here are some helpful advice I wish I could give to my younger self:
#1 Limit your exposure. Spring time is when ticks hatch and are everywhere throughout the summer, and fall. In my experience the spring time has been the worst time of the year for ticks, so if you’re able to be choosey about when you’re outside avoid tall grass in the spring time. Do all you can in your immediate control.
#2 Cover up. For me I have a checklist, and an outfit for work to address this tick problem.
Knee high socks
Light colored Carhartt Coveralls - I have 4 sand colored ones, so that I can see the ticks as they are climbing up my legs. Apparently 80% start on your legs and climb upwards (the light color is also great for reflecting sunlight in hot weather). On top of the professional tradesman look, it prevents them from getting down the back of your jeans to your waist band.
Rant: How many times have I been told to wear 2 shirts, or tuck my shirt in, etc. etc. AND STILL get ticks and bites all over my waist and the back of my legs. Too many times. A one piece suit prevents that entirely. It’s a MUST.
Also, this limits my exposure to poison ivy, and lessens the painful thorns.
Tall combat boots - Also sand color for the reasons mentioned above, but the main reason is because they are tall! It means I can tuck my jumpsuit into them, and spray down my boots.
I have the 511 tactical boots which are a cheap pair from Dick’s. Sporting Goods. However, I am looking for a more water resistant, more supportive, taller boot with good tread. Good if you need something fast.
Tick guards (gaiters) by Lymeez - These are awesome. You just velcro them on top of the seam created by your boot and pants and boom another layer of protection! Plus they have a tick killing chemical called permethrin in them that kills the tick when they get stuck in the mesh. Great design wish they were a smidge bigger though!
Permethrin, I’ve heard, is a great way to kill ticks if you are super extreme. However, I have cats and I do laundry at home and I haven’t taken action on using it yet as it makes them seize up. I did by the concentrated version as it’s way more cost effective, and I am prepared to make a solution and treat my clothes, but the ticks have been mild this year. If they ramp up I will have to consider commercially washing my clothes and having a locker at work for my gear to protect me and my four legged friends.
#3 Spray down. - I coat my boots and pants with deet anywhere from 25-40% for added protection. Great for chiggers and mosquitos as well. The only downside is that it comes right off when you’re in the wet grass. “Do it anyway” as I’ve been suggested.
#4 Be aware - At lunch time or when you have a moment look at your coworkers and yourself for active crawling ticks. Notice if you’re itchy anywhere or feel them. Take a moment to pull them off early.
#5 Strip down routine - When you get home, immediately put your clothes in the wash or a place separate from your normal clothes. Dry on high heat, apparently this kills them!
Furthermore, take a shower and scrub down. If you’re just a bar of soap kind of person try over-gripping the bar of soap so that it’s more of a soapy scratching motion.
After the shower dry off real good and check yourself over. Have a mirror handy to check the hard to see areas, or ask a special friend ;)
(talk about getting to new levels of vulnerability with a spouse. )
Hot tip #1: Trim body hair if applicable to be cooler in the summer and have better visibility on the enemy.
I have even changed clothes some days and thrown my work clothes in the trunk to avoid having ticks living in my car waiting for when I have my shorts on. It has happened.
Hot tip #2: Get a lint roller they will stick to the tape and you get a bunch at once especially if they’re small.
Hot tip #3: Some people do the tweezer method, I’m still learning that one. I had a co-worker that had a candle lit and would use a tweezer and thrown them into the fire before he showered.
#6 If you feel bad, you need to get seen - It costs like $40 these days to get checked out at a quality urgent care. These people are educated and want to help you. An easy trade to make for some peace of mind or help. If you notice symptoms of tick borne illnesses, listed in the link at the beginning of this article, go get checked out. You MUST get treated early. Flu like symptoms was what I experienced, and that is unusual for me in the middle of summer.
I am not a health professional do your own thing.
#7 Educate others - Especially your coworkers. If they aren’t taking precaution they could end up with something that changes their life for the worse. Also, if they are more cautious you can look out for one another and bring less back in the work truck to share.
That’s all for now here are some additional resources. I will come back and add more as I continue to refine my approach.
Additional resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENmVXtwsKE8&ab_channel=JohnsHopkinsRheumatology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws2eA7LO3l4&ab_channel=TalkingWithDocs
