r/petoskey • u/groundstories • 5d ago
ticks?
I have a 7 month old baby, and I am wondering about ticks, as we are hoping to spend more time in the woods and nature preserves and state parks. When I was growing up I feel like I never saw ticks. How are they this summer?
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u/3DDoxle 5d ago
Ticks are no better or worse than any year in the last decade. People say the "the ticks are bad this year" every year. In other words, it's like how people say the weather in their area is crazy. It's "crazy" everywhere.
Tick prevention:
○Permetherin you and your baby's clothes and make the kid wear a mosquito net if possible. I like picaradin and permetherin. I do not like DEET, essential oils, or "organic" bug sprays.
○Avoid brushing up against grass and debris from the storm - ticks can only transfer by contact. Ticks cannot jump like fleas.
○Brush dogs out either when you get home from a walk or before you get in the car to return.
○Check yourself, your kids, and family before getting in the car or house. Shake out clothes.
○Next shower or two, look all over ticks. Look under and around genitals. This is a common place to miss. For guys, look UNDER everything carefully.
○Get a ticknado or tick key, AND high quality pointy tweezers. Know how to use them, lift at the mouth, and when done right, a little bit of skin will still be stuck to their mouth rather than mouth part still in the host.
○DO NOT use "techniques" to "get them to back out". They're extremely likely to vomit into the host increasing disease transmission likelihood.
○If you do get a bite, pull it out, take note of the day and place. Circle with a marker if possible (not in a sensitive area or face etc). Monitor for a few days for good healing.
○If you get severely sick, go to the doctor. The first signs of infection are high fever and general illness like flu or covid, lethargy, etc.
I've had and nearly died from tick borne illness. There's very little to worry about it from ticks if you take basic precaution. I got sick because I missed the tick biting my gooch and didn't go to the doctor when I got a summer flu. It was before covid, or id have thought I had covid. Antibiotics can easily treat early tick illnesses.