Ticks
Things that make you go "aaarrhhh"
June 2003
These are something un-wanted that
you occasionally bring home after a 4wd trip. Around the South
West of WA you are likely to find ( pick-up ) a Kangaroo tick.
These feed on Roo's, native animals - Dingo's to Goannas ,
Domestic animals and sometimes people. !! Fortunately WA does not
have the Paralysis tick that is found on the East coast - these
can be dangerous to dogs and small children Ticks belong to the
class Arachnida Also in this class are ;Mites, Spiders and
Scorpions - a friendly lot ! Adult ticks are usually found in
summer and the small "pepper" ticks are a spring time pleasure.
HOW DO TICKS GET ON TO YOU ??
An interesting question as they are essentially blind and are only
able to tell light and dark. They are programmed to climb
vegetation where they wait for a passing host ! Now mammals - us
exude butyric acid from our skin, Ticks can smell this and when
they detect it on a passing host they jump off in the expectation
of landing on something to eat. If successful they bit in, bury
their head and settle in for a while. If they miss, they simply
climb up the nearest bit of twig and wait again ! They don't smell
blood !! In fact if you fill a balloon with warm water and put some
Butyric acid on it, a hapless tick will jump on to the balloon and
gorge itself on water ! After a good feed ( several days if you
don't find them first ) the tick will drop off to lay eggs. So
now you know what they are and how they get onto you.
HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF ??
Before going into the bush, spray some good insect repellent
around your ankles, neck and wrists - these are the entry points. (
I keep a tube of Sunscreen and a spray bottle of tropical strength
Aeroguard in a special seat-bag behind the drivers seat so it's
always handy. ) So what does a tick look like ? For size an adult
could get as big as your little finger nail, after that they just
get smaller. They are usually oval shaped with 4 pairs of small
jointed legs Ticks search out moist dark places; underarm's,
crotches etc. Sometimes they are found at a clothing restriction
point ie your Belt line or at "tight undies" So when you come
back from a trip ( no matter where, ) and are in the shower, look
over yourself for Freckles with legs !! Have your partner check
where you can't see - - - - ie your back ( what were you thinking
? )
REMOVAL
So you've got one and want to get rid of it !
There are allsorts of tales, such as putting a hot needle to the
back of the tick doesn't work. Well if you were bent over and
someone put a hot needle on your rear, - do you back into the
heat NO and neither does the tick. Smothering a tick in Vaseline
will work ,but are you content to wait and have this thing hanging
out of your body for a couple of days ?
This usually works
 Let it
settle for about 20 mins after you have found it
Look
closely to see which end is it's head - the direction of the legs
can give a clue - they normally point away from the head. With a
slightly long finger nail scratch the tick out by scratching from
the head end back.
Don't
squeeze the tick body as this will be like squeezing a bottle of
detergent except in this case more of the tick's saliva will end
up inside you
Once the
tick is out circle the spot with a biro, then rub in some good
antiseptic, the biro helps you reapply the antiseptic to the
right spot.
A visit to
the Doctor may be needed If the tick has been on you for a while
or If you are unlucky and have an allergic reaction to the bite.
Disclaimer
This article is of general information only.
YOU must decide on an appropriate course of
action
Report by Elsewhere
Last updated 14Nov04
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