Ticks are up !!!

[Liv4Huntin']

#%*@## !!!

They're even earlier THIS year. Found the first one tonight. Time to tuck the pantlegs in the socks and grab the bug spray already !!!

Short spring!!

~ m ~

[Outdoorzman]

I found a tick on my hip this morning. I am trying to load it into the picture gallery to post it to find out what kind it is and if I should be concerned about disease.
It is all brown in color with a darker head.
Any ideas?

[Liv4Huntin']

How big was it? The deer tick (lyme disease carrier) is very small, the larval (?) stage being about the size of the period at the end of this sentence, I believe. From what I hear, this is the stage than can get you and you wouldn't see them. The nymph stage would 'fit' inside the "o", and the adult's body is maybe 1/8" long (not including legs.) The body is brown with black 'front' markings, when viewed from the top.

The dog tick (common around Mich.) is bigger (maybe 3/16" long), brown, w/ tan markings (don't have an ident. book handy to tell exactly what/ where the markings are -- seems like a 'diamond' or oval on the body, tho, from memory). They get larger when engorged with blood, of course, but that's appx. what they look like at first glance.

I know Trout can give a better discription, and probably many others with a book handy can too.

If they've all ready 'got hold' of you, be sure to pull them off slowly and carefully, just with your fingers/ tissue, not tweezers (they could pop the body, releasing nasty's.) Just pull slowly till it releases... that will make sure the head comes with the body. Then be sure to wash and maybe treat the bite site w/ antibiotic ointment.

This is by no means an 'official' medical way to handle the little buggers, just what I've found works best.

p.s. when you wrap them in a small piece of tissue and light it on fire, they POP..... then I know they're dead. Or I flush them, wrapped to make sure they go down.

Keep an eye on the bite site...... a 'bull's eye' rash warrants a visit to the doctor. I understand that's an indication of possible lyme disease (fully treatable.)

Never hurts to be prepared, and be sure and do that 'Tick Check' at the end of the day's outing.

~ m ~

[Outdoorzman]

Thanks Liv,
I didn't have an option the way it came out. Early morning "scratch session" laying in bed. Felt it and out it came. I have access to an imaging microscope at work so I took a very close detailed picture of it. It appears that the head is still intact.
I see the three little whiskers where the mouth would be.
I called my doctor to see if I could get them to identify it and they want me to come in for a checkup. I don't know what they think they will find, even if it was the nasty kind I think it would be way too early to diagnose anything.

[DaYoop]

Post a pic and I'll ID it for ya and if I get time I'll post the life cycle, symptoms of lyme disease, etc.

[Outdoorzman]

I can't get it to post.

It is 2.5mm long x 2.0mm wide. It's body is soft.
Your help is appreciated.Here is the link (http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/index.pl?photo=178&size=big)

[DaYoop]

great pic there. sorry to have kept ya waiting. Its finals time around here so I don't have the time to look it up at the moment, and instead of waiting till summer, here are some links to the CDC website.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/fact/lyme.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/epi.htm

when you click on the top link it takes you to the lyme home page, and the links located on the left side have a vast amount of useful info. Hope this helps ya,

yoop

[Outdoorzman]

Thanks Yoop,

My doc said if I see a rash I can come in and get a Blood Test.
I didn't know they had developed one to test the antibodies yet but that is the marvel of modern science.
No rash yet, but then again I didn't expect one either.

[Outdoorzman]

I'll take a bucket full of leeches over a cup full of ticks any day of the week.
Used to wade the swamps as a kid looking for snakes. Had leeches all the time, never thought twice about it.
These damn ticks can do nasty things to you though.