FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Re: Tic removal for birders and others

[Audrey Hoff <ahoff@xxxxxxx>]

I agree with the immediate removal.  In order to transmit disease, ticks 
must be attached for several hours (up to 48 hours for Lyme's Disease), 
so removal as soon as possible is the key to avoid tick-borne illnesses. 
 I also have never had a problem with just pulling them off, no 
"embedded mouth-parts," no site infections.  And, for heavens' sake, 
don't crush the tick between your fingernails!  This immediately exposes 
you to any rickettsial organisms that the tick may be carrying.  Plus, 
while maybe personally satisfying, this does nothing to decrease the 
vast tick population.  If you must, crush the tick between two rocks on 
the ground.  But just remember, that bird you have hiked hours to find 
might be just around the corner, and only there for an instant.

Audrey Hoff
Knoxville, TN

Bill Pulliam wrote:

>I suppose this is not entirely off-topic since birders and wildlife  
>biologists are at elevated risk for tick-borne disease.
>
>The number one rule of tick safety (after prevention) is to get them  
>off as soon as possible.  I would never delay removing a tick until I  
>got home just because I did not have the proper accoutrements.  The  
>risk of disease climbs steadily the longer they remain imbedded.  I  
>have always pulled them off unceremoniously and immediately, and have  
>never developed a tick-borne illness or any significant problems at  
>the bite site.  Some would say I have been lucky, but after having  
>pulled out thousands and thousands of ticks over the years using  
>nothing but my fingernails, if it were just luck it would have surely  
>run out by now.
>
>Prevention -- One of Cynthia Rohrbach's bird survey transects on the  
>Swan Trust land is in horrific tick habitat.  We actually wore those  
>ridiculous Tyvek suits  They were hot, crinkly, and sticky, but they  
>also probably blocked 99% of the ticks I would have otherwise gotten  
>bitten by.
>
>Bill Pulliam
>Hohenwald TN
>=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
>
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>______________________________________________________________
>  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
>       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
>        endorse the views or opinions expressed
>        by the members of this discussion group.
> 
>         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
>                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>                ------------------------------
>                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
>                         Cleveland, OH
>                -------------------------------
>               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
>                          Rosedale, VA
>__________________________________________________________
>         
>          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
>              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
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>Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
>Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com
>
>_____________________________________________________________
>
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>


=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at http://www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                  EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________