I picked up this little kit after being 'ticked off' deep in the French countryside (and resorting to fishing forceps & then digging the broken mouth parts out with a knife tip ).

They work great too as I unfortunately had to use them after buying them.

Tick Removal Tools. Includes where to get them worldwide.

Edit - with hindsight, perhaps I should have put this here?

It's neat idea, but you don't really need a tool set to remove a tick. If you are a smoker, just keep tapping the exposed part of the tick with your cigarette, the tick will back itself out in no time.

It has worked for me.

For some reason when ticks bite me they gasp, fall off and die...

EWW! I've heard all the warnings but in all my time in the woods, I've never gotten a tick or even seen one on anybody else. That's nasty. So when you get one, you pretty much know it then, right?

Neat little tool!

Nope you don't know it unless you feel them crawling on you.

There's a four letter word I like to use when I talk about tick prevention.....




















DEET..... and don't chintz on the concentration. I use 40% just for normal use and 100% if I'm going out for any length of time.

Around here where I live it's common to actually have someone check you for ticks after being in the woods or even in the yard for that matter.

They are so tiny most times you can't feel them at all.

Don't they blow up and turn into a big lump on your skin though?

I don't think in most cases it's that apparent Stacy, the deer tick around here can be as small as this . a period.

I know a couple of people including my brother in law who contracted lyme disease and never recalled being bitten.
They didn't know until a red bull's eye shaped rash appeared around the bite area, by then the tick is long gone.

I had no idea I'd been 'got' until I saw the damn things. The first one was about the size of a match head if you split one in half. The second that I used the tool thing on was really tiny.

There is something really disgusting about being 'parasitised'.

And thanks for the tip about DEET BD. Never thought about prevention (never happened to me until the incidents above). Just logged into my outdoor store of choice & they sell products containing DEET (100% & 50%). I'll pick some up later this summer when I will be calling in . The mozzy repellent I have doesn't have any in it.

There's a new song out from country music singer Brad Paisely, title: "I'd Like to Check You for Ticks"...

I'm serious, it's a cute song..

Here's a website I found on a quick search that looks like it has some good information.

Catchin and gettin them off is normally no big problem.

However did pull one when half asleep one time, took the better part of 2 years for it to heal up, still itchs from time to time.

It was in a spot I couldn't get at and Nancy wouldn't cut it out for me.

Brad

Just got the wife out of the hospital yesterday. Initial prognosiss (sp) tick fever. Symptoms were high fever (her age is 61) I did not divulge that, by the way. Very bad head aches, chills, nasua, diareah. I can't spell for squat, but you get my drift. They still don't know what kind because it takes a week to 10 days to get the results. She is one sick puppy. I felt so sorry for her. 102 to 104 fever for five days. It is not some thing to take for granted. Those little bastads are not some thing to reckon with. Take care folks.

Hope she gets back on her feet ASAP, BTW stay away from cedar trees!

JEEZ Stan, I hope she's better soon!