Hi there, it's Ernest from Trip Astute. In this video, we're going to discuss a
not-so-pleasant topic, but one that's really important for those of you
heading outdoors. It's how to deal with ticks.
(light chiming music)
Some of you may have heard that 2017 is showing signs of being a very bad tick season,
so we thought we'd take a moment to share some tips and tricks for dealing with them. I know a lot of
you are outdoor enthusiasts, so you'll be spending a lot of time on and off trails.
So hopefully you'll find this video useful. Ticks are small arachnid parasites
that feed off of blood. They tend to hang out in shady and moist areas, and can
often be found in grass, brush, and shrubs. You can sometimes find them in lawns and
gardens, or alongside stones. The grossest thing about them is that once they get
on you, they embed their head into your skin to suck blood. It's totally gross
but also dangerous since they're known to carry diseases like Lyme disease and
Powassan virus and many more. There are actually many different types of ticks
and some are known to carry certain types of diseases. However, they all seem
to do the same thing, so these tips should apply to all types. Number one: Do
a full body search after spending a day outdoors. This is especially important if
you've been off the beaten path or camping, and includes your pets too. They
are also pretty easy to spot on the body and tend to get larger once they start
sucking blood, which is totally gross. Scientific studies have shown that ticks
are able to smell carbon dioxide from your breath and ammonia from your sweat,
and will move in the direction once a host is detected. If you're spending
significant time in one location like camping or laying out in a hammock,
you're probably at a higher risk of picking one up, so make sure you take the
time to look over your body to verify you don't have one trying to latch on to
you. Showering after a hike is always recommended. Though if you don't have anyone
to check those hard-to-see places on your back and don't have access to a mirror,
you can always use a lint roller to make sure there isn't something crawling
around. Number two: Carry a tick removal tool. I highly recommend buying a tool if
you spend significant time outside. For example, the tick key and a small
aluminum plate that easily and safely removes a tick from your skin without
even having to touch the parasite. It's so easy to use and extremely inexpensive.
You can get one for about $7 or a pack of three for $16. I'll
include an Amazon link below for the product. There are other effective tools
as well, many with a similar design and concept such as the Tick Twister and
Ticked Off. There are also specially designed
tweezers for handling ticks in case you want to be more hands-on with your tick
removal. The official method for removing a tick involves grabbing it with
tweezers as close to the skin as possible and pulling it off. There are
other non-official ways that you'll hear people use as well like rubbing alcohol
or peppermint oil to suffocate or poison the tick, or using matches or cigarettes
to burn them off. These methods are typically not safe
since the tick can often vomit into the bite site increasing your risk of
catching a disease. Not to mention it's totally gross!
Number three: Use alcohol and/or tape when disposing them. Once you've removed
one, you can often kill them with dish soap or alcohol. Also, I recommend
covering them with tape before putting them in the trash just in case
they still happen to be alive. Number four: Dress appropriately. If you know
you'll be spending time outside in areas where ticks are present, you should wear
long pants since ticks are most likely to latch on toward the bottom half of
your body. It makes sense to keep it covered. I know it can be really
uncomfortable to wear pants in hot weather, so I recommend finding ones that
can breathe or vent properly. I personally own a couple pairs of Prana
Brion pants, and they are my go-to travel and outdoor pants. They breathe really
well so they work great for a variety of travel and outdoor situations.
Number five: Wear insect repellent. It's important to note that while most
insect repellents contain DEET, which is effective against mosquitoes, ticks are
generally unaffected by it. If you want to repel ticks you'll want to use
permethrin. However, permethrin should only be
applied to clothing and not skin because it is toxic. In fact, if you're applying
it to your clothing, I recommend allowing it to dry
thoroughly on the garments before putting it on. Keep in mind it is toxic
to pets, so only use it if you think you're at high risk and not gonna be
around your pets. If you're looking for a more natural alternative, there are a lot
of folks online saying that rose geranium extract works as a tick
repellent. It's hard to tell whether it's actually effective or not,
and I couldn't find any scientific studies to prove it. However, it might be
worth exploring if you're looking for something less harmful. And those are our
top tips for staying safe from ticks. Do you have any tips or experiences with
ticks? If so, please share them in the comment section below. Also, let us know
if you have any questions. If you enjoyed this video or found it useful, please hit
the "like" button and consider subscribing. It's completely free, and you'll get
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continue building content for this channel. Until next time ...
travel safe and travel smart.