Method for avoiding ticks in survival shelter?

J

JReilly

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Apr 12, 2007
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So im perfectly comfortable eating bugs, and sleeping in the dirt, all that good stuff, but when i do, i like sleeping on a backpack, or a sweatshirt or something, simply because of the ticks. Is there any real way to avoid getting bitten by ticks while sleeping in a shelter made entirely of dirt, sticks, and leaves? A bed of dry leaves is awesome for comfort, but at least around massachusetts, youll wake up with 15+ ticks on your body, and yanking those out in the woods is a bitch, and usually involves cutting some flesh. Is there any natural way to repel these?

Please excuse me if its been asked before, ive never posted here before.
-Reilly
 
You can smudge your shelter. BE CAREFUL NOT TO SET IT ON FIRE.

Use a few hot coals and put on dry cedar, sage, sweetgrass, or something that will smoke and not catch fire readily or be adverse to you. Test this on your fire outside first. Move your bedding and/or clear a large spot and/or find a large piece of bark to do this on. Put it in your shelter and 'close' the door.

The smoke will drive off or kill the insects and then you get the added benefit of finding the 'weak' spot in your shelter as that is where the smoke will exit. Plan to do this often, maybe even everyday.
 
I don't know about natural protection but the best protection the market offers is Sawyer Military Clothing treatment with Permethrine (about $7). You soak your bush clothes in it and let them dry. The permethrin actually kills ticks that try to invade. It does a great job and lasts several weeks (4-6) even after washing if you store the clothes in a black garbage bag.

I don't think a field expedient will give anywhere near the same level of protection. Mac
 
I think it's impossible.

I have no idea about the tiny ones but I have got to where I can detect them at night and pick them off.
 
Ticks don't react to smoke. Mac is right about the Sawyer product, it is the only one I have found that works. But like he said it is to treat your clothing and you must let it dry before you wear those clothes. That makes it a pain in the rear.

Last month on a Boy Scout campout I felt something bite me on the stomach while I was asleep. I didn't change my shirt in the morning since we were going home that day. When I got out of the shower that night I found a tick head surounded by a bullseye when I looked in the mirror. I about sh*t when I saw that! I called my wife and had her come home from work so I could go to the ER. The Md put me on antibiotics stat, right there in the ER. ow I have to get tested periodically for Lyme disease.

My family and I run cattle so we deal with ticks everyday it seems like during the spring and summer. My son took a walk through some tall weeds while I was mowing thistle last year. He was out of the truck about 10 minutes. He pulled 29 ticks off of himself! Nasty little bush lawyers!!!
 
The answer is to sleep off the floor :)

I seem to remember some soldiers on training in the jungle sleeping on the floor rather than platforms (Andy McNab's Immediate Action I think) and they were pretty messed up the following day. Getting eaten alive, being itchy and tired does you no good in a survival or bushcraft situation.
 
Lets assume there is no floor... is this chemical stuff really the only way? if it can kill ticks pretty fast, im not sure i trust it around myself, my dog, or open wounds.
 
JReilly said:
if it can kill ticks pretty fast, im not sure i trust it around myself, my dog, or open wounds.
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Thats why you spray it on clothing ONLY and do not put them on until it is dry. The chemical bonds to the fabric and will stay on through a wash or two. It can be toxic if you get it on your skin and the container warns not to spray it on any flesh.
 
I've used these before http://www.lifesystems.co.uk/psec/insect_repellents/sprays_and_gels.htm

I used the Expedition 50+ plus and yes it is nasty but very effective: you don't want to get it in your mouth or near wounds and when I threw the bottle in my pack there must have been a smear on the edge of the cap as it melted a hole through my ortleib map case :grumpy:

On the plus side the bugs never came close enough to be killed by the 50% DEET: the natural repellants caused a parting of the red sea effect :) so I plan to try out the Expedition Natural which doesn't look nasty at all.

I don't know if these are available in the US but I would guess you have equivalents.
 
JReilly said:
Lets assume there is no floor... is this chemical stuff really the only way? if it can kill ticks pretty fast, im not sure i trust it around myself, my dog, or open wounds.
Click to expand...

There are a couple permethrin treatments out there. It is the same stuff that Ex Officio uses in their Bug Off clothing line. Properly done, the treatment should last about 30 washings with varying mileage due to laundering techniques, climate, application, etc, etc.

DEET is the repellent that works best and I carry a small vial of 100% DEET in my PSK--- it goes a long way. Other than that, mechanical means like tucking your pant legs in your socks is about it. I'm sure with the guy who said get off the floor in areas with lots of creepy crawlies. I wouldn't make a regular habit of it, but I wonder how a canine flea and tick collar would work in a survival situation. It would be light and compact to carry and they come sealed. I'm sure the manufacturer would do legal flip-flops at the suggestion.

It would be interesting to see of there are local herbal approaches that might help. There are plans in organic gardens to plant flowers like marigolds to get rid of certain bugs, etc. There are stories of NW Coast Native Americans who had to abandon a village for a season due to flea infestations. Ticks aren't a problem on the wet west side of the Cascades (my area), but the little monsters are a problem on the east side where it is very dry. Knowing what native plants are good bug repellent would be handy info.
 
Hi guys. I have actually talked to a researcher before and he said (as Pict and 2dogs said) you have to wash your clothes with this Sawyer product or any other product with the same active ingredient (permethrine). This has proven the best defense. But he also said to check yourself periodically because it is very important to get the ticks off within the first 24 hours. You aren't as likely to contract Lime disease in this amount of time, but after the first 24 hours you will greatly increase the odds provided that the tick is an infected one of course. He also said to take the tick off carefully with a tweezers. By carefully, he explained, he meant use the tweezers at the point where the tick enters the skin so as to avoid squeezing the body of the tick and causing potentially infected fluids from getting into the wound.
 
Sleeping off the ground may help a little but not much as ticks may drop off vegetation onto their host. There are bug suits available for mosquito zones but I am not sure if they would work. DEET hasn't worked at all for me. Ticks suck!
 
Maybe you can wrap yourself around a mosquito net or something similar? If the net is small enough ticks may not be able to jump on you.

Luis
 
The smallest ticks called seed ticks are way smaller than the openings in mosquito net, but it could keep out some mature ticks.
 
knifeman65 said:
...check yourself periodically because it is very important to get the ticks off within the first 24 hours. You aren't as likely to contract Lime disease in this amount of time, but after the first 24 hours you will greatly increase the odds provided that the tick is an infected one of course.
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The problem with this is that deer ticks (the ones that spread Lyme Disease) are tiny. These images of a male and female deer tick will give you an idea of the size.
 
Yes Joel, deer ticks are very small indeed. I know the size as the researcher I had spoke of had a vile of non-infected (lab raised) deer ticks we got to hold and look at. There was probably a dozen or so deer ticks . It is very difficult to see them especially in places like the hair on your head or under your arms, however, by spraying your clothes and inspecting yourself you are doing the most you can. Actually, they have proven it is better to wear certain colors as well. I don't recall the colors though. But I believe (don't quote me) it is better to wear light colored clothing. Wearing the proper color is something I just couldn't be bothered with. But, as someone already said, ticks suck.
 
There are plants called bedstraw that have natural repellents,you have to talk to somebody that knows plants in your area. Permethrin is extracted from Crysanthemums,you could try sleeping on them or some related plant
 
pict said:
I don't know about natural protection but the best protection the market offers is Sawyer Military Clothing treatment with Permethrine (about $7). You soak your bush clothes in it and let them dry. The permethrin actually kills ticks that try to invade. It does a great job and lasts several weeks (4-6) even after washing if you store the clothes in a black garbage bag.

I don't think a field expedient will give anywhere near the same level of protection. Mac
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What he said^

Best bet is a combination of Permethrine on your clothing, bags, etc (follow the instructions), and deet based bug repellent on exposed skin.

I wouldn't make a regular habit of it, but I wonder how a canine flea and tick collar would work in a survival situation. It would be light and compact to carry and they come sealed. I'm sure the manufacturer would do legal flip-flops at the suggestion.
Click to expand...

Your mileage may vary, but from the limited accounts I've read about, this is a big no-no (chemical burn looking results).
 
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