Comments on: seed ticks: the devil’s spawn http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/ tracking the wild novelist in her native habitat (bring chocolate) Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:21:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: ross http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/comment-page-3/#comment-25154 ross Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:58:30 +0000 http://mayalassiter.com/blog/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/#comment-25154 Oh and by the way, the only thing that really really works is sulphur candles that I think its banned in the us, it kills them in the matter of few hours , just make sure u air tight the Windows and tape around the door or they'll just come out and when the so2 gas is gone they'll come back in, it kills everything including bacteria , plants and humans as well So make sure you get out as well and you put a sign on your door (no entry) danger of death :) good luck Oh and by the way, the only thing that really really works is sulphur candles that I think its banned in the us, it kills them in the matter of few hours , just make sure u air tight the Windows and tape around the door or they’ll just come out and when the so2 gas is gone they’ll come back in, it kills everything including bacteria , plants and humans as well So make sure you get out as well and you put a sign on your door (no entry) danger of death :) good luck

]]> By: ross http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/comment-page-3/#comment-25151 ross Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:32:18 +0000 http://mayalassiter.com/blog/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/#comment-25151 Hi, read through the comments, learnt some useful stuff, I live in London uk seed ticks are not common here but I had a visit from relatives in southern Canada and my cat got infected and before I know it they were all over my house and when i got rid of the cat they started biting me, now after 2 months treating i'm finally getting the upper hand , they're extremely hard to kill with chemicals, and to warn you all when you apply the foggers that kills them with dehydration they go into your intestants and stick and drink blood , antibiotics and lot of stinking raw garlic in your diet makes them come out of you, nasty animals, there's still a few in my hair which whatever I do I can't get rid of them, plus they go in your ears aswell and lay eggs there, cleaning on a daily basis is required to make them get out, with disinfectants , the best way is to avoid getting them on you in the first place, gonna try lemon and vineger on my head in a minute see if it works. good luck. Hi, read through the comments, learnt some useful stuff, I live in London uk seed ticks are not common here but I had a visit from relatives in southern Canada and my cat got infected and before I know it they were all over my house and when i got rid of the cat they started biting me, now after 2 months treating i’m finally getting the upper hand , they’re extremely hard to kill with chemicals, and to warn you all when you apply the foggers that kills them with dehydration they go into your intestants and stick and drink blood , antibiotics and lot of stinking raw garlic in your diet makes them come out of you, nasty animals, there’s still a few in my hair which whatever I do I can’t get rid of them, plus they go in your ears aswell and lay eggs there, cleaning on a daily basis is
required to make them get out, with disinfectants , the best way is to avoid getting them on you in the first place, gonna try lemon and vineger on my head in a minute see if it works. good luck.

]]> By: maya http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/comment-page-3/#comment-21016 maya Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:54:44 +0000 http://mayalassiter.com/blog/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/#comment-21016 Thanks for the tip, walkwoods. Thanks for the tip, walkwoods.

]]> By: walkwoods http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/comment-page-3/#comment-21013 walkwoods Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:38:42 +0000 http://mayalassiter.com/blog/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/#comment-21013 For pet owners, you may want to look into Comfortis as a flea/tick preventative. One pill per month and it does work. For pet owners, you may want to look into Comfortis as a flea/tick preventative. One pill per month and it does work.

]]> By: VTGina http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/comment-page-3/#comment-19326 VTGina Thu, 27 Oct 2011 21:30:24 +0000 http://mayalassiter.com/blog/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/#comment-19326 Wow guys, this is so scary. Up in Vermont we have the dog ticks which we find on the cats and horses. Last week I found three stages on the cat at one time, engorged, feeding and two babies looking to latch on. He's wearing a collar now... We haven't experienced the "tick bomb" - yet. I do wonder though if what we thought might be spider bites may have come from seed ticks. We've had bites that just don't go away, itch for weeks. Could be. But - I also seem to get attacked every summer by "straw dust mites". That creature hangs out on your body around the torso, especially the belt-line. An adult settles in, feeds for a bit and then gives birth. Later the initial bite is surrounded by another batch of bites, sometimes in a nice circle, but not usually. I often get them on my wrists (from old hay), then they spread up my arms. The prescription cream does knock them back and will get all of them if you can get them surrounded by it. I just wanted to throw that out because I noticed a couple of the previous writers had mentioned bites that seemed to spread, sounds like mites to me. Love the tape / sticky lint roller idea, if those ticks make it up our way I'll sure know what to do! Wow guys, this is so scary. Up in Vermont we have the dog ticks which we find on the cats and horses. Last week I found three stages on the cat at one time, engorged, feeding and two babies looking to latch on. He’s wearing a collar now…

We haven’t experienced the “tick bomb” – yet. I do wonder though if what we thought might be spider bites may have come from seed ticks. We’ve had bites that just don’t go away, itch for weeks. Could be.
But – I also seem to get attacked every summer by “straw dust mites”. That creature hangs out on your body around the torso, especially the belt-line. An adult settles in, feeds for a bit and then gives birth. Later the initial bite is surrounded by another batch of bites, sometimes in a nice circle, but not usually. I often get them on my wrists (from old hay), then they spread up my arms.
The prescription cream does knock them back and will get all of them if you can get them surrounded by it.

I just wanted to throw that out because I noticed a couple of the previous writers had mentioned bites that seemed to spread, sounds like mites to me.

Love the tape / sticky lint roller idea, if those ticks make it up our way I’ll sure know what to do!

]]> By: Ann Marie http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/comment-page-3/#comment-19252 Ann Marie Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:18:05 +0000 http://mayalassiter.com/blog/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/#comment-19252 Ah, I just had Thousands of these lil creatures on me a few days ago. Thought they were chiggers! Must have used 30 feet of duck tape I was covered from my arm pits to my toes with them, even changed the color of my shirt I had sooo many of them. I ended up with about 80 bites, keep getting one here and one there. Now to figure out how to make sure my camper is tick free for next time we go out. Ah, I just had Thousands of these lil creatures on me a few days ago. Thought they were chiggers! Must have used 30 feet of duck tape I was covered from my arm pits to my toes with them, even changed the color of my shirt I had sooo many of them. I ended up with about 80 bites, keep getting one here and one there. Now to figure out how to make sure my camper is tick free for next time we go out.

]]> By: Kristin Carlson http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/comment-page-3/#comment-19133 Kristin Carlson Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:34:25 +0000 http://mayalassiter.com/blog/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/#comment-19133 Yes my father got lyme disease from a seed tick and unfortunately ticks will also cause a new problem, an allergic reaction to beef pork and other mammals(when eaten by humans)my husband was suffering from hives and allergic reactions for some time before we found out he was allergic to beef shortly after a tick bite. It was the only incident I had heard of for years and then it just started turning up in more and more people. He went to a study/examination by the professor that finally diagnosed this and has since realized he cannot eat anything mammal. No matter how it's cooked. It metabolizes into some sort of sugar in your body and about 4 hours later it's not pretty :0( I just wanted to post this bc it would've really helped us if there was a website that had info about it when we were trying to figure out what he was allergic to. No one expects beef. It's just not American. Not fair. Poor guy. Anyway, I hope this helps just one person. Yes my father got lyme disease from a seed tick and unfortunately ticks will also cause a new problem, an allergic reaction to beef pork and other mammals(when eaten by humans)my husband was suffering from hives and allergic reactions for some time before we found out he was allergic to beef shortly after a tick bite. It was the only incident I had heard of for years and then it just started turning up in more and more people. He went to a study/examination by the professor that finally diagnosed this and has since realized he cannot eat anything mammal. No matter how it’s cooked. It metabolizes into some sort of sugar in your body and about 4 hours later it’s not pretty :0(
I just wanted to post this bc it would’ve really helped us if there was a website that had info about it when we were trying to figure out what he was allergic to. No one expects beef. It’s just not American. Not fair. Poor guy. Anyway, I hope this helps just one person.

]]> By: charlie http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/comment-page-3/#comment-18578 charlie Sun, 09 Oct 2011 06:45:05 +0000 http://mayalassiter.com/blog/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/#comment-18578 do the seed ticks turn in to deer tick. I got them in warren county nc do the seed ticks turn in to deer tick. I got them in warren county nc

]]> By: JTW http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/comment-page-3/#comment-18179 JTW Thu, 29 Sep 2011 01:17:48 +0000 http://mayalassiter.com/blog/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/#comment-18179 This was a wonderful read - from Maya's original to all the comments. I'm from eastern NC, and we live on a wooded lot. Like central NC, ticks come with the territory, and they are disgusting, and gross indeed!! It wasn't until after Irene, though, that we would encounter the most disgusting of all, and we would learn about the "nymph" seed ticks. They are AWFUL, but one good thing to know about this infestation we are dealing with is - looks like we aren't alone! :) This was a wonderful read – from Maya’s original to all the comments. I’m from eastern NC, and we live on a wooded lot. Like central NC, ticks come with the territory, and they are disgusting, and gross indeed!! It wasn’t until after Irene, though, that we would encounter the most disgusting of all, and we would learn about the “nymph” seed ticks. They are AWFUL, but one good thing to know about this infestation we are dealing with is – looks like we aren’t alone! :)

]]> By: Madi http://mayalassiter.com/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/comment-page-3/#comment-17840 Madi Wed, 21 Sep 2011 01:33:56 +0000 http://mayalassiter.com/blog/2009/08/seed-ticks-the-scourge-of-the-earth/#comment-17840 Dear All, I wanted to share with you my seed tick experience because I found this blog very helpful after my first ever seed tick attack. I was out in the woods hiking for a few hours and when I got back to my car and started driving home my ankles started itching. I pulled my sock off and I noticed black spots. I didn't think about it much (had no idea what a seed tick is and what it looks like) and put my sock back on thinking I will take a shower at home and it will all be good. The next day I also went hiking and same thing happened but this time I pulled up my pants and noticed hundreds of dots moving on my leg. As I was driving on the highway it took me 1 hour to get home. I went in the shower but when I came out they were still all over my legs. I got back in the shower and this time I decided to shave my legs which got all the tick out. I found few more on my body after the shaving. the next couple of days I started itching again around my ankles and legs but didn't see anything. It was only after couple of days that I noticed the extent of the bites. It is now week two after the attack and I am still itching. I have easily more than 200 bites on just one leg, same on the other. They got to my arms, back and neck as well. I estimate about 500 bites all over my body (my boyfriend says it is more than that). It is a disaster for me and I am suffering every day. I go to work everyday and having just a simple cotton t-shirt on is a nightmare because it rubs against my skin. Above is why I want to share what helped me to relieve the itching and sleepless nights: 1. For my ankles I purchased cold/hot therapy braces. These are fabric with liquid pouches inside. You put them in the freezer and then wrap them around the ankles. They are the best thing I ever purchased in my life. I keep them on my ankles where I have the most bites and they work perfectly to relieve itching. They are cold and calming, I absolutely love them and can't live without them. For other parts of my body, I put frozen, wet towels wherever it itches and that seems to relieve itching for a while. The best is to get in the cold bath and stay there. It will calm the itching and give you some relief. 2. Took your advice on benadryl. It also helps with the itching and helps me get some sleep. 3. Not recommended but seems to work - scratch them until they bleed (or pop them). I tried this on one part of my leg and now that part doesn't itch anymore and seems to be healing. I only did it in parts that I could not handle without scratching because I am afraid of infection I have so many of them. For your information, I went to my dermatologist and told her my story, she immediately took my blood and put me on antibiotics. She also gave me Clobetasol Propionate Creatm (steroid) which I used within the first couple of days. It helps a great deal with itching but you can't use it for more than 2 weeks as it is very potent. 4. Aveeno skin relief calming lotion (medicated cream) - might not help with this type of itching much but lets your skin have a bit of cooling time when you can't take a freezing bath. 5. Lots of patience and try not to get paranoid. Even until this day I sometimes feel they are all over my body again and I feel that I have new bites every day. Whenever I am in bed and not moving I feel my skin burning and pinching. So I try to be busy and move around a lot, it takes your mind off of things. I feel for everyone who is going through this and am posting the above to share what worked for me during this nightmare. I have seen pictures of other people with bites but I can assure you that I haven't seen anything like my own situation. Take care and I wish all of you fast healing. Dear All,

I wanted to share with you my seed tick experience because I found this blog very helpful after my first ever seed tick attack. I was out in the woods hiking for a few hours and when I got back to my car and started driving home my ankles started itching. I pulled my sock off and I noticed black spots. I didn’t think about it much (had no idea what a seed tick is and what it looks like) and put my sock back on thinking I will take a shower at home and it will all be good. The next day I also went hiking and same thing happened but this time I pulled up my pants and noticed hundreds of dots moving on my leg. As I was driving on the highway it took me 1 hour to get home. I went in the shower but when I came out they were still all over my legs. I got back in the shower and this time I decided to shave my legs which got all the tick out. I found few more on my body after the shaving. the next couple of days I started itching again around my ankles and legs but didn’t see anything. It was only after couple of days that I noticed the extent of the bites. It is now week two after the attack and I am still itching. I have easily more than 200 bites on just one leg, same on the other. They got to my arms, back and neck as well. I estimate about 500 bites all over my body (my boyfriend says it is more than that). It is a disaster for me and I am suffering every day. I go to work everyday and having just a simple cotton t-shirt on is a nightmare because it rubs against my skin.

Above is why I want to share what helped me to relieve the itching and sleepless nights:
1. For my ankles I purchased cold/hot therapy braces. These are fabric with liquid pouches inside. You put them in the freezer and then wrap them around the ankles. They are the best thing I ever purchased in my life. I keep them on my ankles where I have the most bites and they work perfectly to relieve itching. They are cold and calming, I absolutely love them and can’t live without them. For other parts of my body, I put frozen, wet towels wherever it itches and that seems to relieve itching for a while. The best is to get in the cold bath and stay there. It will calm the itching and give you some relief.

2. Took your advice on benadryl. It also helps with the itching and helps me get some sleep.

3. Not recommended but seems to work – scratch them until they bleed (or pop them). I tried this on one part of my leg and now that part doesn’t itch anymore and seems to be healing. I only did it in parts that I could not handle without scratching because I am afraid of infection I have so many of them. For your information, I went to my dermatologist and told her my story, she immediately took my blood and put me on antibiotics. She also gave me Clobetasol Propionate Creatm (steroid) which I used within the first couple of days. It helps a great deal with itching but you can’t use it for more than 2 weeks as it is very potent.

4. Aveeno skin relief calming lotion (medicated cream) – might not help with this type of itching much but lets your skin have a bit of cooling time when you can’t take a freezing bath.

5. Lots of patience and try not to get paranoid. Even until this day I sometimes feel they are all over my body again and I feel that I have new bites every day. Whenever I am in bed and not moving I feel my skin burning and pinching. So I try to be busy and move around a lot, it takes your mind off of things.

I feel for everyone who is going through this and am posting the above to share what worked for me during this nightmare. I have seen pictures of other people with bites but I can assure you that I haven’t seen anything like my own situation. Take care and I wish all of you fast healing.

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