What to do about Ticks

[RZRBCK BEE]

Anybody else have problems with ticks while out visiting their hives? I have them bad and my site is mowed down close to the ground and I am afraid to treat with any insecticide for fear of hurting my bees. Any ideas?

[Beeslave]

Duct tape pant legs to boots and and spray legs from knee down with a good tick repellant. Check yourself for ticks very good when back in the house for the night.:)

[10hive]

I live right in the heart of deer tick country and am now on Doxycycline for the 3rd time in four yrs, everyone in the family has lime disease. we do all the usually things to keep them off but they always beat us. we find just taking a shower early in the evening and checking ourselves is the best way. I've pulled 3 in the past 5 days after i got a bulls eye.

[Ross]

guineas are supposed to clean them up pretty good.

[aszalan]

I agree with beeslave about using duct tape and spraying DEET on your pants. here is some more info about arkansas ticks.

http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-7047.pdf

[tigger]

Some good suggestions, I think.

Just finished a three day course of Doxycycline because I woke up on Tuesday and found a tick attached to my leg. I had Lyme once, and probably twice last year. While I don't like taking antibiotics unless it's absolutely necessary, it's a bit of insurance to take them now, as I don't want to get sick again.

I'm not sure what varieties of ticks you have in AR, but around here, "deer" ticks also carry Ehrlichiosis and Babeosis organisms as well. Vigilance is important.

[10hive]

3 days, you got lucky ,OK, maybe it's because there was no bulls eye.

my first time was 2 pills everyday for 7 days, second time was 2 pills everyday for 14 days, now i got 42 pills, 2 pills everyday til they're gone.

bulle eye every time, i've had dozens with no bulls eye.

[tigger]

This was an insurance thing...3 days if started the same day you're bitten is supposed to prevent infection. I was on longer courses last year.

You're probably aware of this, but you can have Lyme Disease without any kind of bullseye or other rash. That's why I jumped on it early this time.

[11x]

try sprinkling seven dust arround your hive. not only will it detur ticks bit skunks hate the stuff.

[deermaster]

I thought Sevin was compared to DDT from the old days in a couple of studies I have read? Didn't France studying that in connection with CCD????I'm not sure I would put that stuff anywere near a bee hive......Just my opinion. Just go with the DEET and pick the little guys off at night if need be. You'll never beat them.......

[tigger]

I've seen Sevin recommended as a "solution" for getting rid of bees...

[11x]

well maby i wasent thinking. this is my first go around with bees.:doh:

[RZRBCK BEE]

I was afraid of sevin and diazanone.

[NasalSponge]

well maby i wasent thinking. this is my first go around with bees.:doh:

That happens..that's what these forums are for!! I can tell you I would never use sevin anywhere near a hive.:no:

[Tom G. Laury]

Couldn't you just stuff your socks with a few Apistan strips? Hang one or two around your neck?
Has anyone tried the repellent impregnated clothing?

[lars1322]

I started using Permethrin a couple of weeks ago and haven't had a tick since. You spray your clothes with it and it lasts a couple of weeks even if you wash them. I sprayed my shoes, pants and socks and like I said no ticks. I have worked the bees while wearing these clothes and it doesn't appear to upset them. One other good thing about it is that it doesn't smell like DEET does.

Edit: One other thing I should point out is that Permethrin is an insectide so it can be harmful to bees but once it dries on your clothes it binds to the cloth so I suspect that you don't get any residual left at the hives as I spray my clothes elsewhere and do not touch any bees or hive equipment to my clothes. Also I would not suggest spraying it wholesale around the hives to kill ticks.

[beekeeper_sd]

try sprinkling seven dust arround your hive. not only will it detur ticks bit skunks hate the stuff.

And it will also kill your hives!

[Dr.Wax]

Guinea fowl or muscovy ducks will eat virtually all the ticks and flies on your property.

[bnatural]

I started using Permethrin a couple of weeks ago and haven't had a tick since. You spray your clothes with it and it lasts a couple of weeks even if you wash them. I sprayed my shoes, pants and socks and like I said no ticks. I have worked the bees while wearing these clothes and it doesn't appear to upset them. One other good thing about it is that it doesn't smell like DEET does.

The line of clothing called 'Buzz Off' by Ex Officio has Permethrin already built in. It lasts for 26 washing cycles. I have several of their products - socks, jeans, hat. Work great, fit comfortably. I buy them from Sierra Trading Post as close outs of last year's styles, usually at 50 - 80% off.

Bill

[Tom G. Laury]

Hey does it work for mosquitos too?

[bnatural]

Hey does it work for mosquitos too?

Yes. From the website:

"Which insects will it repel?
Insect Shield garments repel Mosquitoes, Ticks, Ants, Flies, Chiggers, and Midges or no-see-ums. This repellent effect has been proven through extensive testing and research. The EPA requires extensive effectiveness data to prove the product's ability to repel these insects. Many species and varieties of ticks, mosquitoes, flies, etc., have been tested."

Bill

[Tom G. Laury]

Yeah I read the catalogue too, have you used them? What if a guy just sprayed his own stuff with permethrin? I am loking at mosquito control. Thank you Tom

[bnatural]

Sorry, my 'Yes' meant they work for me to repel mosquitoes. The quote was just to show the range of critters the stuff repels. Originally got some to repel our famous black flies. I'm guessing you could apply it yourself, just might have to apply more frequently. Since I can buy the stuff at the same price as untreated clothing, I'm happy to just buy it.

Bill

[tigger]

I've had good luck with Buzz Off, though the stuff isn't cheap. In the future, I'll probably set one set of clothes aside and spray them with Permethrin.

It's the times when I haven't worn it that I've gotten bitten. Seems to work on mosquitoes.

A bunch of years ago, I spilled some DEET on a foam bedroll, and it melted a hole in it. While I'm not made of foam, I don't use it anymore...

[wildbranch2007]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified permethrin as a carcinogen because it causes lung tumors in female mice and liver tumors in mice of both sexes. Permethrin inhibits the activity of the immune system in laboratory tests, and also binds to the receptors for a male sex hormone. It causes chromosome aberrations in human and hamster cells.

Permethrin is toxic to honey bees and other beneficial insects, fish, aquatic insects, crayfish, and shrimp. For many species, concentrations of less than one part per billion are lethal. Permethrin causes deformities and other developmental problems in tadpoles, and reduces the number of oxygen-carrying cells in the blood of birds.

mike

[bnatural]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified permethrin as a carcinogen because it causes lung tumors in female mice and liver tumors in mice of both sexes. Permethrin inhibits the activity of the immune system in laboratory tests, and also binds to the receptors for a male sex hormone. It causes chromosome aberrations in human and hamster cells.

From the Agency's database the actual cancer classification by EPA is:


'....the Agency classified permethrin as “Likely to be Carcinogenic to Humans” by the oral route. This classification was based on two reproducible benign tumor types (lung and liver) in the mouse, equivocal evidence of carcinogenicity in Long- Evans rats, and supporting structural activity relationship information.'

Good thing I don't plan to eat my clothes.

Below is more info from the EPA website on permethrin risks. In most cases the risks are below the Agency's LOC (Level of Concern). Where they were above the LOC, it was related to other uses, such as indoor foggers and application to indoor carpet, especially for toddlers. In addition, the filings and correspondence for the 'Buzz Off' product line are also available in the public database.

Overall, I'd rate permethrin sprayed on clothes a lot better than direct application of DEET to the skin.

Bill



Risks
Dietary

* Acute, chronic non-cancer, and cancer dietary (food and drinking water) risks from permethrin were below the Agency’s level of concern (LOC).

Residential

* All non-cancer (dermal and inhalation) risks for individuals handling permethrin products in a residential setting were below the Agency’s LOC. All cancer risk estimates were also below the Agency’s LOC, except for the following scenario: mixing/loading/applying the EC formulation via sponge to horses.

* The non-cancer post-application risk estimates for adults and youth aged children exposed to an environment treated with permethrin were below the Agency’s LOC; however, the risk estimate for toddlers exposed to permethrin treated indoor surfaces (carpets) were above the Agency’s LOC. The cancer risk estimates for adults exposed to indoor surfaces treated with permethrin from directed surface sprays or total release foggers were also above the Agency’s LOC.

* The Agency considered post-application exposure to both outdoor residential misting systems and permethrin treated clothing. All scenarios were below the Agency’s non-cancer and cancer LOCs.

Aggregate Risks

* The acute aggregate risk non-cancer and cancer estimate from food and drinking water does not exceed the Agency’s LOC.

* Aggregate short-term (1-30 days) non-cancer risk estimates, which include the contribution of risk from chronic dietary sources (food + drinking water) and short-term residential sources, exceeded the Agency’s LOC for toddlers exposed to permethrin through food and drinking water, and through post-application exposure during high contact activities on lawns and indoor surfaces. The risk driver for the aggregate non-cancer risk estimate was post-application exposure to permethrin on treated indoor surfaces (carpets).

* The aggregate cancer risk estimate exceeded the Agency’s LOC for adults exposed to permethrin through food and drinking water, and through postapplication exposure during high contact activity on lawns and indoor surfaces. Similar to the non-cancer aggregate risk assessment, post-application exposure to treated indoor carpets was the risk driver.

* All residential/recreational exposures are expected to be short-term in duration. Therefore, no intermediate-term (1-6 months) or long-term (>6 months) aggregate risk was assessed.

* EPA believes that the appropriate way to consider the pharmaceutical use of permethrin in its risk assessment is to examine the impact that the additional nonoccupational pesticide exposures would have to a pharmaceutical patient exposed to a related (or, in some cases, the same) compound. Based on a worse case scenario assessment, EPA estimates that the permethrin exposure a patient is expected to receive from a typical single application of a 1% and 5% permethrin pharmaceutical cream, respectively, is 450 to 2300 times greater than the combined exposure from the dietary and other non-occupational sources of permethrin. FDA has reviewed these estimates and determined that pesticide exposure in patients receiving treatment with a pharmaceutical permethrin drug product would fall within the expected range of exposure following treatment with permethrin drug product alone, and would not present an increased safety risk.

[Oldbee]

Couldn't you just stuff your socks with a few Apistan strips? Hang one or two around your neck?
Has anyone tried the repellent impregnated clothing?

:eek: Aren't you supposed to use nitril gloves when handling Apistan*?? At least back when we used to use it :rolleyes:.

I use some repellent spray that can be put on specific places [legs, neck, arms]. I try to remember to put it on and WASH HANDS before going to the bees. Keeps it away from the bees/frames, etc., and,..you never know; there might be a nice piece of burr comb,..full of honey :).

[Michael Bush]

I pick the ticks off and squash them with my Leatherman.

[tigger]

Michael,

This is effectively what I did 20 years ago. In this part of the country, the number of ticks and risks they pose have increased greatly since then.

I used to go barefoot, in shorts, from late March until November, but having had a couple of tick-borne illnesses, I'm far more circumspect than I once was.

[Michael Bush]

I haven't done it since I was about eight, but we used to put sulfur in our socks to keep the ticks out. It seemed to work.

[DRUR]

Those of you who have bad tick problems, do any of you have problems with fire ants. We used to have a lot of Ticks here in East Texas, and you would have to pick them off when you came in from the woods, especially during deer hunting season. But since we now have an abundance of fire ants, we don't seem to have Ticks. We still get fleas on the dogs but has been a long time since I have picked any ticks from their ears. Just wondering. Maybe I should be thankful that we have fire ants here.

Danny