Spend any time in the woods or outdoors and you will eventually have to deal with ticks. I say "deal," because there is no 100% prevention solution. Ticks tend to look like little crabs without the claws and you need to avoid them.

As a kid, I spent hours in the woods and came home with my fair share of ticks. As an adult, I spend time working outdoors and in the woods fishing and/or hiking-- ticks are still a problem. So how do I deal with ticks?

• Bug repellent
• Hats and other clothing
• Visual inspection
• Physical inspection
• Removal

First, protection in the form of bug repellent and protective clothing may help, but I have found that ticks stay on clothes and can travel to exposed skin-- they are persistent.

Next, visual and physical inspection tends to catch the critters. I recommend checking yourself and others immediately after returning from outside or the woods. This also applies to pet owners-- be sure to check your animals.

Finally, there are removal techniques. It is best to have help with this step, as you may not be able to see the target. Removal includes:

• Flicking off an unattached visitor.
• Tweezer the barely imbedded tick-- watch out that you don't lose the legs.
• Hot pin or needle for the deeply imbedded tick-- this is usually the most effective way to get them out.

If the tick is too deep or you lose some of it-- consider going to the doctor with what you got out (Save the remains for the doctor to identify).

One last warning, Deer ticks (potential Lyme Disease ticks) are extremely small-- pay more attention to these. While Lyme Disease is treatable, it is certainly not desirable.

Thank you for visiting the Self Reliance Workshop and come back soon for more . . . follow me on Twitter at SelfRelianceWS, DvrcdDadFrglDad, and Surfcasting2Day.

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DDFD believes that self reliance and self sufficiency are the roads to individual freedom.  He is dedicated to living a quality life through frugality, personal growth and productivity, and defensive entrepreneurship.  He also enjoys cooking from scratch and fishing.