[flagged]
Why would it so obviously be static electricity instead of heat? Or why not both? Or something else?
Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts
11–20 of 61 posts
Re: Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts
#12Re: Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
Fortunately, tick-borne diseases aside, they are probably about a 2 on a scale from 1=non-disease-carrying mosquitoes to 10=guinea worms. You don't notice when you've been bitten, and if you get into the habit of checking yourself all over before bedtime, you can usually remove them fairly easily with alcohol. The risk is leaving bits and pieces behind when you pull them off, which is why you want to encourage them t…
> The risk is leaving bits and pieces behind when you pull them off, which is why you want to encourage them to let go on their own. I thought the reason was if you accidentally apply pressure to the engorged tick, it backflows the potentially lyme-contaminated blood into your person. They sell special tweezers which engage the head while avoiding the body for this reason AIUI.
IIRC the recommended approach now is to freeze them off with those wart removers you can find at drug stores. Even the special tweezers were hard enough to use properly that it's no longer the recommended approach.
Re: Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts
#14Man I’m so glad I live somewhere with few if any ticks. They sound horrible from everything I’ve read.
Fortunately, tick-borne diseases aside, they are probably about a 2 on a scale from 1=non-disease-carrying mosquitoes to 10=guinea worms. You don't notice when you've been bitten, and if you get into the habit of checking yourself all over before bedtime, you can usually remove them fairly easily with alcohol. The risk is leaving bits and pieces behind when you pull them off, which is why you want to encourage them t…
Yes, but the tick-borne diseases turn it into 7-8. Lyme disease is awful.
Re: Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts
#15Re: Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
Fortunately, tick-borne diseases aside, they are probably about a 2 on a scale from 1=non-disease-carrying mosquitoes to 10=guinea worms. You don't notice when you've been bitten, and if you get into the habit of checking yourself all over before bedtime, you can usually remove them fairly easily with alcohol. The risk is leaving bits and pieces behind when you pull them off, which is why you want to encourage them t…
> The risk is leaving bits and pieces behind when you pull them off, which is why you want to encourage them to let go on their own. I thought the reason was if you accidentally apply pressure to the engorged tick, it backflows the potentially lyme-contaminated blood into your person. They sell special tweezers which engage the head while avoiding the body for this reason AIUI.
There’s also a tool called a tick twister that is supposed to get them around the neck and twist them out. Like flat tweezers that you slide along your skin so you don’t accidentally squeeze the body. If I understand correctly they have flexible spines/barbs on their head which is what can keep the head in if you pull without twisting. When you twist the spines lay down and so the tick slips right out intact. That’s the marketing behind the tool anyway.
Re: Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts
#17Man I’m so glad I live somewhere with few if any ticks. They sound horrible from everything I’ve read.
Fortunately, tick-borne diseases aside, they are probably about a 2 on a scale from 1=non-disease-carrying mosquitoes to 10=guinea worms. You don't notice when you've been bitten, and if you get into the habit of checking yourself all over before bedtime, you can usually remove them fairly easily with alcohol. The risk is leaving bits and pieces behind when you pull them off, which is why you want to encourage them t…
I've never been able to get a tick off with alcohol.
Re: Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The risk is leaving bits and pieces behind when you pull them off, which is why you want to encourage them to let go on their own. I thought the reason was if you accidentally apply pressure to the engorged tick, it backflows the potentially lyme-contaminated blood into your person. They sell special tweezers which engage the head while avoiding the body for this reason AIUI.
There’s also a tool called a tick twister that is supposed to get them around the neck and twist them out. Like flat tweezers that you slide along your skin so you don’t accidentally squeeze the body. If I understand correctly they have flexible spines/barbs on their head which is what can keep the head in if you pull without twisting. When you twist the spines lay down and so the tick slips right out intact. That’s…
Re: Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts
#19This might explain a bit about their preference for dry weather. Living in Minnesota, with dogs and kids, these little bastards are hated almost as much as mosquitoes.
My SO's senses are focused on the sense of smell and she swears that increased tick activity in an area is associated with a distinct smell - she picked-up so many ticks during childhood that it's a miracle that she didn't get Lyme disease so I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt in this case.
In light of this research it's possible that the smell in question is that of dry foliage/soil.
Re: Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts
#20That's interesting, and a bit surprising. Peak tick activity in the US coincides with outdoor activity in times and places where you're doing a lot of sweating, and are more or less at equipotential with the ground. I suppose they could be attracted first to dry clothing, then to skin nearby, though. And dog ticks obviously wouldn't face the same problem, since they produce minimal sweat through their fur.
I think ticks are mostly attracted by the CO2 in breath of animals. As in, they drop themselves from trees when an animal/person is breathing below them.