Ticks and Spiders.... a few words about them

Ticks and spiders…. Spiders and ticks. Both of these critters are considered in the same overall family (arachnids) but differ in size and effects on humans. Of these two, I will talk about Ticks first.

Ticks are known in many cases to be vectors for various disease, the most known of which is Lyme’s. This particular disease is unfortunately prevalent in the North East and fortunately preventable by fairly basic measures.

The best method to avoid ticks and their possible nastiness is though preventive measures such as hats, longsleeve shirts and trousers with pants tucked into socks or boots. Light colored clothing is good for making the darker tick stand out in contrast for easy removal prior to it biting/attaching itself.

Permethrin sprayed on clothing is excellent for killing any tick that tries to decide you are a viable host for “dinner” and the chemical is sold for this very purpose. Other repellents that contain Picaridin, DEET or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus repel ticks well.

Inspection of yourself can be visual and by feel. For areas you cannot do either effectively, get a friend to look. Usual locations for tick attachment besides the legs is under-arm (where its warm), head in the scalp (also warm) and potentially in genital areas on the body.
Quick location of any attached ticks and their removal within 36 hours of their attaching is the best method for prevention of anything they are carrying barring a vaccine. Risk of infection increases the longer they are attached; that said, ticks attached less than 24 hours have an extremely minimal risk of causing such troubles.

In other words, a tick must be attached to you for a significantly long period for infection or transmission of anything to be possible. Given warning about their presence, a good exam for any upon you and prompt removal will prevent trouble for you from them.

The best method for removing ticks is using tweezers to pull from as close to the skin as possible while avoiding twisting. Care must be used to avoid crushing the body or removing the head from said body in process (ie: leaving head there), with re-inspection of area after removal to ensure its completely gone.

Cleaning the area with a disinfectant is greatly recommended as anything left behind will be cleansed away and the risk of after effects/infection is diminished severely.

Spiders are a fact of life in the woods… and their presence on your person can be a disturbing thing. Quick removal of spiders (flicking them off or a quick shake of them off) will prevent incidence of bites for the most part. Inspection of sleeping areas and footwear prior to use will also prevent trouble where they are concerned.
They like their damp dark places and if encountered, the spider will undoubtedly move away as they generally do not want any part of humans.

Flipside… Spiders, like most creatures, are attracted to warmth when it is chill which means they will seek out such a place for self-preservation and not a snuggle. When this happens, a bite can potentially occur if they are unduly roused or as a defense against a perceived (by them) threat/assault. In a vast majority of interactions, the spider will simply move away from whatever is moving- they don’t wanna get squished either (see self-preservation) and will likely go looking for their preferred dinner (you could say its stress eating on their part…)- other bugs like centipedes which are actually the harmful critter for humankind.

Should a spider-bite occur, quick interventions such as disinfectant and washing of the affected area SHOULD prevent anything untoward from happening. The area should be monitored to ensure nothing unusual occurs.

Should a reaction happen, prompt medical attention should be sought; the faster a proper intervention for a reaction happens, the less discomfort/danger to the person affected.

The best way to truly avoid trouble with spiders is checking your area for them and inspection of garments/sleep area prior to use. If found, a good shake of the garment/item in an area that is not enclosed will knock them off.

In essence, proper precautions in both cases will help minimize the potential for trouble and quick interventions should either interaction happen can stave off problems for you.