Removing Ticks
Ticks are a growing medical danger in the Northeast. And don’t think for a minute that ticks are only in Southern New England. Years ago, that seemed the case, but times have changed. Today New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine all have tick problems. And remember as well, ticks are not just in the woods. They are on lawns, bushes and often on beach grass.
The two big offenders are – the black-legged tick, better known as the deer tick. It may carry Lyme Disease. And increasingly we’re seeing a new guy in town – The Lone Star, with its distinctive white spot on the back. It is not thought to transmit Lyme disease, but it can transmit “alpha-gal syndrome,” which leaves you allergic to red meat. Yikes.
Get smart. Have a tick removal tool handy. With steady fingers, a pair of fine tweezers does the trick. Yet I prefer to have a tick removal tool right on my key chain, its always ready. My choice is the Pro-Tick Remedy. See it above, pointing to the upper right corner of the photo. But they are plenty others to pick from. Find what you like. Their cheap, get a couple. One for each car, one for your vest, one for your tacklebox. Forget lighting a match or coating the tick with Vaseline. Useless. And never squeeze a tick or twist it. Worse thing you can do. Grab it as close to the skin as you can and pull straight out.
