DEET (Diethyl meta-toluamide, available in products like OFF!) is a
reasonably good tick/skeeter confuser. It has worked well for me in
the past, as I can be a tick magnet at times.

Still, nothing beats a good family 'tick check' as a second check.
Be sure to especially examine hairlines. Nobody wants a tick borne
disease.

Lightnin Bug


--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Du & Vicki Diesing"
wrote:
> Hello to all!
>
> I ran across letterboxing while researching our upcoming trip to
New England this fall (actually it was on a Connecticut website...I
read the string of hilarious posts about CT being a lbx rich
environment). My family went on our first search this weekend and we
netted three found boxes and two mysterious no shows :) After my
husband and I took a fresh look at the clues, while sitting at home,
we realized we were probably looking in the wrong area of the park...
>
> My main question/concern is tick and bug repelant for adults and
children. We went boxing on Saturday and Sunday and just this morning
I have found two tiny ticks on my toddler. I hadn't noticed them on
her before today. What do you seasoned hikers use to repel ticks on
yourselves and on the wee ones that like to ramble in the brush? :)
And a more sensitive question...how do you protect bare skin when
nature calls?
>
> Thanks for your help,
> V
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks to everyone for the advice, I'm just worried about putting
DEET on my daughter. I'm taking her to the doctor today to get the
tick areas checked so I'll talk to him about what is a good brand
for toddlers....AND I guess we'll have to sweat through the rest of
the summer in long pants and shirts. I'll have to check out the Tai
Chi pants and see if they're something that will pass the fashion
test, haha :)

Up to 10% deet is acceptible for little kids - I saw a segment about
it just last week. The higher the % of deet, the better the
protection, but 10% is considered worth the risk. My doc puts it
this way: "Deet is a hundred times safer than West Nile!" ;)

Looks like I may have to take the summers off if long pants are
required - I can't walk from the front door to my car in this heat in
long pants! LOL

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Du and Vicki Diesing"
wrote:
> Thanks to everyone for the advice, I'm just worried about putting
> DEET on my daughter. I'm taking her to the doctor today to get the
> tick areas checked so I'll talk to him about what is a good brand
> for toddlers....AND I guess we'll have to sweat through the rest of
> the summer in long pants and shirts. I'll have to check out the Tai
> Chi pants and see if they're something that will pass the fashion
> test, haha :)

On Tuesday, August 10, 2004, at 09:49 AM, Du and Vicki Diesing wrote:
> .AND I guess we'll have to sweat through the rest of
> the summer in long pants and shirts. I'll have to check out the Tai
> Chi pants and see if they're something that will pass the fashion
> test, haha :)

Light-colored pants and shirts make tick-checks a bit easier. There's
the small worry of getting light-colored clothes clean after a kid
spends the day in the woods, but if your kids are like mine, you could
put 'em in entirely black clothes and they'd find a way to make the
clothes look dirty by the end of the day. ;-)

And, don't panic. DO check everyone when you finish hiking, but ticks
take a while to actually settle in and bite you, so you do have some
time to find the buggers.

Also, make sure everyone can identify poison ivy.......

Happy Boxing!
pezpam

Not quite as fashionable as Tai Chi pants, but you can also put a
rubber band around your pants or sleeves while on trail. Make sure
its not too tight, just snug.

Yours truly from the wilds of Florida
Devonpeter

Just remember, safety should trump fashion when boxing.

Laughing daily at the fashionistas,

LB

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Du and Vicki Diesing"
wrote:
> Thanks to everyone for the advice, I'm just worried about putting
> DEET on my daughter. I'm taking her to the doctor today to get the
> tick areas checked so I'll talk to him about what is a good brand
> for toddlers....AND I guess we'll have to sweat through the rest of
> the summer in long pants and shirts. I'll have to check out the Tai
> Chi pants and see if they're something that will pass the fashion
> test, haha :)

Hello,
A soldier with some experience in Iraq says that the
flea and tick collars are great if you strap them
around an ankle.

FamilyMan

--- Du & Vicki Diesing wrote:

> Hello to all!
>
> I ran across letterboxing while researching our
> upcoming trip to New England this fall (actually it
> was on a Connecticut website...I read the string of
> hilarious posts about CT being a lbx rich
> environment). My family went on our first search
> this weekend and we netted three found boxes and two
> mysterious no shows :) After my husband and I took a
> fresh look at the clues, while sitting at home, we
> realized we were probably looking in the wrong area
> of the park...
>
> My main question/concern is tick and bug repelant
> for adults and children. We went boxing on Saturday
> and Sunday and just this morning I have found two
> tiny ticks on my toddler. I hadn't noticed them on
> her before today. What do you seasoned hikers use to
> repel ticks on yourselves and on the wee ones that
> like to ramble in the brush? :) And a more sensitive
> question...how do you protect bare skin when nature
> calls?
>
> Thanks for your help,
> V
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
>





__________________________________
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New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage!
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

On Tuesday, August 10, 2004, at 10:07 AM, Todd White wrote:

> Hello,
> A soldier with some experience in Iraq says that the
> flea and tick collars are great if you strap them
> around an ankle.


As a military wife, let me point out that they are actively being
discouraged from doing so and that these collars are not a great idea
for people due to the chemicals in/on the collars. I've copied an
article below.....

HTH
pezpam




Copyright 2003 Bergen Record Corporation
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

April 2, 2003 Wednesday All Editions


SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A14

HEADLINE: Soldiers wear dog tags, not flea collars

SOURCE: North Jersey Media Group

BYLINE: BOB IVRY, STAFF WRITER

BODY:
Hard candy is good. So is a toothbrush. But a flea-and-tick collar?
The Pentagon says that's definitely a no-no.

Sometime during the first gulf war, someone got the idea that pet
collars ward off the sand fleas that inhabit Kuwait and Iraq. The idea
caught on.

But some soldiers developed nasty chemical burns from wearing the
collars, usually around their ankles or wrists. Now Americans are being
asked to do their part for the war effort by keeping them on their dogs
and not including them in care packages.

"The collars are not intended for human use," said Virginia
Stephanakis, public affairs officer for the Army surgeon general.
"Humans often have adverse reactions to them."

Originally, the collars may have been requested by troops. The tiny,
biting sand fleas are especially pesky in summer.

"It became an urban legend," said Barbara Goodno, a Pentagon
spokeswoman. "The collars are still included on some checklists for
care packages."

According to a U.S. Navy health alert, first issued during Operation
Desert Shield, troops waiting for deployment "are buying massive
numbers of dog flea/tick collars for use on their person."

The alert went on to say the collar's insecticides suppress a key
enzyme in the human nervous system, cholinesterase.

"Since these insecticides act like nerve agents," the alert
concluded, "use of these collars may limit individual ability to
survive a chemical warfare attack."

There are no reports of this occurring, and the wearing of the
collars was hardly widespread in the first gulf war. Only 3 percent of
13,600 veterans surveyed after the war reported using the collars or
witnessed their comrades using them, the Defense Department said. And
only 5 percent of those troops reported adverse reactions, usually a
rash or chemical burn where the collar touched the skin.

Troops now in Iraq are issued DEET, a strong topical insect
repellent, Goodno said, and their uniforms are treated with permethrin,
another insect repellent.

Joan Bellofatto of the Bergen-Hudson chapter of the American Red
Cross, which assembles care packages for troops overseas, said she
never heard of including flea-and-tick collars.

She said people have been so generous that the Red Cross has
temporarily stopped taking donations for care packages.

"We have a four-month supply," she said. "But no flea-and-tick
collars that I know of."

LOAD-DATE: April 2, 2003

Hello,
Thanks for the article. I'll pass it along. I know a
lot of soldiers are getting these now in care-packages
from home.

Thanks,
FamilyMan
--- Pamela Smith Lenox
wrote:

>
> On Tuesday, August 10, 2004, at 10:07 AM, Todd White
> wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> > A soldier with some experience in Iraq says that
> the
> > flea and tick collars are great if you strap them
> > around an ankle.
>
>
> As a military wife, let me point out that they are
> actively being
> discouraged from doing so and that these collars are
> not a great idea
> for people due to the chemicals in/on the collars.
> I've copied an
> article below.....
>
> HTH
> pezpam
>
>
>
>
> Copyright 2003 Bergen Record Corporation
> The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
>
> April 2, 2003 Wednesday All Editions
>
>
> SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A14
>
> HEADLINE: Soldiers wear dog tags, not flea
> collars
>
> SOURCE: North Jersey Media Group
>
> BYLINE: BOB IVRY, STAFF WRITER
>
> BODY:
> Hard candy is good. So is a toothbrush. But a
> flea-and-tick collar?
> The Pentagon says that's definitely a no-no.
>
> Sometime during the first gulf war, someone got
> the idea that pet
> collars ward off the sand fleas that inhabit Kuwait
> and Iraq. The idea
> caught on.
>
> But some soldiers developed nasty chemical burns
> from wearing the
> collars, usually around their ankles or wrists. Now
> Americans are being
> asked to do their part for the war effort by keeping
> them on their dogs
> and not including them in care packages.
>
> "The collars are not intended for human use,"
> said Virginia
> Stephanakis, public affairs officer for the Army
> surgeon general.
> "Humans often have adverse reactions to them."
>
> Originally, the collars may have been requested
> by troops. The tiny,
> biting sand fleas are especially pesky in summer.
>
> "It became an urban legend," said Barbara
> Goodno, a Pentagon
> spokeswoman. "The collars are still included on some
> checklists for
> care packages."
>
> According to a U.S. Navy health alert, first
> issued during Operation
> Desert Shield, troops waiting for deployment "are
> buying massive
> numbers of dog flea/tick collars for use on their
> person."
>
> The alert went on to say the collar's
> insecticides suppress a key
> enzyme in the human nervous system, cholinesterase.
>
> "Since these insecticides act like nerve
> agents," the alert
> concluded, "use of these collars may limit
> individual ability to
> survive a chemical warfare attack."
>
> There are no reports of this occurring, and the
> wearing of the
> collars was hardly widespread in the first gulf war.
> Only 3 percent of
> 13,600 veterans surveyed after the war reported
> using the collars or
> witnessed their comrades using them, the Defense
> Department said. And
> only 5 percent of those troops reported adverse
> reactions, usually a
> rash or chemical burn where the collar touched the
> skin.
>
> Troops now in Iraq are issued DEET, a strong
> topical insect
> repellent, Goodno said, and their uniforms are
> treated with permethrin,
> another insect repellent.
>
> Joan Bellofatto of the Bergen-Hudson chapter of
> the American Red
> Cross, which assembles care packages for troops
> overseas, said she
> never heard of including flea-and-tick collars.
>
> She said people have been so generous that the
> Red Cross has
> temporarily stopped taking donations for care
> packages.
>
> "We have a four-month supply," she said. "But no
> flea-and-tick
> collars that I know of."
>
> LOAD-DATE: April 2, 2003
>
>




__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Y! Messenger - Communicate in real time. Download now.
http://messenger.yahoo.com

As someone who has been treated for Lyme Disease just this year-got it while scouting a place to plant a box!-I'd rather take the risk of DEET on a child than a life time of suffering with this disease. My husband has had it for 5 or 6 years and it reaccures every year or so. His was so bad he could hardly walk. Now we know when his legs start hurting to get tested to see if it's back. YES it DOES reaccure and YES you can be bit again and get it AGAIN!! He's had it twice and it has reaccured twice.
Personally I use the Deep Woods Off-just not on the face or hands. I put my hand over my sons eyes when I spray their hair-just to keep it out of their eyes.
The 2 dogs we take get Frontline-they still get ticks and fleas but when these pesky critters bit the dogs they DIE!!!
My 1 cent worth

Mama Bear of the Trailin' Taylors

Du and Vicki Diesing wrote:
Thanks to everyone for the advice, I'm just worried about putting
DEET on my daughter. I'm taking her to the doctor today to get the
tick areas checked so I'll talk to him about what is a good brand
for toddlers....AND I guess we'll have to sweat through the rest of
the summer in long pants and shirts. I'll have to check out the Tai
Chi pants and see if they're something that will pass the fashion
test, haha :)



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ticks can be scary for everyone involved- I just pulled a deer tick
out of my daughter's head 2 weeks ago, but it's not her first &
won't be her last. Here in CT we can pick up a tick going to the
mailbox. My kids though are seasoned "tick hunters". We stop every
half hour or so & look over each other, making sure there aren't any
critters on us & when we get back to the car at the end of the walk
we do a more thorough check. There is a wonderful children's book
called "Crinkleroot's Guide to the Outdoors" (or something similar)
that will help you identify ticks, poison ivy, poison oak, & other
plants in a very non-threatening way. My kids loved it- & we picked
it up by chance getting some letterboxes at a bookstore!

As for not wanting to put Deet on your kids- it's understandable,
but I'd rather put Deet on my kids than have them get Lyme disease
(just my personal opinion). If you use child-safe bug repellents
you should be okay, but ask your pediatrician's opinion.

Happy Boxing!
The Family

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Du & Vicki Diesing"
wrote:
> Hello to all!
>
> I ran across letterboxing while researching our upcoming trip to
New England this fall (actually it was on a Connecticut website...I
read the string of hilarious posts about CT being a lbx rich
environment). My family went on our first search this weekend and we
netted three found boxes and two mysterious no shows :) After my
husband and I took a fresh look at the clues, while sitting at home,
we realized we were probably looking in the wrong area of the park...
>
> My main question/concern is tick and bug repelant for adults and
children. We went boxing on Saturday and Sunday and just this
morning I have found two tiny ticks on my toddler. I hadn't noticed
them on her before today. What do you seasoned hikers use to repel
ticks on yourselves and on the wee ones that like to ramble in the
brush? :) And a more sensitive question...how do you protect bare
skin when nature calls?
>
> Thanks for your help,
> V
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Is that why they call us 'dogfaces'? We'll have to include some collars in our care packages to the sandbox!

Dave
The von der Insels
P10 F238 X121 H9 E2
----- Original Message -----
From: Todd White
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 10:07 AM
Subject: Re: [LbNA] 1st Lbxes found & TICK REPELANT QUESTION!!


Hello,
A soldier with some experience in Iraq says that the
flea and tick collars are great if you strap them
around an ankle.

FamilyMan

--- Du & Vicki Diesing wrote:

> Hello to all!
>
> I ran across letterboxing while researching our
> upcoming trip to New England this fall (actually it
> was on a Connecticut website...I read the string of
> hilarious posts about CT being a lbx rich
> environment). My family went on our first search
> this weekend and we netted three found boxes and two
> mysterious no shows :) After my husband and I took a
> fresh look at the clues, while sitting at home, we
> realized we were probably looking in the wrong area
> of the park...
>
> My main question/concern is tick and bug repelant
> for adults and children. We went boxing on Saturday
> and Sunday and just this morning I have found two
> tiny ticks on my toddler. I hadn't noticed them on
> her before today. What do you seasoned hikers use to
> repel ticks on yourselves and on the wee ones that
> like to ramble in the brush? :) And a more sensitive
> question...how do you protect bare skin when nature
> calls?
>
> Thanks for your help,
> V
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
>





__________________________________
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New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage!
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ADVERTISEMENT





------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links

a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/letterbox-usa/

b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
letterbox-usa-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Oh well. Scratch the idea. And the itch.

Dave

----- Original Message -----
From: "Todd White"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 10:45 AM
Subject: Re: [LbNA] 1st Lbxes found & TICK REPELANT QUESTION!!


> Hello,
> Thanks for the article. I'll pass it along. I know a
> lot of soldiers are getting these now in care-packages
> from home.
>
> Thanks,
> FamilyMan
> --- Pamela Smith Lenox
> wrote:
>
> >
> > On Tuesday, August 10, 2004, at 10:07 AM, Todd White
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Hello,
> > > A soldier with some experience in Iraq says that
> > the
> > > flea and tick collars are great if you strap them
> > > around an ankle.
> >
> >
> > As a military wife, let me point out that they are
> > actively being
> > discouraged from doing so and that these collars are
> > not a great idea
> > for people due to the chemicals in/on the collars.
> > I've copied an
> > article below.....
> >
> > HTH
> > pezpam
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Copyright 2003 Bergen Record Corporation
> > The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
> >
> > April 2, 2003 Wednesday All Editions
> >
> >
> > SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A14
> >
> > HEADLINE: Soldiers wear dog tags, not flea
> > collars
> >
> > SOURCE: North Jersey Media Group
> >
> > BYLINE: BOB IVRY, STAFF WRITER
> >
> > BODY:
> > Hard candy is good. So is a toothbrush. But a
> > flea-and-tick collar?
> > The Pentagon says that's definitely a no-no.
> >
> > Sometime during the first gulf war, someone got
> > the idea that pet
> > collars ward off the sand fleas that inhabit Kuwait
> > and Iraq. The idea
> > caught on.
> >
> > But some soldiers developed nasty chemical burns
> > from wearing the
> > collars, usually around their ankles or wrists. Now
> > Americans are being
> > asked to do their part for the war effort by keeping
> > them on their dogs
> > and not including them in care packages.
> >
> > "The collars are not intended for human use,"
> > said Virginia
> > Stephanakis, public affairs officer for the Army
> > surgeon general.
> > "Humans often have adverse reactions to them."
> >
> > Originally, the collars may have been requested
> > by troops. The tiny,
> > biting sand fleas are especially pesky in summer.
> >
> > "It became an urban legend," said Barbara
> > Goodno, a Pentagon
> > spokeswoman. "The collars are still included on some
> > checklists for
> > care packages."
> >
> > According to a U.S. Navy health alert, first
> > issued during Operation
> > Desert Shield, troops waiting for deployment "are
> > buying massive
> > numbers of dog flea/tick collars for use on their
> > person."
> >
> > The alert went on to say the collar's
> > insecticides suppress a key
> > enzyme in the human nervous system, cholinesterase.
> >
> > "Since these insecticides act like nerve
> > agents," the alert
> > concluded, "use of these collars may limit
> > individual ability to
> > survive a chemical warfare attack."
> >
> > There are no reports of this occurring, and the
> > wearing of the
> > collars was hardly widespread in the first gulf war.
> > Only 3 percent of
> > 13,600 veterans surveyed after the war reported
> > using the collars or
> > witnessed their comrades using them, the Defense
> > Department said. And
> > only 5 percent of those troops reported adverse
> > reactions, usually a
> > rash or chemical burn where the collar touched the
> > skin.
> >
> > Troops now in Iraq are issued DEET, a strong
> > topical insect
> > repellent, Goodno said, and their uniforms are
> > treated with permethrin,
> > another insect repellent.
> >
> > Joan Bellofatto of the Bergen-Hudson chapter of
> > the American Red
> > Cross, which assembles care packages for troops
> > overseas, said she
> > never heard of including flea-and-tick collars.
> >
> > She said people have been so generous that the
> > Red Cross has
> > temporarily stopped taking donations for care
> > packages.
> >
> > "We have a four-month supply," she said. "But no
> > flea-and-tick
> > collars that I know of."
> >
> > LOAD-DATE: April 2, 2003
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Y! Messenger - Communicate in real time. Download now.
> http://messenger.yahoo.com
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>