Personal First Aid kit
Bandaids
Gauze Pads
Gauze
Tape
Scissors
Nail Clippers
Moleskin
Water Tablets
Antiseptic Ointment
Tweezers
Magnifier
Aspirin
Personal Medications
Camping Day Pack
Water Bottle
Toilet Paper
Bandana
Insect Repellant
Sunglasses
Rainwear
Binoculars
Camera
Film
Fishing Gear
Sunscreen
Lunch/Snack
Lunch Cook Set
Field Survival Kit
A website with good, conventional information about ticks and chiggers is from North Carolina State University . It outlines the following information (the following is reposted from the website verbatim):
What can you do to reduce your risk?
• In woods and parks, stay on wide paths and roads when possible.
A void brushing against vegetation.
• When practical, layer your clothing; tuck pants into socks, shirttail
into pants.
• Wear light colored clothing to make ticks easier to see.
• Use commercial insect repellents on exposed areas (see cautions
below).
• Before stretching out for lunch on the ground, drag a piece of white
fabric over the grass and shrubs to inspect for ticks
• When in tick infested areas, examine your clothes and body at least
twice a day. Frequent examination reduces the opportunity for a tick to
attach itself. And a tick must be attached for at least six hours to transmit
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Once a tick has attached itself to you, there's no need for alarm. It happens
eventually to most folks who work out of doors. There are some steps you
need to take to minimize risk. First step is to not listen to all the home
remedies (gasoline, petroleum jelly, hot matches...) from us good ol' southern
boys.
• Use tweezers or a folded tissue paper to reduce the possible spread
of disease organisms that can penetrate even microscopic pores in the skin.
Grasp the body of the tick and pull firmly without twisting or jerking.
Pull straight away until the tick is pulled free.
• If the tick's mouthparts break off, remove them with a sterilized
needle as you would a splinter.
• Preserve the tick in alcohol for later identification if necessary.
• Wash the area with soap and water followed with an antiseptic such
as alcohol.
• Wash your hands with soap and water.
• Note the date of the tick bite on your calendar. If symptoms of
Rocky Mountain spotted fever or Lyme disease develop, your doctor may want
to know the date of the bite.
What about chiggers?
Chances are good that if you get a chigger bite, you'll get more than one.
Chiggers hatch from eggs and don't move very far. So if you stop to eat
lunch and sit near one, you're probably also near all his friends and relatives
that are just as hungry as you are.
Chigger bites would mainly be a nuisance if there were only one or two.
If there are one or two dozen, it's serious scratching time. Don't scratch.
I know you're going to scratch anyway, but keep it to a minimum. Scratching
can lead to infections that will be far worse than the bite.
How can you avoid chiggers?
Look back up at the list for avoiding ticks; the chigger list is similar.
Try to avoid places with lots of thick vegetation. If you have been in the
woods, try to get a hot bath or shower within an hour or two. Use a soapy
washcloth to scrub well. Scrubbing them off may prevent them getting a meal
or at least interrupt them.
Cautions for use of personal repellents.
N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) is generally recognized as the most effective
active ingredient in insect repellents. Several hours of protection may
be obtained if the product is not washed off by rain or sweat. Users should
exercise cautions.
• A general "rule of thumb" is that a formulation (lotion
or spray) containing 10-35% DEET should give good protection.
• Apply the product only to exposed skin and clothing that insects
can bite through. Do not apply under clothing; absorption into the skin
is increased.
• Avoid repeat applications of products containing more than 50% DEET,
• Cautions with CHILDREN: Do not use products containing more than
10% DEET; use sparingly on children under 6 years and do not use on children
under 2 years. Apply it yourself, and do not allow children to handle it.
Do not put it on their hands because hands will invariably get to the mouth
and eyes.
• Keep repellents out of the eyes. Apply it to the hands then carefully
apply to face.
• After you return indoors, wash treated areas with soap and water,
especially if you apply DEET product on consecutive days, and wash treated
clothing before wearing it again.
• If you suspect a reaction to the product in yourself or your child,
discontinue use, wash with soap and water, and call a poison control center
(in NC 1-800-848-6946, nationwide 1-800-222-1222) or see your doctor. If
you call, have the repellent container handy for label information; if you
go to the doctor, take the container with you.
Many individuals prefer more natural or systemic products. Among these are
Vitamin B1 (thiamine chloride), garlic, brewer's yeast and other plant-based
chemicals; plants such as Citrosa that may contain many of the same chemicals
found in oil of citronella; or electronic pest repellers. To date, the results
of several scientific studies do not support the claims that these materials
are effective.
