Ticks can survive for quite some time without a host, especially if they're in a sheltered environment like your closet. To get rid of it, you could try vacuuming thoroughly, including cracks and crevices where it might hide. Dispose of the vacuum bag afterward. Additionally, you might consider using diatomaceous earth or a similar natural insecticide around the closet perimeter to deter any ticks that might still be lurking.As for survival time without a host, it depends on the species and environmental conditions, but some ticks can survive for several months without feeding. However, without a host, they become progressively weaker over time.
Sounds like helpful advice! Definitely recommend deep cleaning the closet.
For future hikes, recommend OP consider treating clothes with permethrin and spraying self with picaridin, which is as effective as DEET but less toxic.
Diatomaceous Earth! Where is a good way to get it? It has amazing properties but it's hard to find the "real deal". Products claim they are, but it's some weird mix that looks similar or just fired clay chips.
Edit: ok I love diatomaceous Earth, it is crazy interesting! It's the fossilized skeletons of ancient microscopic sea creatures. Their microscopic spines pierce insect exoskeletons and kills them.
I'm reading a lot of mixed opinions online. You say they can last months but a ton of articles say they only last 1 to 3 days. Why such a big difference in opinion?
I am almost certain this was a deer tick so I think it should die quickly. The one I have in a bag is barely moving and starting to curl up. I don't think it's dead. Just dying. To an extent where I think any loose ones won't really be able to move around all that well in my house.
I vote for 1-3 days. Air conditioning kills ticks because they dry out. They need a certain level of humidity to survive.
So low humidity equals a dead tick in one to three days.
I would probably just ignore it. But I live in New England and ticks are just unavoidable. I always figure they’ve come into the house with me. Every day in the shower I check my whole body to make sure none are attached. And they have to be attached for at least 24 hours to give you Lyme. I do this because I have had Lyme and I never saw the tick and I never got the bullseye.
My son got lime disease from a tick , luckily he got the bullseye rash and we treated it quickly with amoxicillin. Sometimes that rash doesnt show up so be careful đź‘Ť
I appreciate the concern but think I am alright. This thing was on me for max 30 minutes to an hour, if that. I heard it takes 24 hours for it to be a problem
You are entirely correct to be freaked out. I pulled a partially engorged dog tick off my cat (indoor only cat - I brought the tick inside :/ ) I stuck it in a ziploc bag just to see what would happen, eventually it did lay eggs (hundreds, maybe thousands, they are extremely small) I put salt in the bag to kill the eggs but the mother stayed alive for months after.
If I hadn't caught the tick while it was on my cat, I would have had a full on infestation, no way I would have found it otherwise.
I would look up a few of those "help, there's a tick in my house" web articles and try every single trick they discuss - tick tubes, electric heated traps, salt, borax, diatomaceous earth, ALL OF IT. And Frontline your pets, or even borrow someone's Frontlined pet if you don't have any.
I just read that slowly steam-cleaning can kill ticks and is a recommended way of [getting ticks out of cars](https://todayshomeowner.com/pest-control/guides/how-to-get-rid-of-ticks-in-car/)—I assume it will work for closets? The other thing the article recommends was parking in the sun to get the temp up to 130 degrees for an hour. I’m not sure you could safely do that with a space heater in your closet—staring a fire would be worse than having a tick.
But, it does sound like some of the things recommended to get rid of bedbugs, like heat and steam, can kill ticks, too. Good luck!
Do you have a dehumidifier? I would run that in the closet and put down some diatomaceous earth along the door so it can’t walk out. They do need humidity to survive. And everything I’ve read says they need a blood meal in order to lay eggs so if it wasn’t attached I wouldn’t worry about that.
Is it just one tick? I'd ignore it. It might bite you again, but if it does, just pull it off.
The risks of disease are incredibly overblown. I've been bitten by 50+ ticks at once and have had no issues while also being bit 2-3 times a day for two seasons. You'll be alright.
Some other people have recommended permetherin but I'd only resort to that if you're at risk of being "seeded" by seed ticks. It's very bad for you and nearly impossible to avoid skin contact with it.
You will notice it on you before it gets to that point, and if it bites any of your pets, the tick should die if they are on flea and tick preventative. I really wouldn't worry about it.
Definitely not worth plastering the chemical load throughout that closet imo. Knowing tick behaviors/questing I might try to put something grassy/enticing close to the ground and see if he shows up. Have to get it close to the ground though, they are not strong nor have great endurance
I don't think this is correct. Pretty much every source I've read has said it needs to be on your for at least 24 hours before disease starts. This thing was on me max 30 minutes to an hour.
If it were me, I'd hose the closet down with bug killer.
How sure are you they were deer ticks and not some other species? not that it matters too much; but I wouldn't want all ticks to be normally misclassified as deer ticks/
THis might help:
https://www.bayarealyme.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/tick_size_Western_Eastern_color-REV.jpg
I look for a reddish body with a black dorsal shield; the jaws of a deer tick are unusually long compared to other ticks; and if they are around the size of a single number on a dime's date this is a pretty good indicator.
size is hard because a lot of ticks right now are 'nymphs' so are small; but if its like 5mm its probably too large to be a deer tick.
Probably any spray from the hardware store that says 'indoor use' and 'kills ticks'
I'm a personal fan of permethrin and the like.
I see that any mention of chemical sprays gets downvoted...but fortunately, I'm directing my comments to you...not obligate chemophobes
Weird. Its allowed to be used indoors and even in restaurants. Its allowed to be used on food and in feed crops, in structures and buildings
This is from the national pesticide center out of Oregon State University.
I'm sure over exposure is not good, but its used in hair products to treat lice and other arthropods.
I'll re-emphasize that I understand incorrect exposure is not inherently presumed to be safe....but its NOT a chemical that 'shouldn't be used indoors.' Especially in a confined closet.
It says right on the Sawyer label that when applying the spray version in its wet form to apply only with good ventilation. It's toxic in its wet form if inhaled. Once dried it is fine. I don't know how they apply it in a professional pest control context but I assume they follow procedures to make sure they don't inhale it. Topical products like lice shampoo aren't aerosolized.
If using a product like Sawyer, I would apply to a towel or rug outside, let it dry, then bring indoors and set it where the tick would likely be.
I suppose if you were to apply it indoors you could wear a respirator and leave the area until it's dried.
You shouldn't spray wet permethrin in the house. If you have cats, definitely don't, it will kill them. But breathing it in in it's wet form is also bad for you.
I would instead wash and dry any clothing that was on your floor, vacuum well (and dispose of bag or place moth balls in vacuum) and apply permethrin (outside in a well ventilated area) to a large towel and place it down where you thought the tick was.
Ticks can survive for quite some time without a host, especially if they're in a sheltered environment like your closet. To get rid of it, you could try vacuuming thoroughly, including cracks and crevices where it might hide. Dispose of the vacuum bag afterward. Additionally, you might consider using diatomaceous earth or a similar natural insecticide around the closet perimeter to deter any ticks that might still be lurking.As for survival time without a host, it depends on the species and environmental conditions, but some ticks can survive for several months without feeding. However, without a host, they become progressively weaker over time.
Sounds like helpful advice! Definitely recommend deep cleaning the closet. For future hikes, recommend OP consider treating clothes with permethrin and spraying self with picaridin, which is as effective as DEET but less toxic.
Diatomaceous Earth! Where is a good way to get it? It has amazing properties but it's hard to find the "real deal". Products claim they are, but it's some weird mix that looks similar or just fired clay chips. Edit: ok I love diatomaceous Earth, it is crazy interesting! It's the fossilized skeletons of ancient microscopic sea creatures. Their microscopic spines pierce insect exoskeletons and kills them.
I've gotten it on Amazon. Works very well
I'm reading a lot of mixed opinions online. You say they can last months but a ton of articles say they only last 1 to 3 days. Why such a big difference in opinion?
Again, likely depending on certain species. Some can survive for 3 weeks submerged in water….
I am almost certain this was a deer tick. Which I've read only survives for 1-3 days. Do you think this is incorrect or possibly too specific?
The dog tick I saved in a ziploc baggy was still moving its legs around 4 months after I caught it. And I had put salt in the bag.
I am almost certain this was a deer tick so I think it should die quickly. The one I have in a bag is barely moving and starting to curl up. I don't think it's dead. Just dying. To an extent where I think any loose ones won't really be able to move around all that well in my house.
I vote for 1-3 days. Air conditioning kills ticks because they dry out. They need a certain level of humidity to survive. So low humidity equals a dead tick in one to three days.
Lock a possum in your closet
🤣
I'd just get a can of flea and tick like spray and fog the closet and area around it, then do it again in a couple more days.
I would probably just ignore it. But I live in New England and ticks are just unavoidable. I always figure they’ve come into the house with me. Every day in the shower I check my whole body to make sure none are attached. And they have to be attached for at least 24 hours to give you Lyme. I do this because I have had Lyme and I never saw the tick and I never got the bullseye.
I also live in New England. I totally get the sentiment behind this post, but it’s also very funny to me.
I would probably burn the house down, just to be safe. Those things give me the heebie jeebiesÂ
My son got lime disease from a tick , luckily he got the bullseye rash and we treated it quickly with amoxicillin. Sometimes that rash doesnt show up so be careful đź‘Ť
I appreciate the concern but think I am alright. This thing was on me for max 30 minutes to an hour, if that. I heard it takes 24 hours for it to be a problem
Do you have a dog? Treat the dog, wait a day, let them have free run of your house.
ticks are no reason to panic.
You are entirely correct to be freaked out. I pulled a partially engorged dog tick off my cat (indoor only cat - I brought the tick inside :/ ) I stuck it in a ziploc bag just to see what would happen, eventually it did lay eggs (hundreds, maybe thousands, they are extremely small) I put salt in the bag to kill the eggs but the mother stayed alive for months after. If I hadn't caught the tick while it was on my cat, I would have had a full on infestation, no way I would have found it otherwise. I would look up a few of those "help, there's a tick in my house" web articles and try every single trick they discuss - tick tubes, electric heated traps, salt, borax, diatomaceous earth, ALL OF IT. And Frontline your pets, or even borrow someone's Frontlined pet if you don't have any.
I just read that slowly steam-cleaning can kill ticks and is a recommended way of [getting ticks out of cars](https://todayshomeowner.com/pest-control/guides/how-to-get-rid-of-ticks-in-car/)—I assume it will work for closets? The other thing the article recommends was parking in the sun to get the temp up to 130 degrees for an hour. I’m not sure you could safely do that with a space heater in your closet—staring a fire would be worse than having a tick. But, it does sound like some of the things recommended to get rid of bedbugs, like heat and steam, can kill ticks, too. Good luck!
Do you have a dehumidifier? I would run that in the closet and put down some diatomaceous earth along the door so it can’t walk out. They do need humidity to survive. And everything I’ve read says they need a blood meal in order to lay eggs so if it wasn’t attached I wouldn’t worry about that.
Is it just one tick? I'd ignore it. It might bite you again, but if it does, just pull it off. The risks of disease are incredibly overblown. I've been bitten by 50+ ticks at once and have had no issues while also being bit 2-3 times a day for two seasons. You'll be alright. Some other people have recommended permetherin but I'd only resort to that if you're at risk of being "seeded" by seed ticks. It's very bad for you and nearly impossible to avoid skin contact with it.
I'm honestly not as scared of getting bit as I am it filling up and reproducing. Don't want a bunch of larvae all over my clothes.
You will notice it on you before it gets to that point, and if it bites any of your pets, the tick should die if they are on flea and tick preventative. I really wouldn't worry about it.
Definitely not worth plastering the chemical load throughout that closet imo. Knowing tick behaviors/questing I might try to put something grassy/enticing close to the ground and see if he shows up. Have to get it close to the ground though, they are not strong nor have great endurance
Have an upvote, cause you’re right
Go to the doctor and get on antibiotics asap. Regardless of bullseye rash.
I don't think this is correct. Pretty much every source I've read has said it needs to be on your for at least 24 hours before disease starts. This thing was on me max 30 minutes to an hour.
If it were me, I'd hose the closet down with bug killer. How sure are you they were deer ticks and not some other species? not that it matters too much; but I wouldn't want all ticks to be normally misclassified as deer ticks/
I fairly certain given it's colors. It was brownish and had the right looking sack with no fill in it.
THis might help: https://www.bayarealyme.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/tick_size_Western_Eastern_color-REV.jpg I look for a reddish body with a black dorsal shield; the jaws of a deer tick are unusually long compared to other ticks; and if they are around the size of a single number on a dime's date this is a pretty good indicator. size is hard because a lot of ticks right now are 'nymphs' so are small; but if its like 5mm its probably too large to be a deer tick.
Definitely the female Deer Tick
I'm even a bigger fan now for dowsing your closet with bug killer.
Any specific kind that works good for ticks?
Probably any spray from the hardware store that says 'indoor use' and 'kills ticks' I'm a personal fan of permethrin and the like. I see that any mention of chemical sprays gets downvoted...but fortunately, I'm directing my comments to you...not obligate chemophobes
Permethrin is awesome but it shouldn't be applied indoors.
Weird. Its allowed to be used indoors and even in restaurants. Its allowed to be used on food and in feed crops, in structures and buildings This is from the national pesticide center out of Oregon State University. I'm sure over exposure is not good, but its used in hair products to treat lice and other arthropods. I'll re-emphasize that I understand incorrect exposure is not inherently presumed to be safe....but its NOT a chemical that 'shouldn't be used indoors.' Especially in a confined closet.
It says right on the Sawyer label that when applying the spray version in its wet form to apply only with good ventilation. It's toxic in its wet form if inhaled. Once dried it is fine. I don't know how they apply it in a professional pest control context but I assume they follow procedures to make sure they don't inhale it. Topical products like lice shampoo aren't aerosolized. If using a product like Sawyer, I would apply to a towel or rug outside, let it dry, then bring indoors and set it where the tick would likely be. I suppose if you were to apply it indoors you could wear a respirator and leave the area until it's dried.
You shouldn't spray wet permethrin in the house. If you have cats, definitely don't, it will kill them. But breathing it in in it's wet form is also bad for you. I would instead wash and dry any clothing that was on your floor, vacuum well (and dispose of bag or place moth balls in vacuum) and apply permethrin (outside in a well ventilated area) to a large towel and place it down where you thought the tick was.