The Natural Resource from Ben Meadows March Issue

Achieving Perfect Balance - Part II Spring is here and that means the Ben Meadows team had an egg ready for the vernal equinox. Why an egg? Astronomers will tell you that the vernal equinox is one of two times during the year that day and night are of equal length. That's because around March 20 the sun is positioned equally between the Earth's poles. This fact leads people to try all sorts of gravitational high jinks including standing raw eggs on end. We've tried this stunt in the past. Surprisingly, after a lot of effort, it worked. Our success with the egg made us wonder what else we could balance. After going through various products like our popular drip torch and a GPS we finally grabbed a copy of our catalog and stood it on one corner. Regardless of what these images tell you, it didn't actually balance (we cheated with Photoshop). But we do think our retouched images demonstrate the fact that our catalogs contain the perfect balance of information you can use and products you can depend on. This is why we decided to give it another try this year. Below you'll see the actual, unaltered results. Not quite as spectacular as our previous images but that doesn't mean much. After all, our catalogs still deliver the right balance of valuable information and professional-quality gear. If you don't have a copy of our latest, well-balanced catalog you can request one here. Or, if you want immediate satisfaction, take a look at our eCatalog version here. Either way it's still your best source for the gear you need When the Outdoors is Your Office®! Jack Ben Meadows Team Leader j.schaffer@benmeadows.com

Ticks - Tips for Prevention and Removal

Warmer temperatures mean longer days out in the field. Longer days lead to more opportunities for exposure to parasites like ticks. Ticks are a type of arthropod called an arachnid. Other common arachnids are spiders, scorpions and mites. Ticks are blood-feeding parasites. They typically hide in tall grass and on shrubs as they wait for a meal (you) to walk by. They attach themselves to a host with sharp mandibles and by inserting a feeding tube into the skin.

How can you keep ticks from attaching themselves to you?

The first step is prevention. Wearing light-colored clothing allows you to see the ticks. This gives you a better chance of getting ticks off of you before they can attach to your skin. Tucking your pant legs into your socks will prevent the ticks from crawling up the inside of your pants. Using a repellent will help discourage tick attachment. Repellents that contain permethrin can be applied to boots and clothing (but should not be applied to skin). Permethrin will last several days on your clothing and boots. Repellents that contain DEET can be applied directly to the skin. Because of the risk of skin reactions use caution when applying DEET, especially on children.

You can also conduct frequent body checks. Ticks prefer warm areas such as body creases, the groin area, armpits, waist lines and the scalp. Search your entire body for ticks. Use a mirror to view all the nooks and crannies. Sometimes help from a partner may be necessary. 

What happens if none of this works and a tick does attach itself to my body?

The following steps are the most common way to pull out a tick:

• Start by washing your hands with anti-bacterial soap.

• Use a tool made to remove ticks safely like Tick Tool™. If one is not available use fine-tipped tweezers or shield you fingers with a tissue or rubber gloves.

• Grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible and pull upward and steady with even pressure. Avoid crushing the tick because this may result in the release of the tick’s potentially contaminated fluids into the bloodstream.  Do not twist or jerk the tick. This may cause mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, try to remove the mouthparts or consult your healthcare provider. Do not apply petroleum jelly, a hot match or other irritants because this may cause the tick to regurgitate fluids back into your body or you may get burned.

• Once the tick is removed, place the tick in a jar with isopropyl alcohol to kill it.  Put the date and location of the body the tick was attached to on a label. Keep the jar around for a while because if you notice some health changes, you still have the tick for identification. Minor redness, irritation and welt formation is to be expected for the first 48 hours after the tick has been removed.

• Clean the attachment site with soap and water. Then apply an antiseptic to the bite wound.

• Wash your hands again with anti-bacterial soap.

• Monitor the site of attachment daily and keep a journal of your health subsequent to the bite. Symptoms may not show up for days, week or months. A bullseye rash pattern near the bite site is a tell-tale sign of Lyme disease. However, you may still get Lyme disease without evidence of a bullseye rash. Ticks carry other diseases too so it is very important to keep track of all your symptoms.

You can find tick-related prevention and detachment products at benmeadows.com. Check out repellents and the popular Tick Tool™ that can help make tick removal safe and easy.

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The Natural Resource Editor's Challenge!

Last month we asked this question:

How cold does it have to be before a Rite-in-the-Rain® Bullet Pen (which writes on wet paper, upside down and in temperature extremes) might stop working?

Scott from Nebraska knew that the answer is -30 degrees Fahrenheit.

We're sending Scott a PMI Kershaw 5-in-1 Carabiner Tool!

Take a look at our latest catalog or use our Web site (www.benmeadows.com) for help with this month's challenge. Don't have a catalog? You can get a free copy by clicking here. Now here's the question:

Spring means mud (and lots of it). How wide is our Mud Chucker™ Boot Scraper?

If you know, send us the correct answer along with your name and how to contact you. Send us the right answer and you'll be entered into a drawing. The winner will receive a PMI Kershaw 5-in-1 Carabiner Tool (a $60 value)!

Send your answers to: editor@benmeadows.com

If you have any questions about the list or its contents, send e-mail to the Editor at: editor@benmeadows.com. 

The Natural Resource is copyrighted by GHC Specialty Brands, LLC. Ben Meadows Company is a division of GHC Specialty Brands, LLC. Those wishing to re-publish a written piece in any other form or medium must first receive permission from GHC Specialty Brands, LLC To request permission, e-mail: g.lee@labsafety.com. 

The goal of The Natural Resource is to provide accurate information on the subject matters covered. However, it is impossible to guarantee absolute accuracy of the materials. Therefore, the publisher cannot assume any responsibility for omissions, errors or misprinting contained within this publication. GHC Specialty Brands, LLC. P.O. Box 1368, Janesville, WI 53547-1368, USA Tel: 800-356-0783 Fax: 800-543-9910.

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