I've seen more ticks this year than I've seen in total for many seasons. Also my dad picked up rock mountain spotted fever (lab confirmed today). There are also 2 cases of echlenosis (tick born illness similar to RMSF) within 2 miles of my house and a couple lyme variant cases.
I thought the past winter cold enough to put a damper on those little buggers... :(
Hmmm. I will have to ask the parents-in-law how bad the ticks are this year at their place in Arkansas. We may move to that area someday and I tell you... I hate ticks and chiggers. Worst bugs ever.
whatch those ticks i allmost died in 06 from tick fever they took 4 months to decide thats what it was then they had me take the same antiboic i was on only 4 x as much in 2 weeks the fever was gone after 4 months of fever
I was reading the other day that you should keep any ticks you find on your person.
I think it was a jar of alcohol or vodka something like that.
Then like Rabies they can study the offending critter to determine if it carries something nasty.
And I've been tromping thru the area near the woods/stream planting trees :(
Last year I found 6 on me from an area nearby
I've been cleaning out bit by bit & keeping the area mowed
But we have 1/2 dozen deer or more that roam around the woods on the other side of the stream
We never saw a tick in this part of the U.P. untilabout two years ago. This year, I've pulled 4 off of me after planting trees like Scuba_Dave.
You guys are making me nervous because next week I have to go up to northern minnesota to walk some timber sales. Everytime I have to do that in the spring, I will get bit at some point and end up with a strange fever about a week later. My doctor knows the drill and just asks a few questions about exposure, location, symptoms and writes the prescription. And I was vaccinated for lymes when they still offered it. Problem is now that I will always test positive or so they say.
This time of the spring is the worst time for ticks. First you get the larger, round wood ticks and then soon after the smaller drop shaped deer ticks appear. The time is right for both to be actively feeding. Then those suckers will disappear in the heat of the summer and reapear briefly in the fall. Where I am going it is not unusual in the spring to have 30 to 40 of those little xxxx crawling on your pants after just a couple of hours walk in the woods. I usually take my pants off and pick them all off my pants with my pliers.
But even so, after I get in the pickup and drive to the next sale site, I will have at least one crawling up my neck that will just get tossed out the window. It is rare that I get bit even by one.
So it's still long john time and the first layer all tucked in tight. But i can already imagine those dirty buggers crawling up my neck. ::)
Have you tried the permethrin?
http://www.tickinfo.com/permethrin.htm
Yep, ticks are horrendous this year in Arkansas, but then they are bad here all the time as far as I can tell. Looks like we are gonna lose another family cat to bob cat fever this year. Lost three last year. Nasty disease that turns thier blood to jello. Bob cats are just a carrier and not sickened by it. Not transmittable to humans, or not yet at least.
Yesterday, here in New Richmond, Wisconsin, I was burning some shrubbery clippings that I had piled back by the edge of the woods. I'd grab a armload and carry it to the fire. I found 6 ticks on me. I didn't know they could move as fast as they did either. Literally running up my leg. Then later I felt one running down my back and grabbed him. That was 7 ticks. All wood ticks.
Back when I lived in NJ I got a case of Lyme disease from a tick. Thankfully it was caught almost immediately. Sure puts a damper on your enjoyment of the outdoors to think about getting Lyme disease though.
Nothing to speak of down here like that. It is interesting that people will load up on medicine to come down do avoid dengue and malaria even though it is very rare for anyone to contract either one down here.
Pulled a deer tick off my backside two weeks ago. Small little buggers. I thought it was a pimple and stupidly let it be for a day. Showed the tick to the doc and started on a course of antibiotics that day. Just finished with the pills yesterday. This is the first time I ever had a deer tick bite. Usually I find wood ticks crawling on me and never had one imbedded. Durn little buggers >:(
I read somewhere that they are coming out with a vaccine against ticks. Turns off there anesthetic so that you can feel it when they dig into you so you can get them off immediately.
I found a little tick crawling aroud on the dogs head a couple of days ago. It was about the size of a pencil lead.
deer tick?
That sounds about right, breederman. They're roughly half the size of the dog ticks I find around here. Both have been especially bad this year.
I walked into ether a nest of turkey mites or seed ticks last night. Thought I had reddish black dirt on my socks until it slowly moved to my skin.
ended up burning my skin with clorine bleach, and burning my socks :D
I just got back from helping my brother on his wood lot/building lot. I had ticks every day, big but mostly small. I heard from a round about source a method that might suppress the ticks. I haven't tried it but just might in the near future.
Take cotton balls, spray them with insecticide and scatter them in the woods. The mice will take them (or parts of them) back to their nests. This will kill off ticks on or in the mice nest's. Has anyone ever tried this? I don't think this will help with rabbits, deer or other mammals.
The organic way to control them...Get some guinea fowl and let them run..they love to eat ticks..
I pulled at least four off of me last night...gnasty little buggers. Painted them with nail polish let dry and eased them out..suffocates them.
I can't get any sleep around the house now for all the noise from the guinies. They help temendously with the ticks, but still can't keep them down. They keep them away from the house at least.
Lime disease is big threat here, I find them crawlin' on me, but don't attach. I wonder if all that BEER I drink helps ;D Maybe they just get drunk and fall-off :D :D I'll drink a-bunch more and let you know ;D Where's that therapy couch, I'm gettin' woozzzzy ;) :D
Around here, lots of people get ticks mixed up with lice!
This is especially true as deer season approaches.
Now many, many people here refer to the bug that infest deer as ticks. Not true.
Usually they end up being deer lice!
You see a lice have 6 legs and ticks have 8 legs.
Chuck
I'm currently seven days into being treated for my third case of Lyme's disease. ::)
The guinea hen concept sounds fine to me at this point...
I have been being treated for Lyme now for the better part of 5 years. I had the vaccine in 2000. it did not work and was taken off the market.
Everyone knows lyme is carried by deer ticks but the bigger problem if you ask me is the nympy stage. Nymphs are smaller and can still pass the disease. the nymphs travel on mice. You don't need to see deer around to have lyme in your backyard. so those guinea fowl sound better and better.
And the ticks here is CT are awful this year. I keep pulling them off the family and pets. you should keep them if you do pull them off. Many places will test them. I will have to find the website but my doctor gave me this really cool tool to pull the tick off so that you don't break it and it came with this little vile for storage. However, I found a piece of scotch tape works well stick him right to it and fold the tape in half.
Found my 1st tick on my sneaker today
I usually crush them
But I wasn't thinking & flicked it off into the grass
I've been making a path with old patio stones along my fence that borders the woods
And cleaning out areas & keeping the weeds down
Quote from: beenthere on May 07, 2009, 11:19:29 PM
Have you tried the permethrin?
http://www.tickinfo.com/permethrin.htm
Works good. It just takes time to coat all you clothes.
The military mixes it right in the wash water for the clothes.
Deet works good to. But again you have to put it on.
I found white jogging pants work well for finding the little buggers, though the white pants turn kinda dirty after working in the woods and field.
Had to go out in the neighbors woodlot to look at some oaks for sawing. The ground cover was very dense. So far I've picked off 15 and I haven't taken a shower yet, expect I'll find more. Can't wait until I get to cut them next week. Them little buggers can attach themselves in some pretty personal places. Thing is, this is not uncommon around here I usually pick off one or two everyday.
I've had both the Lyme disease & the ehrlichiosis that ticks carry here. Neither one is much fun. Fever, headaches, joint paint so bad you feel like you hit by a truck. Just like Jeff said, I can remember when I was younger there were no ticks here. Now, it's crawling with them. Bad winters don't help. Maybe napalm?
the removal tool I mentioned is
http://www.tickinfo.com/protickremedy.htm and I found it on Reddog's link.
It works great, so much better than tweezers. The tick doesn't break and it doesn't yank or tear your skin.
I'm going back out to the brothers wood lot with him tomorrow. He bought a Tyvek disposable suit to put on will he is trimming trees. Helps him see the ticks better. I'm going to put out some cotton balls laced with insecticide and then start working on a hen house for him. He wants to get some guinea hens.
Will guineas go far from there roost? Will they go into the woods in search of insects (read ticks).
The guineas usually have an area they roam in. A neighbor has some and they roost in a cedar tre in his yard. I usually buy three or four tubes of the surplus critter repellent it's worked good for me in my travels around the country and the few times I've been abroad.
Good crop of ticks this year. I get several every day. I pulled over a hundard off of LBJ and Mollie last night. Most nights I get 25 or better off each dog. They have front line but it takes a few days to kill the ticks. Most of the time if I am going into the woods I spary Deet 40 on me to help ward off the ticks. Just a fact of life here.
I have had Spotted fever and Lyme. Skeeters are really bad this year as well. They used to not be so bad here but every year they are getting worst. I think I got West Nyle two years ago. They lost the blood test on the way to Little Rock but the Doc pumped me full of meds and I got better in about 4 days.
The lonestar ticks are the worst this year.