Ticks!

[Blmpkn]

I've probably picked close to a dozen, if not more off of me so far this year.

Only had 2 that have bit me so far though.. woke up one morning with one in the back of my head and one in the side of my knee.

It's terrible up here. All you gotta be is under a tree and one can fall on you. You don't even need to be UNDER a tree... they can jump off a leaf and ride the breeze over to you.

2 recent mornings I've picked some off my legs while sitting in the drive-through waiting for coffee first thing in the morning. It takes me 12 seconds to walk to the truck from the house and that's all it takes.

It's a wonder more people don't have lyme. How can they make a vaccine for pets but not humans?

 

[Roert42]

Luckily I haven’t found any in myself yet this year. Last couple years were really bad though.

Found a few dead ones on my dog early April, but not recently. They both get the flea and tick stuff. The kind they eat, it’s good for like 3/4 months.

Knock on wood.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

It’s been bad for a number of years. My parents took to feeding the local wild duck population and that has cut down on a lot of ticks on the property since they like to hang out around here now.

Best way I’ve found to remove them was something mom found. Think it’s called a tick twister, it’s a little plastic crow bar looking thing, just hook it around the tick, give a spin or two and out they come.

They did offer a vaccine for humans for Lyme at one point years ago, but it is no longer available. It was a series of like 2 or 3 shots and insurance didn’t pay for it and at the time it was like $100-150 a shot. Not sure why it’s no longer offered.

I have zero proof, but I did note that back when I was a kid, they used to spray for gypsy moths and stuff every year. We never had the tick and mosquito problems we have now then. Or really any bad bug problems that I remember. I do remember having to stay indoors when they sprayed because of Asthma and stuff. Just can’t help but wonder if they were still spraying if we wouldn’t have these problems…

 

[Blmpkn]

Luckily I haven’t found any in myself yet this year. Last couple years were really bad though.

Found a few dead ones on my dog early April, but not recently. They both get the flea and tick stuff. The kind they eat, it’s good for like 3/4 months.

Knock on wood.

I must have picked off twice the amount this year as I have the prior two... and I haven't even been in the woods yet. I was in the woods on my wheeler for nearly 1000 miles the last two years lol. Seems way worse so far.

It’s been bad for a number of years. My parents took to feeding the local wild duck population and that has cut down on a lot of ticks on the property since they like to hang out around here now.

Best way I’ve found to remove them was something mom found. Think it’s called a tick twister, it’s a little plastic crow bar looking thing, just hook it around the tick, give a spin or two and out they come.

They did offer a vaccine for humans for Lyme at one point years ago, but it is no longer available. It was a series of like 2 or 3 shots and insurance didn’t pay for it and at the time it was like $100-150 a shot. Not sure why it’s no longer offered.

I have zero proof, but I did note that back when I was a kid, they used to spray for gypsy moths and stuff every year. We never had the tick and mosquito problems we have now then. Or really any bad bug problems that I remember. I do remember having to stay indoors when they sprayed because of Asthma and stuff. Just can’t help but wonder if they were still spraying if we wouldn’t have these problems…

Maine used to burn ditches and spray crap out of a plane way back when, and it's the same story... bugs weren't nearly as bad.

The stuff we sprayed out of the plane was (of course) cancer causing and killed a ton of wildlife, and even burning ditches was found to be too murder-y so all that stopped.

 

[Shran]

I think they are gonna be bad this year out here too. I found one of the little bastards burrowed into my beard yesterday. They get real thick out by the rivers, especially out on the prairie. We were fishing on the Cheyenne river a year or two ago and you could just see them crawling around in the grass! I pulled 12 of them off one of my kids when we got back in the truck plus half a dozen +/- on each of us and a bunch on the dog.

Just can’t help but wonder if they were still spraying if we wouldn’t have these problems…

DDT and other insecticides worked really well on controlling pests but there have been a resurgence of them since those nasty poisons were banned.

 

[Blmpkn]

Just picked another off me. Wood tick this time, last two were deer ticks.

That makes 3 in under 2 hours lol.

 

[bilbo]

My boss has/had Lyme disease. No idea when he got it, but at this point he has nerve damage and neuropathic pain. His left arm shakes and is weaker than the right due to the damage. He said the worst part is that treatment is sometimes hard to get. Apparently doctors can lose their licenses for doing certain treatments for Lyme.

There's also the Lone Star Ticks that can make you sensitive to certain proteins in red meat.

A friend of mine had guinea hens and those things are tick eating machines. Even though we lived in oak forest, and you picked up a tick just looking at the woods at my house, we never got one in his woods. They require very little care, basically fending for themselves and eating bugs, mice, etc. They were very noisy, which was a plus for them being out of town, they would know well in advance if anyone came up their drive or if a predator was around. I guess I didn't find it too bad, but probably not so good if you're around others who may not appreciate the noise.

 

[sgtsandman]

I haven't had an issue yet. I'm told some people are more predisposed to getting ticks than others. I guess some people smell or taste better. The same thing supposedly goes with mosquitoes. The only really effective thing I've seen for humans is treating your clothing with premetherine (SP?). Minty or spearminty sprays and lotions supposedly help. Nothing is 100% and getting checked for ticks where you can see if you are out in the woods a lot is a recommended practice.

 

[Blmpkn]

I'm gonna try some minty things I suppose. They do smell nice at the very least lol

 

[Sharky]

for those that dont know, permethrin is the best repellant for ticks....this stuff works great: https://www.sawyer.com/products/permethrin-fabric-treatment

or you can mix your own with this : https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/control-solutions-permethrin-10-1-pt?cm_vc=-10005

 

[Snoranger]

There's also the Lone Star Ticks that can make you sensitive to certain proteins in red meat.

A friend of mine had guinea hens and those things are tick eating machines. Even though we lived in oak forest, and you picked up a tick just looking at the woods at my house, we never got one in his woods. They require very little care, basically fending for themselves and eating bugs, mice, etc. They were very noisy, which was a plus for them being out of town, they would know well in advance if anyone came up their drive or if a predator was around. I guess I didn't find it too bad, but probably not so good if you're around others who may not appreciate the noise.

The neighbor behind me got about a dozen guinea hens a few years ago. Then 2 years ago my neighbor next door got bit by a Lone Star tick (she can’t eat red meat anymore, it makes her sick.), so she got guinea hens. They like to meet up in my yard and hang out during the day... I haven’t seen a tick since that started.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Supposedly Tea Tree Oil rubbed on your skin will repel ticks and other insects. Does not seem to bother bed bugs though. Had a battle with those at the GFs after her kid infested the place with them.

 

[superj]

we have not tick issues here. used to but we didn't have possums all over back than. now that i let the possums roam all over our yard and the field behind and don't try to get rid of them, the ticks have been a zero issue. apparently ticks are some of the possums favorite food so all they do is walk around and vacuum them up. when i feed the cats, all the possums come over so i know there are 4 or 7 that live right here around the garage.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

we have not tick issues here. used to but we didn't have possums all over back than. now that i let the possums roam all over our yard and the field behind and don't try to get rid of them, the ticks have been a zero issue. apparently ticks are some of the possums favorite food so all they do is walk around and vacuum them up. when i feed the cats, all the possums come over so i know there are 4 or 7 that live right here around the garage.

Possums are North America’s only marsupial. And they do love ticks. Plus they are naturally immune to rabies.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Just the other day my buddy said his father in law just releases a bunch of chickens, they eat up the ticks, and a lot of other pests. He just lets em run wild, so they don't last long and must be replaced...but not before eating all the ticks.