Ticks???

[Chuck52]

Both the tick and deer populations seemed low this year. As a fruit and nut tree grower, they are both pests to me. Hunting season is on here and last I heard my in-laws had only bagged three deer. Last year or the year before, they got thirteen.

Chuck

 

[Jstpssng]

funny how localised the population can be. I worked down in Southern ME and Eastern NH for years; I'd be in one town for a week and kill about 25 ticks from me, and that many off the dog each day. Move 3 towns over and I might never have a problem.

I tried Frontline back then, but it only lasted a few days to a week as she was in the water every day. 8 years later, and I believe they've improved the formula. I very rarely find ticks now though, so don't worry about it.

 

[Bird]

I didn't think of it earlier, but one explanation I've read for us not having ticks in the south hardly at all anymore is that the fire ants killed all of them. Of course I don't know whether that's a fact, or just speculation, but I guess it's a possibility.

 

[tallyho8]

We do have plenty of fire ants and no ticks here South of Lake Ponchartrain but there are ticks in the piney woods North of the lake.

 

[QRTRHRS]

As a kid in the late '70s around CT I never remember seeing a tick, and we pheasant hunted hard throughout the fall. For the last 10 years it really feels like the tick popuplation is on the rise. When I go deer hunting I sit in my stand and scan my clothes for ticks. There isn't a time I go in the early to mid fall that I don't find at least a couple crawling around.

I had one tick stuck behind my left knee and one in my waist this year already. My 4 yo son had a tick stuck in his scalp that my wife found while brushing his hair a couple weeks back. When I rake the leaves I am sure to find a couple around my ankles. I am not sure I can tell the difference between a deer tick and any other kind, all the ones I see are pretty small and about the same size. I have read that the potential lyme carrying carrying ticks are much small deer ticks, not sure what those are candidly.

Indeed they are pretty nasty and I would rather not have them around.

Every single deer I take has several stuck in around their necks and under their legs. When you skin them and take a hard look at the inside of their skin you can see all the wholes made by the ticks, must be frustrating for the deer.

You really need to do a little research living where you do. A nympth deer tick is about this big > . The adults are maybe 1/16-1/8 of an inch in diameter.

 

[Western]

I didn't think of it earlier, but one explanation I've read for us not having ticks in the south hardly at all anymore is that the fire ants killed all of them. Of course I don't know whether that's a fact, or just speculation, but I guess it's a possibility.

I'd rather have the ticks!!!!

 

[Bird]

I'd rather have the ticks!!!!

You know I've also read that the fire ants are beneficial to the cotton farmers because they've wiped out the boll weevils.

 

[texasjohn]

Bird, there you are... answer is that during drought fire ant population is depressed, thus ticks have a chance to recover.

Fire ants ARE a non native omnivorous predator. I've seen them kill just about anything out there when populations are high. They will get hatchling birds in trees, grasshoppers, box turtles, Texas horned toads, scorpions, silver lice, put out eyes of new born calves, all sorts of beetles and worms, all sorts of stuff. They go everywhere and anything with moisture in it is their target... enough of them will kill it.

 

[Oleozz]

For years we had no ticks on our farm and since I train bird dogs here I didn't have to worry about Lyme. In the past two years that has all changed and every time I run a dog they come back with 10-12 deer ticks on them. I was bit on the arm two weeks ago and since I have chronic Lyme disease I worry about every new bite. I wear tick collars on the dogs and try to spray myself with Off before I go out in the fields but it doesn't seem to help much.

 

[ToddW]

First, I know this is a 5 month old thread, but I noticed no one mentioned the Preventic collar.

We had the worst ticks last year that I can ever remember. We even had them in the house (we have several house dogs) and nothing worked to keep them off the dogs. We were fogging and spraying every couple of weeks in the house just to keep them at a tolerable level. It was HORRIBLE!

Then a friend of ours who is a Vet tech told us to try the Preventic collar.

Wow, 24 hours after the collars were on the dogs, no more ticks. It paralyzes the ticks jaw and it can't attach, falls off the dog and dies. This also took care of the tick problem in the house. The collar lasts about 3 months and costs about $10 each if you buy them online or about $20 dollars at your vet.

Just thought I'd mention this since its that time of year again.

Now if I could only find a way to take care of the mosquitoes as easily

/TW