Ticks

[jeff...]

Someone remind me again what ticks are good for and why must the find the most obscure clevis on your body?

Sorry NO PICS this time

Thanks

[ebarr]

Not sure what a good use for them would be. I do know they are really bad this year. I have treated my yard with the granular stuff, and I still remove at least one every few days after I walk from my shop to the house.

I don't smoke but I keep a lighter in my shop just for this purpose.

Now you have me feeling something crawling on......

[DaveO]

You ain't kidding about the ticks being bad this season. They are a occupational hazard in my profession, but this year is ridiculous. I have had at least two dozen on me since the weather warmed up. They ain't like mosquito bites, they last for months.
A while back I was curious as to what role ticks play in the circle of life. I know mosquitoes have a large role as a food source for other animals, so I can accept them. But how do ticks serve??? They are population control, as a population of some being grows, so does the tick population to control them. They are nothing but disease vectors. Nothing feeds off of them exclusively. As the deer population grows in relation to their habitat shrinking, the ticks are there to help knock the numbers back. But in the meanwhile we all get a tick up the backside, and scratch our arses for the next month.
I have never had such a loathing for an organism as I have lately for ticks...they just suck

Dave

[jeff...]

No disagreement - ticks suck

[Keye]

I cut down over 150 cedar trees on our place just to try and reduce the number of ticks found on the dogs, cats, horses and humans. I really think it has helped.

A friend is going through heck right now because of a tick bit. He has some kind of muscle disorder and will be down and out for several months.

You are right. They suck, literally.

[dancam]

Over here in Western NC the ticks are out in droves. I pick at least 4 a day off of our two dogs (they have Frontline on them...but I think the ticks are getting immune).

We keep a jar w/alcohol by the back door. When we go over the dogs for ticks we pop them into the alcohol jar...it's getting pretty full.

Dan C.

[Travis Porter]

Here in the RDU area, they have been horrendous. Not what I would call the normal size, but the itty bitty ones. We have pulled 4 of them off my daughter in the past month and that is more than we got all of last year.

[Douglas Robinson]

We pulled one off our daughter and my wife noticed a pattern on a friend's leg that turned out to be a bad tick bite. As I understand it, if the bite area looks like a bulleye you may have lyme disease. FWIW

Doug

[DavidF]

A new member on Bob Cat point keeps Guinea fowl just for tick control and swears that they work. I think Chickens eat ticks as well

[dancam]

Here's a website for more info on Ticks and tick control.

http://www.visitmonmouth.com/mosquito/control.html


Dan C.

[woodArtz]

Be on the lookout for the "lone star" tick. It has a single white dot on it's back. That mug can cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I had one on me about a month ago and went to the doc to check it out. They can't give you anything until/unless the symptoms show up (5 to 7 days). Luckily, I didn't get it, but the bite mark remains.

Careful... and remember tick checks can be a fun and interesting event when performed by a willing partner .

[sapwood]

So it's not just me, eh?
I've seen a zillion this year and two escaped my daily inspections this week. So now, I have two angry welts.

Any chance we develop immunity after years of tick bites

Roger

[DaveO]

Originally Posted by Travis Porter

Here in the RDU area, they have been horrendous. Not what I would call the normal size, but the itty bitty ones. We have pulled 4 of them off my daughter in the past month and that is more than we got all of last year.

Those tiny ticks are Deer Ticks, and their population explosion is a result of the lost of habitat of the White-tailed Deer. As the deer population increases relative to the size of their habitat, so does the tick population to control the deer population. With no natural predators, and no hunting in Wake Co. there is nothing to keep the deer population in check...other than hitting them with cars (which is highly effective). The rapid land development in Wake Co. is taking up all the deer habitat, and they have to resort to hanging out in our backyards and eating the landscaping, bringing their ticks with them.

Dave

[junquecol]

Ticks are designed to increase the appreciation for the human body. Each night, I stand in front of the mirror and gaze at places that I would rather not see. I like to get one off me as it crawls up my leg, then pinch between finger and thumb. Walk over to can of lighter fluid, and place a drop on finger and thumb. Kinda sadistic fun! As for meds on dogs, I don't think any are totally effective. Neighbor uses Frontline, son uses K-9, and I use Hartz from wallyworld. We still pick ticks off our dogs. You find a very healthy tick between two dried up ones. We have been spraying Sevin in the past, but switched to a product from Bayer this year. Spray today, and tomorrow no ticks where I sprayed. Unfortunately one of my neighbors owns 40,000 acres of land, so we have more than enough deer. Buicks do a good job of killing deer- ask me how I know.

[McRabbet]

Is it a 12 Ga. Buick?