Ticks! Ticks! and more Ticks!

[M. Frary]

Sounds like I'm excited about them doesn't it? No! I'm not. Not at all. I'm wondering if they are on the upswing where the rest of you guys live? They're getting pretty thick here. I find at least 1 on me a day. I know they are supposed to be bad on the east coast also but how about other places?
I get every kind of bug on me at work and these are the worst next to the brown recluse spider. I've only been bitten by one of those. But these ticks! They're everywhere.

 

[sbarnhardt]

So far, they don't seem to be too terribly bad here in NC this summer. At least not yet!!

If you come up with a good repellant, let me know??

 

[Poink88]

So far, they don't seem to be too terribly bad here in NC this summer. At least not yet!!

If you come up with a good repellant, let me know??

I heard using dog collars on your legs work.

 

[M. Frary]

The company I work for supplies this spray we treat our boots and clothes with. It's called Ari. It supposedly stays in the fabric also. I blouse my pantlegs into my boots too.
The worst is we find the little monsters in the house. I think they ride in on me to get at the more tender womenfolk.
I did a little research last year.
1 in every 124 people in Connecticut have lymes disease. That is the top state. It's named for Old Lyme Connecticut.
Any tick can spread Lyme's disease. Not just deer ticks.
Here in Michigan we're number 8. 1 in just under 200 people have Lyme's disease.
Most people never know they have been bitten by a tick.
Only half of Lyme"s disease patients had the bullseye ring around the bite area.
The only halfway good thing I found.(if you call this good) is a tick takes around 10 to 12 hours to deliver the virus.
I get to undress outside when I get home and my wife does a "tick check" before I come in.

 

[BrianBay9]

Last weekend I spent 20 min in the north woods of Wisconsin scouting potential collecting sites. Removed 17 ticks from my skin and clothing. Worst I've seen.

Brian

 

[Don Blackmond]

They are worse than I have ever seen in southwestern Michigan. Deet works ok.

 

[JudyB]

I find it interesting that I can get my dogs lyme disease shots, and frontline that repels them as well. For humans... not so much.

if we keep the fields cut then we don't have too much trouble. This year is about average so far.

 

[M. Frary]

I heard using dog collars on your legs work.

Hell. I'll put them on my arms and around my neck too! It's that bad. Was thinking about dripping Front line between my shoulder blades too. But I'm worried about side effects like pooping in the lawn and chasing cars!

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Hell. I'll put them on my arms and around my neck too! It's that bad. Was thinking about dripping Front line between my shoulder blades too. But I'm worried about side effects like pooping in the lawn and chasing cars!

And coprophagia...

 

[Vance Wood]

Sounds like I'm excited about them doesn't it? No! I'm not. Not at all. I'm wondering if they are on the upswing where the rest of you guys live? They're getting pretty thick here. I find at least 1 on me a day. I know they are supposed to be bad on the east coast also but how about other places?
I get every kind of bug on me at work and these are the worst next to the brown recluse spider. I've only been bitten by one of those. But these ticks! They're everywhere.

Haven't noticed a problem with them around the Metro area which includes where I live.

What kind of work do you do Mike?

 

[M. Frary]

I do utility line clearance Vance. For Asplundh. You know. The guys in the orange truck that no one likes because of what we do to trees. I worked on Edison lines down where you live for 3 years from 1997 to 2000. Heck I was probably in your backyard at one time doing the dirty to your trees. Sorry for that.
Currently I'm up in Roscommon county taking trees down for I.T.C. Nice and swampy. Lots of biting bugs.
I hate being a snack for bugs!

 

[GrimLore]

Hell. I'll put them on my arms and around my neck too! It's that bad. Was thinking about dripping Front line between my shoulder blades too. But I'm worried about side effects like pooping in the lawn and chasing cars!

When the sales reps for Frontline first started "pushing" their new product they used to drink a dose to prove that it was harmless. That was some years ago when I was in NY so I am not certain but it "could" still be that safe I often wondered how much money they made

Grimmy

 

[lordy]

I noticed this after a shower, but only by seeing it in the mirror. I got to the doctor that day and began a 3 week antibiotic treatment immediately. The doc said that if there is a target showing, you have lyme disease, but in the two blood tests he did, neither showed the disease. Now every time I creak at the joints I think about lyme. It's no joke.

these pics are from
1) right when I saw it, and
2) 2 days later. That red bullseye stayed hot to the touch for 2 weeks.

 

[Dav4]

I find it interesting that I can get my dogs lyme disease shots, and frontline that repels them as well. For humans... not so much.

if we keep the fields cut then we don't have too much trouble. This year is about average so far.

There was a Human lyme vaccine that was available back in the 1990s. It was pulled from the market due to lack of interest. My understanding is that some of the folks who were originally vaccinated came down with symptoms of active lyme disease and assumed that the vaccine was the cause, when in fact, they had probably been exposed to lyme disease through a tick bite. Anyway, the demand for the vaccine lessened until it wasn't profitable to produce it any longer.

As far as frontline goes, the product is designed to be absorbed into the skin (of cats and dogs) and be slowly released onto the skin surface. Bathing or swimming washes away some of the active chemicals. The recommendation for dogs and cats is to wait two days before or after a bath to apply as you need a certain amount of oil on the skin for the product to be absorbed. I don't know about you but I gotta take a shower pretty much daily which would probably make this kind of product a complete no go for me....and I'm not sure I like the idea of having a insect neurotoxin sequestered in my skin long term...just sayin'.

 

[Poink88]

As far as frontline goes, the product is designed to be absorbed into the skin (of cats and dogs) and be slowly released onto the skin surface. Bathing or swimming washes away some of the active chemicals. The recommendation for dogs and cats is to wait two days before or after a bath to apply as you need a certain amount of oil on the skin for the product to be absorbed. I don't know about you but I gotta take a shower pretty much daily which would probably make this kind of product a complete no go for me....and I'm not sure I like the idea of having a insect neurotoxin sequestered in my skin long term...just sayin'.

I am with you 100% on this. The collar idea seems to be the closest I would go as far as pet products. DEET (deep woods type) sprayed on clothing should work as well.

 

[M. Frary]

They are worse than I have ever seen in southwestern Michigan. Deet works ok.

Just on the news the other day and it said the left coast of Michigan was bad. You're right on the lake aren't you Don?

 

[coh]

There was a Human lyme vaccine that was available back in the 1990s. It was pulled from the market due to lack of interest. My understanding is that some of the folks who were originally vaccinated came down with symptoms of active lyme disease and assumed that the vaccine was the cause, when in fact, they had probably been exposed to lyme disease through a tick bite. Anyway, the demand for the vaccine lessened until it wasn't profitable to produce it any longer.

As far as frontline goes, the product is designed to be absorbed into the skin (of cats and dogs) and be slowly released onto the skin surface. Bathing or swimming washes away some of the active chemicals. The recommendation for dogs and cats is to wait two days before or after a bath to apply as you need a certain amount of oil on the skin for the product to be absorbed. I don't know about you but I gotta take a shower pretty much daily which would probably make this kind of product a complete no go for me....and I'm not sure I like the idea of having a insect neurotoxin sequestered in my skin long term...just sayin'.

Tough call. If you live in an area infested with lyme carrying ticks, it might be worth the risk. I know several people who are dealing with the long term complications of lyme disease and it ain't pretty.

Knock on wood, but I haven't seen a tick since moving up here from Virginia in 2003 (we had a lot of them down there). I know there are some around, as they occasionally show up on dogs. Hopefully the population stays low.

 

[M. Frary]

I noticed this after a shower, but only by seeing it in the mirror. I got to the doctor that day and began a 3 week antibiotic treatment immediately. The doc said that if there is a target showing, you have lyme disease, but in the two blood tests he did, neither showed the disease. Now every time I creak at the joints I think about lyme. It's no joke.

these pics are from
1) right when I saw it, and
2) 2 days later. That red bullseye stayed hot to the touch for 2 weeks.

No that is no joke. Lymes disease can #$@% you up. I sure hope you got it in time. Man Dude! Sorry for you.

 

[M. Frary]

I am with you 100% on this. The collar idea seems to be the closest I would go as far as pet products. DEET (deep woods type) sprayed on clothing should work as well.

Did you guys see Lordy,s post? I bet like me he would do just about not to have that crap again. My daughter came up to visit last year and the same thing happened to her.

 

[barrosinc]

I have only seen a tick once in my life
On my dog.