Ticks in February?

[Coffee]

It has been two weeks since I finished up my Foothills Trail thru hike and I have this weird itchy spot (really a line, almost like from a cut) on the back of my knee. It doesn't look like the typical "bullseye" rash associate with Lyme disease, and it itches while Lyme rashes are not supposed to itch. I have no other Lyme like symptoms at all - no fever, no joint stiffness, muscle weakness, etc. I feel great overall.

Is it even possible for ticks to be active in the SC/NC mountains in February? I feel like the chances are very low with temps ranging from the high teens to 40s.

Honestly I feel like it would have been more likely to be bitten by a bed bug in the crappy motel I stayed at after finishing my hike than by any insect on the trail. Any thoughts on whether I should be concerned about possible tick exposure?

[HeartFire]

Absolutely yes. I have been pulling ticks off my dogs every single month October, Nov, Dec, Jan and now in Feb as well - I'm in Asheville.

[Coffee]

Hmmm, maybe I should have it checked out. I've never read about a rash that looks like a line and itches being associate with Lyme however... Didn't occur to me that ticks would be active in winter so I wasn't even thinking about it.

[Sirsnappy09]

Adult deer ticks are active in the winter as long as the ground is not snow covered or frozen. With that said, I highly doubt it was a tick though. While active , they are pretty scarce during the winter months.

[Coffee]

There wasn't any snow on the ground at all and, although below freezing every night and almost the entire last day, I seriously doubt that the ground was frozen anywhere.

[Cotton Terry]

In Wisconsin, the rule of thumb is it takes three hard freezes to kill all of the ticks.

[Spirit Walker]

Could you have gotten into some poison ivy? Even without leaves, I think you can get some of the oils from the branches and have a reaction. Straight line and itchy sounds more like poison ivy than a tick bite.

[Coffee]

I was wearing convertible pants with the legs on so I kind of dout it unless I got some poison ivy oil on my pants and it contacted the skin while I was taking them off or putting them on.

[rock steady]

Thanks everybody-I've been thinking maybe april 01 for ticks. Yikes! Heading to the garage shelf that has the permethrin...

[Sirsnappy09]

I was thinking poison Ivy or stinging nettle. The line and itchy really does sound like poison ivy.

[bemental]

"Itchy rash in a line" is usually associated with scabies. Easy to treat, permethrin-based topical cream.

[MuddyWaters]

In Wisconsin, the rule of thumb is it takes three hard freezes to kill all of the ticks.
If you kill all of the ticks, where would baby ticks come from???

[Traveler]

Cold does not usually kill deer ticks, they burrow into leaf litter and reemerge when temperatures get to freezing or above so they can attach to passing deer or other animals. If they cannot find a host, they may run out of energy stores that were set up as nymphs, which kills them. However, they have a nasty habit of surviving most any kind of weather and returning very hungry as the temperatures warm.

[Studlintsean]

Ticks are out in the Winter. My dog contracted Lyme Disease on a winter trip in PA few years ago (he was vaccinated as well). Not trying to scare you but it's worth getting checked out.

[illabelle]

Could you have gotten into some poison ivy? Even without leaves, I think you can get some of the oils from the branches and have a reaction. Straight line and itchy sounds more like poison ivy than a tick bite.

Agree. Sounds like poison ivy.

[bemental]

Let's see a picture!

[Coffee]

I think that poison ivy or something else was the issue and I'm fine now. I've had no rash that seems like Lyme nor have I had any other symptoms so I think that I'm good. I definitely will be aware of tick risk in the future even in winter. It just never occurred to me given the temps!