PDA

View Full Version : Ticks DONT die because of a winter freeze.



ATMountainTime
05-06-2013, 13:39
Found 2 ticks on my hiking buddy (my dog). And wanted to know more about tick population etc. Seems like it was awful early this year to be taking ticks out of my Lab. Found this article to be pretty interesting. http://www.tickencounter.org/news/does_killing_frost_kill_deer_ticks Apparently tick population doesn't reduce due to a nasty winter, or they are likely to be worse with a mild winter.

FarmerChef
05-06-2013, 13:41
Very true. It's possible to get Lyme's almost year round in the Mid-Atlantic region. Thanks for the reminder ATMT.

Snowleopard
05-06-2013, 15:33
Yes. Apparently deer ticks are active in the leaf litter in forests in Conn. in winter. I think that they are less active and less likely to attach to you, but they're there even in winter.
Here's an article that talks about deer ticks in winter:
http://tbdalliance.org/getinformed/tick-talk/159-winter-warning

deer ticks, which are cold blooded invertebrates, will not actively look for a host to feed on if the temperature is below 32 degrees and the ground is frozen or covered with snow. However, given the number of increasingly warm winter days we are experiencing, more and more deer ticks will be looking for a host all winter long. This spells big trouble for anyone who ventures outside during the winter months – which is pretty much each and every one of us.
So, above freezing there's a chance of getting Lyme. Even below freezing, deer ticks may be active in leaf litter (a warmer microclimate) with some chance of getting onto you (another warmer microclimate). Since they are cold blooded, they will be less active and slower than in summer.

Studlintsean
05-06-2013, 16:08
I can attest that ticks are active year round. My dog contracted Lyme Disease a few years ago Thanksgiving weekend. I can also attest they are already out this year as I pulled 1 off my dog yesterday after a short hike.

jeffmeh
05-06-2013, 16:42
Absolutely true. I do spread out the Frontline treatments for the dogs here (north of Boston) in the winter, but there's not much to worry about when we have a consistent blanket of snow for months. If no snow cover, they get it once a month. I'm sure that it cannot be good for them over the long haul, but neither is Lyme disease. We have had to treat both of them at one time or another, even with the Frontline treatments. Last summer the ticks were so bad that the vet recommended both the Frontline and tick collars. I have pulled more than 30 ticks (not attached) off the pair of them after a single 10 mile hike.

Sandy of PA
05-06-2013, 21:24
I got bit by a Black legged tick(adult female) April17, 2013, in my own yard. Got the bullseye 3 days later, just finished the meds. It was on me less than 12 hours, looked like a mole until I realised I didn't have one there before. Survived soap and water, they are nasty bugs. I am now wearing my insect sheild clothes to do yard work.

Pedaling Fool
05-06-2013, 23:12
The idea that harsh winters kill insects is just stupid things you hear from bobbleheads. Alaska has been experiencing record cold winters lately and they'll still get major outbreaks of mosquitoes when it warms up.

illabelle
05-07-2013, 09:02
I got bit by a Black legged tick(adult female) April17, 2013, in my own yard. Got the bullseye 3 days later, just finished the meds. It was on me less than 12 hours, looked like a mole until I realised I didn't have one there before. Survived soap and water, they are nasty bugs. I am now wearing my insect sheild clothes to do yard work.

Sandy, you'll be pleased to know that I reduced your tick population - by one. Returned from a Penn section on April 24, found (and killed) an embedded tick 2-3 days later, noticed a rash yesterday morning, which is now a tender bullseye, and have just started the meds. :( Crazy thing is, we saw one - just one - tick during our entire week on the trail, and yet I get the bullseye. What luck! :rolleyes:

On a dayhike in Big South Fork (KY/TN park) last year, we found literally hundreds of the hungry little boogers racing up our legs by the time we got back to the car. And we had been very careful to avoid brushing against grass, bushes, etc. The trail itself had little vegetation, and we never sat down anywhere. Used duct tape to help and got them off as quick as we could!

hikernutcasey
05-07-2013, 11:46
Was out in SNP mid April and our group found several ticks crawling on us or in tents, gear etc. Luckily no one appears to have been bitten. A lady told us to try using a product called Promethren (sp.?) to ward them off. You can't spray it directly onto your skin but rather on your clothes. Anyone ever tried this and did it work?

illabelle
05-07-2013, 12:57
I haven't used permethrin - yet - but I'll probably be getting some, maybe from the Campmor link below. Others swear by it. I read the wikipedia page, and it's very toxic to cats and aquatic life, so handle with care.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/CAMOmnifindQueryCmd?storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226&langId=-1&searchCategory=&ip_state=&ip_constrain=&ip_navtype=search&pageSize=24&currentPage=&ip_sortBy=&searchKeywords=permethrin

Sandy of PA
05-08-2013, 09:19
Permethrin is the chemical in Insect Sheild clothing. I treat all my other hiking clothes with Sawyer spray on. I have not had any ticks on me while hiking, that is why I was so surprised to get bit in my own yard. If you let your guard down the bugs will get you!