Mosquitoes and ticks in Ga/Nc in April?

[Oklahoma]

Hey guys, I am all packed up for Apr 1 start and I am wondering if I will need insect repellent for start of the trail?

[moocow]

i guess you ought to be prepared for everything with this year's weather. i was eating a snack at horse gap on feb. 16 this year and dealing with bees and flies that wouldn't leave me alone.

[stranger]

I started April 9th 2008 and remember bugs annoying me around Hot Springs, so you should be good for the first few weeks at least, but who knows as it's an El Nina year, weather patterns are wacky

[Wise Old Owl]

Deep-Woods-OFF-Insect-BEN-_i_web_55635.jpgNuffff Said.

[Pixelgator]

Ticks not so much but mosquito and chiggers are already out.

[Oklahoma]

Thanks everyone, i will take some repellent with me.

[daddytwosticks]

It's the knats that drive me crazy this time of year down in this area. The type that dive-bomb your eyes, ears, etc. They are usually active during the warmest part of the day and go away when it turns chilly. To keep the beasts at bay, I use a cheap headnet from Wal-Mart. This especially helps when you stop for a break and the knats swarm your head.

[jackmartin199030]

Precautions against acquiring fungal diseases, especially histoplasmosis, should be taken when working in high-risk sites that contain contaminated soil or accumulations of animal feces; for example, under large bird roosts or in buildings or caves containing bat colonies. Wear protective masks to reduce or prevent the inhalation of fungal spores.Protection from vector-borne diseases in high-risk areas involves personal measures such as using mosquito or tick repellents, wearing special clothing, or simply tucking pant cuffs into socks to increase the chance of finding crawling ticks before they attach. Additional preventive methods include checking your clothing and body and your pets for ticks and removing the ticks promptly after returning from infested sites. If possible, avoid tick-in-fested areas or locations with intense mosquito activity during the transmission season. Reduce outdoor exposure to mosquitoes especially in early evening hours to diminish the risk of infection with mosquito-borne diseases.

Equally important preventive measures are knowledge of the diseases present in the general area and the specific habitats and times of year that present the greatest risk of exposure. Knowledge of and recognition of the early symptoms of the diseases and the conditions of exposure are essential in preventing severe illness.

[4shot]

went day hiking this past Saturday. When we got home we each had ticks. Given this year's weather I would be prepared for bugs of all types and ticks.

[Kerosene]

Last year in mid-May through NC we had a few bouts with biting gnats and chiggers. The gnats weren't bad enough to require repellent, but I had to start using DEET on my legs to keep the chiggers off. The prior May, down around Standing Indian, there was no need for repellent.

[daddytwosticks]

Last year in mid-May through NC we had a few bouts with biting gnats and chiggers. The gnats weren't bad enough to require repellent, but I had to start using DEET on my legs to keep the chiggers off. The prior May, down around Standing Indian, there was no need for repellent.

The locals down here pray for a cold winter, believing they kill off the summertime bugs or at least make them more tolerable.

[ttripl3]

I'm in Ms not Ga, so take this for what it is but, I go on day trips a couple times a week and for the past couple weeks I have been coming home with a handful of new mosquito bites from every trip, as well as a tick or two. And I've been wearing DEET. I would definitely bring it just in case. The bugs are worse than usual this year because it never really got cold.

[louisb]

Yeah we have been picking up ticks on hikes here in N FL for a couple of weeks.

--louis

[ScottP]

i'm near catawba.

dog's been getting ticks again since the end of February

[Ladyofthewoods]

Bring insect and tick repellant...both are needed as both are present. Got off AT several days back and about to head back, and they were there. Gnats swarm when you stop if you are in the sun. Mosquitoes bite, saw some with ticks, and I came home with several bad bites on the backs of my legs...not sure what they are, but itch like crazy. But...hey, I'm gettin' back out there with repellant.

[daddytwosticks]

Bring insect and tick repellant...both are needed as both are present. Got off AT several days back and about to head back, and they were there. Gnats swarm when you stop if you are in the sun. Mosquitoes bite, saw some with ticks, and I came home with several bad bites on the backs of my legs...not sure what they are, but itch like crazy. But...hey, I'm gettin' back out there with repellant.

Probably chiggar bites on the back of the legs.