2025: Year of the Tick

[QRTRHRS]

I have four bites on me right now where I did not find them until they anchored themselves to me. I really need to get into my black berry and black raspberry patches to weed but when I was pruning dead cane the buggers were on me like flies on scat.

I wear those DrScholls knee high "suedo" compression socks which I spray liberally as well as my work shoes and pants and still get them on my lower legs.

As far as temperature, about 30 years ago, I was hiking in NJ in January after a storm had coated everything in ice. The temperature had warmed up into the low 30's. I found a tick on me after brushing against a bush.

Not just ticks but chiggers are out too. My wife got nailed by one the other day.

 

[MMC]

I have four bites on me right now where I did not find them until they anchored themselves to me. I really need to get into my black berry and black raspberry patches to weed but when I was pruning dead cane the buggers were on me like flies on scat.

I wear those DrScholls knee high "suedo" compression socks which I spray liberally as well as my work shoes and pants and still get them on my lower legs.

As far as temperature, about 30 years ago, I was hiking in NJ in January after a storm had coated everything in ice. The temperature had warmed up into the low 30's. I found a tick on me after brushing against a bush.

Not just ticks but chiggers are out too. My wife got nailed by one the other day.

Anyone that's outside here in KY is a target. Permethrin and DEET are your friends. I order 40% cans of DEET in bulk and put them in the RTV, trucks, tractors, etc. Also talk to any farm worker about dousing themselves whenever outside working.

Honestly, if you get a bite, try to get the tick and take to your county extension office for identification. It's also probably a good idea to tell your local Doc and get some low power antibiotics for disease prevention. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Red Meat Allergy...the list goes on.

If you've ever seen a cow with Anaplasmosis die, it ain't pretty. We even put out some mineral with basically the old antibiotic Tetracycline mixed in for prevention/mitigation.

Here's a good, if somewhat scary, description of KY ticks and diseases (which probably applies to most of you folks). From the University of Kentucky: Ticks and Disease in Kentucky | Entomology

 

[ruffdog]

Limes was only the start of the tick borne diseases. Babesiosis and Powassan are worse and are coming.

 

[Runner]

I told my wife, if she was a disease, she'd be Babesiosis.

But seriously, same thing happening in MO, step out in the front yard for 5 minutes and.....ticks.

 

[ronjhall]

Ticks are out in Michigan like I have never seen. Had to pick one off already this morning.

 

[deezler]

Another exhausted tick sufferer in Michigan here. The worst part is that 10 years ago we only had brown dog ticks. Now we have a ton of deer ticks.

My poor 5-yr old daughter is on lyme protocol antibiotics currently. I had one half into my back a couple weeks ago and am currently weighing whether to go in for testing and meds myself. I'm not sure what the necessary changes will be in future summers if the ticks keep getting worse - clearcut my forest? Run the deer off more aggressively? I'm not willing to kill all the good insects just to get the ticks down, nor bathe my family and dog in chemicals daily.

Makes me so mad that our own government created this disease, seems like everyone who enjoys the outdoors will eventually get it. We gotta end this bioweapon and gain-of-function research crap NOW.

 

[Blue Mule]

Any idea what has changed? Has it gotten progressively worse? Or just BOOM population explosion? I hate discriminately spraying the yard with pesticides but if it was that bad I would think about it. At least to get their numbers down. My wife would $h!t if they were that bad in our yard. She HATES ticks!

I really don't know. We've always had them of course, but this year they are PROLIFIC and unbelievably numerous. They say possums will eat thousands of ticks, maybe we need more possums.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

This is crazy. I know you guys are not alarmists and like me are always mentally processing and cataloging data like this to assess the state of your properties. So I know this is an actual issue not some made up boogie monster in your heads. I would be freaked out too.

Has anyone heard of this product? Seems like it is worth a shot and more of a natural deterrent.

 

[ruffdog]

I really don't know. We've always had them of course, but this year they are PROLIFIC and unbelievably numerous. They say possums will eat thousands of ticks, maybe we need more possums.

It seems our tick numbers are higher too. They are even crawling on places that normally you wouldn't see them like the deck and buildings.

 

[caver]

I have been using either deet or Sawyer spray on my pants. I was surprised as had seen none this year. Then the other night I had been camped at my property and felt one crawling up my neck while sitting in the camper. At least once a season I have been spraying common areas. I think I have been using Gordon's from TS in a pump up sprayer. I have two friends I grew up with who deal with Alpha Gal.

 

[Hay Dude]

Limes was only the start of the tick borne diseases. Babesiosis and Powassan are worse and are coming. It is not a good time to defund health departments.

 

[John0829]

I really don't know. We've always had them of course, but this year they are PROLIFIC and unbelievably numerous. They say possums will eat thousands of ticks, maybe we need more possums.

I always heard it as being turkey and guinea that ate the ticks... Seen plenty of possums covered in ticks but yes the tick population is high this year in WKY making it a full time job keeping them off of us and the dog.

 

[Hay Dude]

Was at a Customer’s place years ago. ‘bout a dozen pullets running around the yard. I said “you must not have to buy eggs”. He says, “oh they aint for eggs, they eat all the ticks”.

 

[Alvito]

It seems our tick numbers are higher too. They are even crawling on places that normally you wouldn't see them like the deck and buildings.

Right....have them clinging to white metal barn siding, on tractor bushoging, getting progressively worse each year in ohio, only way I can work is using a product...this is not endorsement.....Sawyer with permytherin....lasts on clothes thru multiple washings...and disposable pull on boot covers from Amazon....heard lyme tick was named after town...lyme, Connecticut

 

[Alvito]

Right....have them clinging to white metal barn siding, on tractor bushoging, getting progressively worse each year in ohio, only way I can work is using a product...this is not endorsement.....Sawyer with permytherin....lasts on clothes thru multiple washings...and disposable pull on boot covers from Amazon....heard lyme tick was named after town...lyme, Connecticut

Forgot to say I even get them walk to and from mail box on gravel drive.....I rigged a horizontal pole on one side of tractor with piece of white sheet like flag to drag on grass along drive, you can't believe how many are clinging like velcro, I do it every 2 weeks, seems to help in my case, then I quickly burn in barrel

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Forgot to say I even get them walk to and from mail box on gravel drive.....I rigged a horizontal pole on one side of tractor with piece of white sheet like flag to drag on grass along drive, you can't believe how many are clinging like velcro, I do it every 2 weeks, seems to help in my case, then I quickly burn in barrel

That is the best non-chemical solution I have heard so far.

 

[grsthegreat]

Man, im especially glad i dont live in a tick area. Used to get them when i lived in calif.

Dont seem to be bothered with them here in N idaho.

I know there here, but not in huge numbers.

 

[deezler]

Forgot to say I even get them walk to and from mail box on gravel drive.....I rigged a horizontal pole on one side of tractor with piece of white sheet like flag to drag on grass along drive, you can't believe how many are clinging like velcro, I do it every 2 weeks, seems to help in my case, then I quickly burn in barrel

Jesus christ. Is this whats its come to for those of us wishing to live in the woods? you have to actively sweep your lawn for disease infested parasites? UGH.

 

[Hay Dude]

Jesus christ. Is this whats its come to for those of us wishing to live in the woods? you have to actively sweep your lawn for disease infested parasites? UGH.

Please don’t use the Lords name that way. Thank you. It’s blasphemous to some of us here.

My theory is the reduction in farm land as we move away from an agrarian society further & further each year. Open farmland is being overgrown with brush & woods. Deer are overpopulating once open country. They carry a lot of ticks.

 

[Oaktree]

We've had some bad tick years here, but so far this hasn't been one of them. I've gotten a couple, but nothing like some years.

Then again, I just may not be attractive to them for some reason. Couple weeks ago had a work project at a cell site with a couple other guys, one of them must have picked off close to 20 ticks that day, other guy maybe 4-5, me, one.