2025: Year of the Tick

[Blue Mule]

46 years living and playing in the rural parts of Kentucky and I have NEVER seen ticks as bad as they are right now. It's only May and I've gotten two dozen off of me, wife, cats, dogs. Literally can't even walk outside into the yard without finding a tick crawling up my leg. They are more numerous than I've ever seen, and we just came through a winter that was cold and brutal. I have learned that there is zero truth to the old wives' tale that "we need a cold winter to kill off the bugs". Seems like the more harsh winter is here, the worse the ticks, spiders, bees, and this year cicadas become!

 

[JeepHead]

The last two years have been horrible for me. I have picked as many of 27 off of me at one time. I was in my asphalt driveway just last week putting new calipers and rotors on my truck and wasn't even laying on the ground or anywhere near grass and had one climbing up my neck.

 

[kenmbz]

I have had 4 , one yesterday.
Wife had 1.
Usually find 2/year.
Seen lots of little ones.

 

[ponytug]

Yikes!

If it is that bad, I would be thinking about using one of the permethrin sprays for clothing that are said to be effective.

All the best,

Peter

 

[kenmbz]

Yikes!

If it is that bad, I would be thinking about using one of the permethrin sprays for clothing that are said to be effective.

All the best,

Peter

I do use it, who knows how many I would get otherwise.

 

[tacticalturnip]

They're extremely bad this year, and I swear it's worse every year.

 

[shooterdon]

I wear clothes from Insect Shield that are treated when it starts to get above 40 degrees. I got Lyme disease two years ago. That was my wake-up call.

 

[mllud]

They are bad. The pinhead size mostly.

 

[kenmbz]

I have had mostly the larger dog ticks, but we saw a lot of the little pin head sized ones earlier in the year.
We have more deer, fox etc. than ever. Unusual to go a day without seeing deer.

 

[JJT]

I pulled one off me last week. All I did was mow the lawn. We normally see a few each year, but never after just mowing.

The best tick remover is the Tic Twister. It comes in a two pack, one small and one large. I've pulled dozens of ticks off the dogs and myself over the past 20+ years with the Tic Twister and have never not pulled the entire tick out. When I used tweezers it was 50/50 on tick breakage, leaving the head embedded and requiring additional digging....

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Since I've had chickens I don't think I've seen a single tick at my place. I forgot they existed for a little bit I think..

 

[mjonesnh]

Live in TN. but own a farm in southern Ky. Ticks are horrible there, Spray liberally with bug spray. Saturate my pants legs and cuffs, shoes and exposed arms. Lots of deer and turkey in area. Not sure if that make them more numerous or not.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Yikes!

If it is that bad, I would be thinking about using one of the permethrin sprays for clothing that are said to be effective.

All the best,

Peter

Permethrin is definitely the best thing I've found. I spray my work pants with a 12% solution. I've read that that mix will prevent ticks from being attracted, and is supposed to be good for 75 washings. I have my doubts about that so I spray them at least every other use.

 

[Jstpssng]

but we saw a lot of the little pin head sized ones earlier in the year

Those are the deer ticks which carry Lyme's disease. I am just finishing a round of antibiotics after sending one out which tested positive for it. It was in a spot where I couldn't see it, and had to lay on my back with a mirror.

I took hundreds, if not thousands of the bigger ticks off my first dog; and found the easiest way to do it is by getting it in my fingernails and gently pulling.
Then crush them with my Leatherman.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

The bottle on Sevin says it kills ticks. I have sprayed areas where we will hold picnics etc. Seems to keep em at bay.

I have pulled a few off this year when Turkey hunting but none from the farm so far.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

46 years living and playing in the rural parts of Kentucky and I have NEVER seen ticks as bad as they are right now. It's only May and I've gotten two dozen off of me, wife, cats, dogs. Literally can't even walk outside into the yard without finding a tick crawling up my leg. They are more numerous than I've ever seen, and we just came through a winter that was cold and brutal. I have learned that there is zero truth to the old wives' tale that "we need a cold winter to kill off the bugs". Seems like the more harsh winter is here, the worse the ticks, spiders, bees, and this year cicadas become!

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!

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Ticks! Our ticks have ticks!
We're in S. Central Virginia and my guess is way too many deer. I've counted 40 deer in a herd. I've had Rocky Mountain Tick disease as well as Lyme. My doctor gave me a prescription for Doxycycline which I keep a bottle handy. Last week removed a dozen...so I started antibiotics then saw Dr. wearing my Tick Magnet t shirt.
Now when I'm weak & body aches I start Doxy.
I buy Permethrin by the gallon and Bifenthrin pellets by the sack!

 

[CalG]

46 years living and playing in the rural parts of Kentucky and I have NEVER seen ticks as bad as they are right now. It's only May and I've gotten two dozen off of me, wife, cats, dogs. Literally can't even walk outside into the yard without finding a tick crawling up my leg. They are more numerous than I've ever seen, and we just came through a winter that was cold and brutal. I have learned that there is zero truth to the old wives' tale that "we need a cold winter to kill off the bugs". Seems like the more harsh winter is here, the worse the ticks, spiders, bees, and this year cicadas become!

They are starting to "bug" me here in S. Vt. as well.
Interesting that we can say the same from here to where you are.

I itch from the sites where the ticks have been plucked off, my wife has a coupe of "bore holes" in her leg.

My mind imagines them crawling on me almost all the time.

I ain't dead yet however!

 

[BnRidge]

Last year here spring was warm and humid, with the humidity staying consistently high all summer, and lack of late spring frosts. Tick population was 10 times anything I've seen in the past (60yrs). This year they are back to normal, see maybe a couple, all season.
Two years ago was a boom year for gypsy moths. The place looked like nuclear winter they defoliated so much - first time ever for here. But last year every last one croaked from the humidity. They all died from virus and bacteria promoted by the humid conditions. One year zillions, next year zero.
So seems like a coincidence - boom bust for moths, then the next year boom bust for ticks.
Agree with using permethrin (delmethrin is the synthetic version). That seemed to work really well. Spray on clothing to keep them off. We also have japanese and boxelder beetles getting in the house in the fall. Delmethrin, "bug slayer" brand sprayed along sill plates windows and doors mostly kept them out. Simple and very effective.

 

[Torvy]

We didn't have any last year. They've been bad here, too.

Wife and I each had one earlier today.

The dogs have meds that kill the ticks. They do acts as transport, though.

I want to spray for them, but I don't want to harm our bees.