Really Ticked!!!!

[Frankenkubota]

One thing about ticks, and we're inundated with all kinds here in South Central Virginia, last Fall I was helping build horse stable and one day weak as a kitten. I went to a local clinic asking for bloodwork for ticks. They refused...I refused to leave without them drawing blood (I have no clue why I was thinking ticks). Finally they did, the doctor called in few days negative for tick disease...then called me next day, I was positive for RMST (Rocky Mt. tick), prescribed doxycycline antibiotic. I caught it early.
Recently I had Lone Star tick bites that left very large red patches. I called family doctor, again doxycycline.
Point is my only symptom was extremely weak, no fever.
Tick bites can be very serious. If any question have blood work done asap!

It's March friggin' sixth and I just pulled one of these miserable blood suckers off of me!!!!!


I thought a week of bitter cold would deal with them. Instead it seems to have brought them out early.

yup!

2 weeks ago, mid Feb., on my i pad screen. Thought it was a speck of dirt, nope, mr flea, a close relative to mr tick!

it was 22 degrees out, maybe that's why he was inside?

I'm getting some guinea fowl this year. Around here they call the coyote food but, i'm gonna try.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Our woods are full of deer that carry hoards of tickets. Any unprepared person simply walking down a trail or venturing off into the woods will likely be covered up with those little bas... burgers. They're on weeds, grass, trees, you name it. And they'll drop on you when you simply walk under a limb or through some brush.

Dog flea killer works. Adams brand is 12% Permethrin. That's the key! I have one pair of canvas pants that I usually wear when going to work in the woods. I spray them with the 35% Permethrin and let them dry. That'll no only repel but also kill any ticks PDQ. And the Permethrin stays in the clothes for as much as 75 washes. I also spray my shoes and ankles as well as my jacket.

The only drawback with Permethrin is that you DO NOT want to get it around cats. Its probably okay after it has dried, but do not spray your cat with dog flea and tick repellant that contains Permethrin.

 

[Alien]

We have had guinea fowl for about 18 years now. They patrol the paddocks and we have not had a tick problem. We had about 21 for a while but they are slowly dieing off. They used to breed well but the noise of the females drove us insane so we got rid of them some time ago. We only have 3 left. They are very healthy birds compared to other hens, ducks, geese etc. They sleep in the same tree from day dot. I highly recommend them for insect control but as I said the females can drive you batty at times.
If you hear them it sounds like come back, come back, come back. Males do not do it.

 

[ultrarunner]

The wildlife population has exploded this year in the city...

Deer in herds eating everything including succulents, foxes, coyotes, racoons, possum, explosion of wild turkey... 22 at one count... even mountain lion sightings...

Last year bad experience with tick... Only on wide park trails but they like to drop from trees...

 

[ponytug]

We have a local plant, nicknamed "tickweed", or "tick bush", a type of ceanothus. In the spring, they can have so many ticks on them that they shimmer with moving ticks. I don't know if they have some sort of attractant pheromone, or just an evergreen bush in the late spring. Regardless, they can be covered with ticks.

You learn to give them a wide berth. Quickly.

Yes, that is a bobcat in the backyard, view from the kitchen sink. One of two (a breeding pair?) wandering through.

All the best,

Peter

 

[fried1765]

The wildlife population has exploded this year in the city...

Deer in herds eating everything including succulents, foxes, coyotes, racoons, possum, explosion of wild turkey... 22 at one count... even mountain lion sightings...

Last year bad experience with tick... Only on wide park trails but they like to drop from trees...

Turkeys.......ONE group of 72 last month!
Never have seen anything like it before.

 

[ArlyA]

Our woods are full of deer that carry hoards of tickets. Any unprepared person simply walking down a trail or venturing off into the woods will likely be covered up with those little bas... burgers. They're on weeds, grass, trees, you name it. And they'll drop on you when you simply walk under a limb or through some brush.

Dog flea killer works. Adams brand is 12% Permethrin. That's the key! I have one pair of canvas pants that I usually wear when going to work in the woods. I spray them with the 35% Permethrin and let them dry. That'll no only repel but also kill any ticks PDQ. And the Permethrin stays in the clothes for as much as 75 washes. I also spray my shoes and ankles as well as my jacket.

The only drawback with Permeation is that you DO NOT want to get it around cats. Its probably okay after it has dried, but do not spray your cat with dog flea and tick repellant that contains Permethrin.

Sawyer brand Permethrin made for clothing is exactly the thing we do. That is we spray several outfits that we wear into the woods, let them dry and mark them as treated. It works!

 

[two_bit_score]

I remember looking at some property as a kid with my Dad and we got covered with seed ticks. My Dad had a can of Gulf spray in the car that we used to dispatch the seed ticks but that place was forever named The Tick Farm in our family as long as we had it.

 

[BRMyers]

I use Sawyer 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent and it has worked well. Keeps the ticks, biting flies, and mosquitoes away.

 

[Frankenkubota]

I was going to buy some guinea hens this year to help manage the ticks etc.

I've read too much on the subject and now i'm confused. In my case I don't want the eggs nor do I want to become a breeder.

Initially I thought that they are very very low maintenance but I continue to read that if you want them to hang around they must be coop trained which takes weeks and then a very gradual release schedule etc etc.

One article said a lady bought 30, let them go and never saw them again.

I have 55 acres and nearest neighbor 1/2 mile away so they can wander but, the whole idea is to have them hang around the house and eat bugs, not out in the woods!

Any comments or suggestions.