# Tick Season?



## REM505 (Nov 10, 2011)

Found a tick crawling on me yesterday after cutting for about an hour.  I guess your not safe in Nov. in Penna. Would have a pic but was driving when I found it.  Almost as much fun as finding a bee in the cab.


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## basod (Nov 10, 2011)

I was infested with them here in AL most of the summer. I was picking off my dogs everyday  then about mid August they seemed to disapear.


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## lctatlp (Nov 10, 2011)

I've never seen so many ticks at this point of the year here.  My wife yanked 4 off my last week and I found 3 crawling on me on Tuesday this week.  Lucky I got them before they bit in..


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## Battenkiller (Nov 10, 2011)

I found an adult female deer tick on me just a few weeks ago.  I showed a pic of it on another thread.  I already had Lyme once this year, so the doc gave me doxycycline as a prophylactic.   Believe me, this disease is no fun.  Protect yourselves or face a long recovery.  

The bug is in the same family of bacteria that syphilis is in - spirochetes.  It can easily get into your central nervous system.  My primary said that while syphilis can take decades to get into the CNS, Lyme goes right for the brain.  I don't know if it got into my brain, but I still ain't right 5 months later.  Then again, some folks say I've never been quite right. 

If you find one embedded in you, don't believe the CDC garbage about them needing to be on you for at least 36 hours for transmission to occur.  That is only the opinion of a small and very biased panel of infectious disease docs, several of whom had known financial conflicts of interest at the time on their recommendations.  Beside, who times the damn things?  You find it and take it off ASAP.  

Push the issue and get at least one 200 mg dose of doxy in you and hope for the best.


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## thewoodlands (Nov 10, 2011)

Jack Wagon said:
			
		

> Found a tick crawling on me yesterday after cutting for about an hour.  I guess your not safe in Nov. in Penna. Would have a pic but was driving when I found it.  Almost as much fun as finding a bee in the cab.




I have been lucky (not getting any ticks) in my three years of cutting, bought two bottles of this, just sprayed some clothes with this outside last week.


http://www.cabelas.com/product/Sawy...t=tick+spray&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products


zap


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## muncybob (Nov 10, 2011)

It seems the wet weather we have had has kept them at bay, but we have pulled several off our dogs recently. One of the nice things about freezing weather is it's the end of ticks for awhile.


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## f3cbboy (Nov 10, 2011)

I have been doing nothing but pullin them off teh dog and myself every night  after a walk in the woods.  two or three a day for him and abut the same (2 or 3 ) per week for me.


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## mbcijim (Nov 10, 2011)

The high time for ticks in Pennsylvania is now and March.  Period.  Two sundays ago I took my dog for a two hour walk in the woods.  3 days later I pulled 42 ticks off of him.  Probably 10-20 the first and second day each.  The girl and me each had a few ticks on us.  

Contrary to popular belief, the population peaks in early-middle spring and middle to late fall here in my part of Pennsylvania.  I have spent considerable parts of my life outside for the last 10-15 years and this has always been the case.


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## Wood Duck (Nov 10, 2011)

I regularly find ticks after we have had hard frosts. It takes all-day cold to keep them inactive and I don't think cold, by itself, ever kills ticks. Eventually they become inactive as the fall turns to winter because of timing, the way black flies stop flying in late summer even though no weather came along to kill them. At least that is the impression i get.

This year there seem to be far fewer ticks here in my part of central PA than the past couple of years.


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## ValentineHill (Nov 10, 2011)

I didn't expect to find this on Hearth.com, but it's been something I've been thinking about for a while now. Even up here in NH I've been getting 1-2 ticks a day for the last few weeks. I know that the fall is prime tick season, but aren't we supposed to be done by mid(ish) November??


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## fireview2788 (Nov 10, 2011)

I had one crawling on me in the deer blind the other day.  Usually not a problem for us unless they are coming off a deer carcass as it cools.


 f v


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## lukem (Nov 10, 2011)

I hadn't seen one all summer, then pulled 2 off my dog last week.  Supposed to have a hard freeze tonight...hopefully that will take care of some of them.


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## hemlock40a (Nov 10, 2011)

Jack Wagon said:
			
		

> Found a tick crawling on me yesterday after cutting for about an hour.  I guess your not safe in Nov. in Penna. Would have a pic but was driving when I found it.  Almost as much fun as finding a bee in the cab.


 
Not safe in Michigan either - took part of one off last week, but head is still there.


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## Duetech (Nov 11, 2011)

If they are imbedded use tweezers and pull SLOWLY on the thorax or hard body parts not the abdomen. It will be a slow tug of war but eventually the tick will tire and let go. Burning with matches or other hot items will only cause them to spit when they release which they mormally do but pulling slowly where they get tired supposedly gets them out with out spitting. Never had Lymes but have had friends that have used the above (and medically suggested) pulling method. They were treated for lymes but never deveoped any symptoms. Maybe it was the early/preventative treatment or the removal method or both. Once snow flies and sticks rabbits are common carriers. There may be wisdom in rabbit stew.??


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## charly (Nov 11, 2011)

Cave2k said:
			
		

> If they are imbedded use tweezers and pull SLOWLY on the thorax or hard body parts not the abdomen. It will be a slow tug of war but eventually the tick will tire and let go. Burning with matches or other hot items will only cause them to spit when they release which they mormally do but pulling slowly where they get tired supposedly gets them out with out spitting. Never had Lymes but have had friends that have used the above (and medically suggested) pulling method. They were treated for lymes but never deveoped any symptoms. Maybe it was the early/preventative treatment or the removal method or both. Once snow flies and sticks rabbits are common carriers. There may be wisdom in rabbit stew.??


 I use an OTOM tick puller. 2 sizes are in a pack. They look like minature cat paw nail pullers. Simply slide under the tick, start slowly turning with slight up pressure and the whole tick comes right out. Gets the head and all everytime.  WWW.OTOM.COM.


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## LLigetfa (Nov 11, 2011)

The ticks population crashed here.  I only picked two of them off me all Summer.


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## stejus (Nov 11, 2011)

Had one of the little dear ticks on me the other day.  I was in the woods dragging limbs that had fallen due to the NE snow storm.  Of course it was 60 and sunny out, its November!


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## Beer Belly (Nov 11, 2011)

Wife had back/neck pain, leading to headaches for about 2 months....multiple visits to the Chiropractor.....finally a friend asked if she'd been tested for Lymes Disease....sure as hell, had severly elevated levels in her blood test....never saw a tick, never saw a tell-tale bullseye...now she wants me tested because of stiff joints and wearing down easily....I just think I'm gettin' old


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## tsquini (Nov 11, 2011)

I had 2 buggers crawling on me last weekend. I was not impressed.


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## billb3 (Nov 11, 2011)

I'm  out i the woods every weekend. I don't see them on me.

My mother claims to find them all the time (she has a dog ), she's also gotten Lyme.


I have seen them in the past on a warm day in Jan /Feb. Same with mosquitos.


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## midwestcoast (Nov 11, 2011)

mbcijim said:
			
		

> The high time for ticks in Pennsylvania is now and March.  Period.


  I find the same here in NW Indiana.  Where I grew up I rarely saw a tick. Now I seem to be surprised every March when the dog starts picking up ticks while the ground is still frozen, then surprised again in late October when all the other bugs are gone & suddenly the ticks are all over the place.  Tough little buggers.  
Close friends of ours' kid was diagnosed with Lymes Dis after having had it for maybe a year (docs estimated).  He finally couldn't sit up without crying in pain. Anti-bios have him running around seemingly good as new now though.  Lymes is sure no joke.


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## blacktail (Nov 12, 2011)

Up until a few years ago, the only time I ever saw a tick around here was the occasional one while skinning a deer. For the last three years my dad and I seem to get a few on us each year. Mostly while hunting in October, but also while mushroom hunting and shed hunting in the spring. 
We've hunted the same area for decades and never had an issue before. Staff at the forest service office where we got wood permits even said that the ticks have really increased in the local area in recent years.


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## Ken S (Nov 12, 2011)

I rarely get one but we are still picking ticks off our golden retriever every few days just from letting her out in the yard to go bathroom.


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## snowleopard (Nov 12, 2011)

We don't have them in Alaska--yet.  I spent part of the summer in WI a few years back, went for a walk, and sat down in the woods to rest for awhile.  Silly me.  Must have had forty of the buggers crawling on me when I got back to the cabin.  Freaky things.  Gives me the shudders to remember.


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## willworkforwood (Nov 12, 2011)

snowleopard said:
			
		

> We don't have them in Alaska--yet.


I just looked out the window, and there is a brigade marching North - enjoy the time you have left without them  :grrr:


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## firefighterjake (Nov 14, 2011)

Never saw a single tick until about two years ago . . . they're not really all that common where I live . . . but travel south about an hour and they can get pretty thick. I'm hoping for a particularly cold winter to show those ticks that they do not belong this far north in Maine.


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## muncybob (Nov 14, 2011)

OK, I have to post this......just as more than 1 cord is cords(not 4 cord...it's 4 cords) the opposite is true of this disease, it's only Lyme disease....no plural!

I know it won't change anything since I've been preaching this to my wife for years, but I do feel better now!


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## basswidow (Nov 14, 2011)

I fish alot and scrounge wood alot.  I'm always into ticks.  Picked one off me yesterday and it was in good.  No bulls eye.  Thought it was a skin tag,  little sucker didn't want to let go.  

So how does one know if they have Lyme?  My son complains all the time that his legs hurt.

The only aches I have are age and work related.


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## charly (Nov 14, 2011)

basswidow said:
			
		

> I fish alot and scrounge wood alot.  I'm always into ticks.  Picked one off me yesterday and it was in good.  No bulls eye.  Thought it was a skin tag,  little sucker didn't want to let go.
> 
> So how does one know if they have Lyme?  My son complains all the time that his legs hurt.
> 
> The only aches I have are age and work related.


  Blood test.


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## Thistle (Nov 14, 2011)

Normally see quite a few in warmer months.Except for a 2 week break in July-August when we had that 105-117 heat index,I've worked in the woods rain or shine 1 day a week since mid April.Finally almost done,1 large Red Oak,1 medium Bur Oak & 1 medium White Elm snag left to drop,may just wait until next Spring now.

Only seen 4 ticks on me all year,thinking the record rains from April-early June then the very hot & dry July through September killed a bunch off.


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## blacktail (Nov 15, 2011)

I got one on me while shed hunting last spring that required an ER visit to remove. That sucker had himself deep into the back of my shoulder where I couldn't see him. After finding that one I checked the dog and pulled 3 out of her. NASTY!


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## littlalex (Nov 15, 2011)

Lots of the nasty buggers here lately. Some deer ticks but mostly the good 'ol big and easy to find ones. They get on our two Aussie Shepherds. We us a commonly available (I believe) little plastic orange spoony thing with a slit on the end that works pretty well. Costs about $5.

Weird thing is, my wife is a gentle and kind soul, except when it comes to ticks.

She tortures, cuts up with a knife and finally immolates them (just to be sure - as if they were zombies). When she's at it I always get confused as to who it is I'm watching...weird.

Littlalex

P.S. - JamiePNW78. Excuse my ignorance. What's shed hunting?


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## Willman (Nov 15, 2011)

> Whatâ€™s shed hunting?



Antlers


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## littlalex (Nov 15, 2011)

Gotcha' - thanks.

Littlalex


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## blacktail (Nov 15, 2011)

Willman said:
			
		

> > Whatâ€™s shed hunting?
> 
> 
> 
> Antlers



Yup.


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## lctatlp (Nov 15, 2011)

How did this thread get from ticks to antlers?


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## weatherguy (Nov 15, 2011)

JamiePNW78 said:
			
		

> I got one on me while shed hunting last spring that required an ER visit to remove. That sucker had himself deep into the back of my shoulder where I couldn't see him. After finding that one I checked the dog and pulled 3 out of her. NASTY!



I thought you were gonna say you had one in another part of your anatomy  :cheese: 



> I use an OTOM tick puller. 2 sizes are in a pack. They look like minature cat paw nail pullers. Simply slide under the tick, start slowly turning with slight up pressure and the whole tick comes right out. Gets the head and all everytime.  http://WWW.OTOM.COM.



thanks for the link, I just ordered one, Ive pulled well over 100 ticks off one of my cats this year, this tool will come in handy. Only had a couple on me so far.


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## Battenkiller (Nov 15, 2011)

Willman said:
			
		

> > Whatâ€™s shed hunting?
> 
> 
> 
> Antlers



Ah... I thought it was like house hunting, only smaller.


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## ValentineHill (Nov 15, 2011)

Saturday I did a good couple of hours of splitting, then last night I found one of those buggers deep into my armpit, having a great ol' time. Damn thing took 10 minutes to get fully out!

Thankfully it was a dog tick, but still - when is it going to get properly cold around here? Forecast says 66 today!


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## jashcroft (Nov 15, 2011)

I haven't found any on me yet this fall, but I harvested a buck last thursday and found about a dozen on the deer. Hate those little buggers!


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## firefighterjake (Nov 15, 2011)

Nix my last comment . . . talking to a neighbor and firefighter the other night and he said while out walking in his wood lot he found three ticks on him afterwards . . . guess the ticks are marching northwards.


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## gpcollen1 (Nov 15, 2011)

Ticks are always clinging on well into a few frosts and then they make themselves scarce.  The dogs a cats are still covered with them...


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## ValentineHill (Nov 15, 2011)

Here's the ultimate proof of the relevance of this post. I was writing on the forums a minute ago when guess what crawled OUT OF THE KEYBOARD.

Yup, a tick.


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## Boom Stick (Nov 15, 2011)

Just had a tick embedded in me a couple of weeks ago.  Doctor gave me two doxycyclene pills to take at one time.  I called three days later and asked for a two week cycle of amoxicillin which I am taking now.  Lyme disease is no joke and I do not want it.


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## bears12th (Nov 16, 2011)

alright, I have done a little reading on this online, but what are the experiences of you pros and what is the appropriate course of action if a deer tick is found on you.  Im in the Coast Guard and am transplanted from California where I never learned of Lyme disease.  I was down in Washington DC for work the other day and my wife called frantic because she found a tick on my almost 3 year old's neck (back of his neck - right below hairline, slightly to the right of spine).  She got home and removed it using tweezers and there is no parts (visible to my eye at lease) left in my kid and we have the whole tick in a ziploc bag.  This was a few days ago and I am curious - do I need to do anything or just watch and see if where the bite was the ring becomes apparent.  Do I take my kid to the local Navy Base for tests or do I find somewhere to test this dead tick that we have in a ziploc bag?  I am not 100 percent sure it is a deer tick - I think it is, sure is small enough.

Any advice is appreciated.  Oh, and we still have these guys going strong here on the L.I. Sound of CT.  I hate these guys and live, no kidding, 12 minutes from, yes, LYME, CT.   Ugh.    Ha.

Thanks.


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## Willman (Nov 16, 2011)

I had a deer tick on me a couple of weeks ago and went to the docs office. Took the tick with me and he said they no longer test them. Gave me a scrip for the doxy one dose and have a nice day. Said to keep a look out for any rashes anywhere on my body and flu like symptoms. So fa nothing. Lyme is not something you want to go thru from what I hear.
I would get my little one to the docs asap.
Will


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## Battenkiller (Nov 16, 2011)

bears12th said:
			
		

> alright, I have done a little reading on this online, but what are the experiences of you pros and what is the appropriate course of action if a deer tick is found on you.  Im in the Coast Guard and am transplanted from California where I never learned of Lyme disease.  I was down in Washington DC for work the other day and my wife called frantic because she found a tick on my almost 3 year old's neck (back of his neck - right below hairline, slightly to the right of spine).  She got home and removed it using tweezers and there is no parts (visible to my eye at lease) left in my kid and we have the whole tick in a ziploc bag.  This was a few days ago and I am curious - do I need to do anything or just watch and see if where the bite was the ring becomes apparent.  Do I take my kid to the local Navy Base for tests or do I find somewhere to test this dead tick that we have in a ziploc bag?  I am not 100 percent sure it is a deer tick - I think it is, sure is small enough.
> 
> Any advice is appreciated.  Oh, and we still have these guys going strong here on the L.I. Sound of CT.  I hate these guys and live, no kidding, 12 minutes from, yes, LYME, CT.   Ugh.    Ha.
> 
> Thanks.



I've been through this disease this year, and frankly, it scares the chit out of me.  I've had tons of antibiotics and I still don't think I'm "cured".  I now am starting to think I have the chronic version of the disease, which is supposed to affect about 20-30% of the folks who get it.  There is no known cure for chronic Lyme.  Long-term antibiotics have been shown to be largely ineffective in treating it, and may cause other health problems.  You wait it out and hope the symptoms diminish in time.  


The more you research Lyme, the worse you find it is.  If you have Netflix instant play, give this one a watch.  It'll have you up all night long feeling imaginary ticks crawling on you:


http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Under_Our_Skin/70118373?trkid=496624


I have no idea why this disease is being brushed so thoroughly under the rug by the medical community.  OK... I really _do_ have an idea why, but I am incredulous that such greed and corruption exists at the highest levels of public safety.  Lyme is THE emerging disease of our times.  Untreated Lyme disease is devastating in almost all cases, even fatal in some.  The CDC in Atlanta estimates that there are 10-15 times as many unreported cases as there are reported ones.  There were twice as many probable case in 2010 than just four years before in 2006.  So far, the CDC has recorded almost half a million confirmed cases since the first disease cluster was discovered in Old Lyme, CT. (and of course, this disease was present in the L.I. Sound area - there are 100 year-old reports of a syndrome called "Montauk Knee" - for a very long time). 

Since the CDC uses these figures primarily for surveillance reasons, their acceptance criteria are very stringent so as to keep consistent with the tracking criteria used since the disease was first discovered.  You basically have to have ALL of the symptoms, along with positive ELISA and Western blots tests (and there are numerous false negatives here, including in my own case) to make it into the CDC database.  However, if the _true_ incidence of Lyme is as high as 15 times higher than the reported cases, that would mean that there have been about 7.5 million cases since 1975.  In the general endemic areas, there are only about 50 million people.  That means that it is possible, or perhaps even likely, that up to 15% of the population in the endemic areas has been exposed to Lyme.  That is a staggering figure, especially if you add in the fact that most of these cases would be in kids who have their curious little faces in the bushes and tall grass all summer long... and statistically speaking, over 90% of these kids have never been treated for Lyme.


Can you take a clear closeup photo of the critter and post it here?  I can ID it if the photo is clear enough.  If it was a deer tick found on the child, I'd get treatment ASAP.  Particularly in your highly-endemic area.  An ounce of prevention is worth 30 pounds of your child's health.


Read this from the CDC:


http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/9/1089.full




> Antibiotics recommended for children are *amoxicillin (50 mg/kg per day* in 3 divided doses [maximum of 500 mg per dose]), *cefuroxime axetil (30 mg/kg per day* in 2 divided doses [maximum of 500 mg per dose]), or, if the patient is â©¾8 years of age, doxycycline (4 mg/kg per day in 2 divided doses [maximum of 100 mg per dose])



Good luck, hope everything works out fine for your kid.


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## blacktail (Nov 16, 2011)

One of the things I was told when I had a tick removed in the ER, was that Lyme isn't present in this part of the state. I hope that's true!
The vet my family takes their dogs too said he got some kind of bulletin last spring about the increase in ticks around here. Ick!


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## bears12th (Nov 16, 2011)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> Can you take a clear closeup photo of the critter and post it here?  I can ID it if the photo is clear enough.  If it was a deer tick found on the child, I'd get treatment ASAP.  Particularly in your highly-endemic area.  An ounce of prevention is worth 30 pounds of your child's health.



Hope this works.  Thanks.  For reference the dime is there for size purposes.  This is the best I could do and I hope it's good enough.  

Thanks again.


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## Battenkiller (Nov 16, 2011)

That's a deer tick alright, but it seems kind of small for an adult female.  Is it right side up?  If so, it lacks the red posterior of the female.  Best I can tell that's an adult male deer tick.  The males are smaller than the females and are all brown.  Only the adult females feed and engorge.  The males will attach but can't infect you.

Here's a couple photos - one with a scale (in millimeters) to compare size, the other was stuck in me a couple weeks ago.  The one that nailed me is a female.


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## REM505 (Nov 17, 2011)

bears12th said:
			
		

> Battenkiller said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Both my wife and my daughter have had the bullseye rash.  I would go to a doctor and tell him/her that I want my kid on a cycle of antibiotics.  If that one said no I would find one that agreed given the problems associated with the disease and that a certain percentage of people have NO bullseye rash .  
While it is not the same in every case my daughter also had a slight fever a couple days after she was bitten.


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## Waulie (Nov 17, 2011)

> I thought you were gonna say you had one in another part of your anatomy



So this is a true story:

We don't have any ticks in the northern lower peninnsula, yet.  However the UP is has tons of them.  I gather they're moving across from Wisconsin.  Since we don't have them here, I've never thought twice about them.

Well, last summer I traveled to the UP for a couple days of outside work.  Came home in the evening and took a shower, and took another shower the following evening.  That night, I woke up with a weird aching pain in my crotch.  Went to the bathroom to piss and looked in the mirror.  I could see there was something on the underside of my man parts but couldn't tell what.  I had to wake up the wife (who thought I had lost it) to check it out.  Of course, it was a big ol deer tick buried nice and deep.  She managed to get it out, and thank god.  I did not want to go to the hospital for that one.

Now, I don't know if it was in there for three days before it staring aching, I brought it home on my clothes and it found it's way to me later, or what.  I just know I don't like ticks, and pray they do not find their way here.


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## weatherguy (Nov 17, 2011)

Willman said:
			
		

> I had a deer tick on me a couple of weeks ago and went to the docs office. Took the tick with me and he said they no longer test them. Gave me a scrip for the doxy one dose and have a nice day. Said to keep a look out for any rashes anywhere on my body and flu like symptoms. So fa nothing. Lyme is not something you want to go thru from what I hear.
> I would get my little one to the docs asap.
> Will



I took a shower this morning and as Im drying off admiring my out of shape ass, what do I see embedded on my side, a freaking deer tick, have the bullseye, went to the doc today, they gave me a script for doxi, Im going to go pick it up in a few. Ive managed for years to not get one in me but this year they're so bad I guess it was luck I didnt get one til now.


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## uggabugga (Nov 17, 2011)

i was pulling a minimum of 3 per week off myself from may thru july, then they suddenly stopped. then i found one just beginning to dig in on my side about 2 weeks ago.

the teeny tiny ones worry me most, they're so little you tend not to see them until it's too late..


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## Battenkiller (Nov 17, 2011)

Waulie said:
			
		

> I could see there was something on the underside of my man parts but couldn't tell what.  I had to wake up the wife (who thought I had lost it) to check it out.  Of course, it was a big ol deer tick buried nice and deep.  She managed to get it out, and thank god.



Man, I hope you at least took her out to dinner for that one.   

My wife had to get a dog tick out of my belly button one night.  She got careless with the tweezers and busted the frickin' head off.  I made her cut it out with my college dissecting scalpel.  I was laughing so hard the whole time she cut me more than she had to.  It was just too dang funny.


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## PapaDave (Nov 17, 2011)

Waulie said:
			
		

> > I thought you were gonna say you had one in another part of your anatomy
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Uh, hate to break it to 'ya Waulie, but we DO have 'em here in troll land. Found a few on the dogs this past summer, and a couple on me. I'm about 40 minutes east of Gaylord.


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## Battenkiller (Nov 17, 2011)

Here are a couple Lyme incidence distribution maps for 2009 and 2010.  One dot = one case reported to the CDC and accepted into their database.  As I said earlier, the CDC itself estimates there are 10-15 time more cases occurring each and every year. 

Notice how the same areas keep getting hit the hardest.


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## charly (Nov 18, 2011)

Just took my 2 dogs and my big cat for a walk through my woods on my logging trail. Mostly leaves on the trail. 30 minute walk. Came back, one tick on each of my dogs, 2 on my cat, and three on my shirt, one on my carhart sweat shirt. Later on, I put my sweat shirt on to do something and another tick was on my neck after coming back in. Had to be a left over on my hooded sweat shirt. Ticks are bad here. Definetly want to hunt from a tree stand or you'll be covered in ticks.


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## Waulie (Nov 18, 2011)

> Uh, hate to break it to â€˜ya Waulie, but we DO have â€˜em here in troll land. Found a few on the dogs this past summer, and a couple on me. Iâ€™m about 40 minutes east of Gaylord.



Yeah, after I posted I did a little research.  Seems they are nearby.  Sounds like they're mostly along the shores of Lake Michigan and in southern Michigan, but then again, you are in the middle of the state.  I've never seen any over my way (Leelanau) and I spend a great deal of time outdoors, but I suppose it's just a matter of time.    >:-(


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## weatherguy (Nov 20, 2011)

xclimber said:
			
		

> Cave2k said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I ordered one last week, came in the mail in 6 days, cost $5.95 total including shipping and taxes (no tax) and it is by far the best tool Ive used yet, Ive tried most every gimmick out there and this one is the easiest to use. Already pulled a few ticks off my cat with it. I highly recommend. Thanks for the link.


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## charly (Nov 20, 2011)

weatherguy said:
			
		

> xclimber said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


  Your welcome. Glad you got to see for yourself. Now you'll tell someone else. It's nice getting the whole tick out. It's hard to believe that tool makes it so easy. I've even had to use the very small one at times too. That's when you really appreciate the tool. ;-)


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## basswidow (Nov 20, 2011)

Criky,  the map shows the entire state of NJ BLUE!.  I get them from time to time and just pull them off.  I usually get them before the get embedded.  I woke up at 3 am with a pain in my back,  turned on the bath light and saw the red bulls eye.  Pulled the little sucker off.  Unlike any time before,  this is the first one I've had with the red bulls eye - actually looks like a ciggerette burn.  And the skin is painful in the circle.  It's been a few days - I will go to the doc's monday or tuesday.  

This unusual warmth isn't helping.  Split in short sleeves again today.  It's awesome outside!


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## weatherguy (Nov 20, 2011)

basswidow said:
			
		

> Criky,  the map shows the entire state of NJ BLUE!.  I get them from time to time and just pull them off.  I usually get them before the get embedded.  I woke up at 3 am with a pain in my back,  turned on the bath light and saw the red bulls eye.  Pulled the little sucker off.  Unlike any time before,  this is the first one I've had with the red bulls eye - actually looks like a ciggerette burn.  And the skin is painful in the circle.  It's been a few days - I will go to the doc's monday or tuesday.
> 
> This unusual warmth isn't helping.  Split in short sleeves again today.  It's awesome outside!



Looks like one got you too, Ive had quite a few on me over the years and last week was the first time I got the rash, make sure you go to the docs, get that taken care of before it gets too bad. You have one of the classics sign of lyme, its not always a bullseye, sometimes its a round rash.

heres a list of rashes, some are lyme and some are not.

http://www.lymemd.org/quiz_answers.html


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## basswidow (Nov 21, 2011)

That is very useful.  Going by those photos,  I'd say I don't have lyme!  

Thanks.


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## itsanaddiction (Nov 21, 2011)

I harvested a small buck this deer season, noticed several ticks in the croches of it's legs while looking him over. I've had 'em crawl right on to my hand while dressing out deer in the past.

So I got to thinking, if they're all over the deer, and I eat the venison, can I get infected that way? I love my venison real rare...


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## charly (Nov 21, 2011)

itsanaddiction said:
			
		

> I harvested a small buck this deer season, noticed several ticks in the croches of it's legs while looking him over. I've had 'em crawl right on to my hand while dressing out deer in the past.
> 
> So I got to thinking, if they're all over the deer, and I eat the venison, can I get infected that way? I love my venison real rare...


 With all the ticks on the deer, why do we not see lame deer walking around? Do they not get Lyme disease? No one is pulling the ticks off the deer , they're on the deer until they're engorged and then drop off. Just what it takes to transmit the disease.


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## Battenkiller (Nov 22, 2011)

basswidow said:
			
		

> Criky,  the map shows the entire state of NJ BLUE!.  I get them from time to time and just pull them off.  I usually get them before the get embedded.  I woke up at 3 am with a pain in my back,  turned on the bath light and saw the red bulls eye.  Pulled the little sucker off.  Unlike any time before,  this is the first one I've had with the red bulls eye - actually looks like a ciggerette burn.  And the skin is painful in the circle.  It's been a few days - I will go to the doc's monday or tuesday.
> 
> This unusual warmth isn't helping.  Split in short sleeves again today.  It's awesome outside!



How big was the rash?  Lyme rash is huge, and it won't show up while the tick is still on you.  Sounds like you had a reaction from the bite itself.  I got one on me a couple years ago and went in to the clinic to have it removed because I couldn't get it out.  I was certain is was Lyme because of the rash (see pic below), but the PA at the clinic told me it wasn't a Lyme rash at all.  It was pretty nasty, though, for a non-Lyme bite.

Problem is, although I never got the rash, I got sick about 3-4 weeks later and stayed pretty sick most of that summer.  Never even put things together until I got sick this time and had the rash as well.  You don't always get the rash.

FWIW my recent rash was neither round nor was it a bull's eye. I had a negative serology (ELISA test) as well.  Don't matter, Lyme is a clinical diagnosis.  If you have all the symptoms (especially the neurological ones), rash or no rash, you got Lyme.  Their are legions of folks out there who never saw a tick, never had a rash, never got extremely ill, and yet months later were in very serious shape because they went untreated.

Get the doxycycline at all costs.  There is no great harm in taking it, they actually use it as a prophylactic agent against malaria in endemic areas.  Also, kids are given tetracyclines for years for bad cases of acne.  28 days on the stuff is a heck of a lot better than going through Lyme.


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## basswidow (Nov 22, 2011)

The mark on my back was no bigger than that.  Still haven't seen the doc.  I feel great.


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## weatherguy (Nov 22, 2011)

basswidow said:
			
		

> The mark on my back was no bigger than that.  Still haven't seen the doc.  I feel great.



You might be ok, sometimes it takes a while for the symptoms to show, if you start feeling like you have the flu in the future days/weeks just get a blood test to make sure. I dont think it would show up in a blood test this soon anyway.
good luck


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## Battenkiller (Nov 22, 2011)

basswidow said:
			
		

> The mark on my back was no bigger than that.  Still haven't seen the doc.  I feel great.



Don't matter how good you feel right now.  You need to get at least 200mg of doxycycline in you ASAP.  The ELISA test will not come up positive until after the rash appears.  Takes time for your body to mount an immune response to this pathogen.  Don't give it chance to multiply any further in your system.  In NJ the vast majority of deer ticks carry the disease, so chances are slim that you caught one that uses a condom on its mouth parts while feeding on them infected white-footed mice.  Stop it now, or face the possibility of being on oral doxy for a month, or even long-term IV antibiotics if it gets into your nervous system or heart.  

BTW Lyme can cause varying degrees of heart block to occur.  If it progresses to third-degree heart block your heart could just stop beating (flatline), and that will be the end unless you are in a hospital with a team of surgeons ready to install a pacemaker.


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## weatherguy (Dec 2, 2011)

I got another one, as I was changing for bed last night I felt a bump in my groinal area and sure enough, another little sucker attached sucking blood out of me. I used that new otom tool and got it right out no problem, I still have a week left of doxy so I dont think this one can do anything to me.
Just a warning, with the warm fall weather the little buggers are still out in full force, thankfully the weathers getting colder and will probably slow them down.


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## Battenkiller (Dec 2, 2011)

If you are picking them up on your property (like around your wood shed or processing area) you can now get granules that have the professional tick killer in them.  All the big box stores carry them now.  Supposed to be good for months.  After this year's Lyme fiasco, we spread about 80 pounds of the stuff everywhere we work or hang out.  We have tons of white-footed mice around these areas, but so far, not a tick from our property on either of us this fall.

Glad to see you are on the doxy.  This thing takes no prisoners.


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## weatherguy (Dec 2, 2011)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> If you are picking them up on your property (like around your wood shed or processing area) you can now get granules that have the professional tick killer in them.  All the big box stores carry them now.  Supposed to be good for months.  After this year's Lyme fiasco, we spread about 80 pounds of the stuff everywhere we work or hang out.  We have tons of white-footed mice around these areas, but so far, not a tick from our property on either of us this fall.
> 
> Glad to see you are on the doxy.  This thing takes no prisoners.



Whats the product BK? I was thinking I picked the last one up in my wood area, my dog had one tonight too and thats about the only place we've been in the last two days where we could pick up ticks.


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## firebroad (Dec 2, 2011)

I got Lyme in 2009.  According to the titer count, the Doc figured I must have contracted it sometime in early January.  I had been feeling really tired, and chalked it up to bad diet and Winter blahs.  Never saw a rash, felt a bite. nothing.  When I got the news about the Lyme, I was actually considering the possibility, given the time of year, when I felt a slight tickle sensation under my arm, and when I investigated--you guessed it--it was a little black tick.  So that's when I figured it must have come from the wood.  

If you are feeling run down, get your Sawbones to run a Western Blot (lyme) test.  I had to take megadoses of antibiotics, and I swear, it made me sicker than a dog, but it's best to treat this stuff while it's still new in your system.  These little rascals can really pack a punch, and knock the stuffing out of you.  I think it took me about a year to start to feel anything close to normal. 

Where can you get these granules?  What's the name?


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## weatherguy (Dec 2, 2011)

firebroad said:
			
		

> I got Lyme in 2009.  According to the titer count, the Doc figured I must have contracted it sometime in early January.  I had been feeling really tired, and chalked it up to bad diet and Winter blahs.  Never saw a rash, felt a bite. nothing.  When I got the news about the Lyme, I was actually considering the possibility, given the time of year, when I felt a slight tickle sensation under my arm, and when I investigated--you guessed it--it was a little black tick.  So that's when I figured it must have come from the wood.
> 
> If you are feeling run down, get your Sawbones to run a Western Blot (lyme) test.  I had to take megadoses of antibiotics, and I swear, it made me sicker than a dog, but it's best to treat this stuff while it's still new in your system.  These little rascals can really pack a punch, and knock the stuffing out of you.  I think it took me about a year to start to feel anything close to normal.
> 
> Where can you get these granules?  What's the name?



Ive known a few people that share a story similar to yours, thats why I didnt mess around and went to the docs right away. The doxy seems to be some potent stuff, I havent felt that good since Ive started taking it, glad I only have 5-6 days left.


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## firebroad (Dec 2, 2011)

Glad you're on the mend, Weatherguy. I feel for you!


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## Pat53 (Dec 2, 2011)

WOW, just noticed this thread. I can not believe the prevelance of Lyme's in the NE. I live in the central UP of Michigan and we do get a few cases around here. My dog got it about 5 years ago and we hit him with massive doses of antibiotics for about 2 months. We noticed him developing a bad limp in his right front leg and it took our (former) vet almost a month to figure it out. What a dumba$$ ! He's doing OK now but still has mild recurring lameness from time to time.

Ticks are usually gone up here by September, and rarely do we see deer ticks, just the regular ones. Fortunately where I live there are not that many ticks. I'm in the woods a lot and only pick a few all year. We put Frontline on our dog and he never has any ticks anymore, that stuff definitely works.


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## weatherguy (Dec 2, 2011)

Pat53 said:
			
		

> WOW, just noticed this thread. I can not believe the prevelance of Lyme's in the NE. I live in the central UP of Michigan and we do get a few cases around here. My dog got it about 5 years ago and we hit him with massive doses of antibiotics for about 2 months. We noticed him developing a bad limp in his right front leg and it took our (former) vet almost a month to figure it out. What a dumba$$ ! He's doing OK now but still has mild recurring lameness from time to time.
> 
> Ticks are usually gone up here by September, and rarely do we see deer ticks, just the regular ones. Fortunately where I live there are not that many ticks. I'm in the woods a lot and only pick a few all year. We put Frontline on our dog and he never has any ticks anymore, that stuff definitely works.



Its prevalent alright, both my dogs had it, the girl that cuts my hair had it, a guy I work with got it twice, theres a few more people I know but I wont make a long list.. The only good thing thats come from this is that doctors are quick to diagnose and treat it nowadays.


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## Battenkiller (Dec 3, 2011)

The product I used was made by Bayer Advanced.  It is called Complete Insect Killer

You spread it with a fertilizer spreader and it has to get rained on before it works.  Early spring is when the nymphal form is active, so having rain usually isn't a problem if you spread it then.  We used a hand spreader as well, to get around the logs and lawn ornaments and stuff.  Having been thorough this experience, I think the stuff is well worth the money, but it won't help when you are out in the woods.  You need to use that permethrin spray on your clothes when you are out there.


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## weatherguy (Dec 3, 2011)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> The product I used was made by Bayer Advanced.  It is called Complete Insect Killer
> 
> You spread it with a fertilizer spreader and it has to get rained on before it works.  Early spring is when the nymphal form is active, so having rain usually isn't a problem if you spread it then.  We used a hand spreader as well, to get around the logs and lawn ornaments and stuff.  Having been thorough this experience, I think the stuff is well worth the money, but it won't help when you are out in the woods.  You need to use that permethrin spray on your clothes when you are out there.



thanks BK, I'll pick some up tomorrow, I think Ill order some of the other stuff you mentioned too.


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## fireview2788 (Dec 3, 2011)

I usually see them crawl off the deer carcasses that we kill during gun season.  As the deer cools the look for a new host.  I didn't see any of the three does we killed this year but I am sure they had some.  Odd that I didn't see any though.

f v


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## Boom Stick (Dec 4, 2011)

picked up a load of wood today from a yard that had a bunch come down in the storm some time ago.  Basically cleaned the place out and had one more load to retrieve of cut up locust branches.    quick pick up, small stuff already cut up.  in and out.  driving home 10 minutes away me and my buddy found 3 ticks on us while in the truck.  I already had to have a tick removed and take a cycle of meds due to a tick from there.  Place is crawling with them.  Be careful out there.  Outside of dousing your clothing in permethrin there is little you can do but be vigilant in checking yourself.  Luckily one was crawling on my hand as I was driving so I noticed it.  no win situation.


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## Pat53 (Dec 4, 2011)

Boom Stick said:
			
		

> picked up a load of wood today from a yard that had a bunch come down in the storm some time ago.  Basically cleaned the place out and had one more load to retrieve of cut up locust branches.    quick pick up, small stuff already cut up.  in and out.  driving home 10 minutes away me and my buddy found 3 ticks on us while in the truck.  I already had to have a tick removed and take a cycle of meds due to a tick from there.  Place is crawling with them.  Be careful out there.  Outside of dousing your clothing in permethrin there is little you can do but be vigilant in checking yourself.  Luckily one was crawling on my hand as I was driving so I noticed it.  no win situation.



Boom, were those deer ticks or the regular ones?


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## weatherguy (Dec 4, 2011)

Pat53 said:
			
		

> Boom Stick said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Did you have the permethrin on? Do these damn ticks die when it gtes cold or do they just hibernate and wait for a warm up to attack us again?


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## Boom Stick (Dec 4, 2011)

These ticks were pretty small.  Do not really know how to distinguish deer tick vs regular tick.  Never took the time to look them up..  I treat them all the same.  I was not using permethrin.  I have never used it.  From what I remember you have to spray your clothes and then put them in a trash bag overnight to soak in, etc.  I may look into using it but my fiance is not to keen on the chemicals in the house.  The one I had dug in on me was decent sized.  not as big as one I have taken off of a dog before but not tiny either.


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## weatherguy (Dec 4, 2011)

The deer ticks are the small ones, females are bigger than males. Males are tiny. You had one that bit you?


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## Battenkiller (Dec 4, 2011)

Boom Stick said:
			
		

> Do not really know how to distinguish deer tick vs regular tick.  Never took the time to look them up.



Search for "deer tick vs. dog tick" in Google Images and you'll see plenty.


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## willworkforwood (Dec 4, 2011)

Boom Stick said:
			
		

> .... Outside of dousing your clothing in permethrin there is little you can do but be vigilant in checking yourself.  ....


This thread won't go away - and that's good because these things are a plague, and everyone needs to be aware of this.  I've been bitten multiple times over the years - never any of the serious diseases (remember it's not just Lyme), but I do get nasty skin reactions like the ones in the pics.  Happens within minutes of being bitten - raised, discolored bumps - a couple have never disappeared.   These things have a connection to the spider family.  My mother got bad skin reactions to (non-poisonous) spider bites, and apparently she must have passed that gene along to me - thanks a lot Mom  :roll:.  As Boom said above, being vigilant in checking yourself is the key for me.   After being outside I assume they're on me, so I always do a full body check with the fingertips.   Two weeks ago on a warmish day (after having a number of freeze nights), I scrounged a load of wood and while driving home looked down and saw 2 crawling up my shirt.  A week before that, I had 4 on me, after being out for 1 hour (yep more bumps).  I also stay totally alert for any physical changes, and also get blood tests a couple times a year.  I absolutely hate chemicals of any kind, but also have no doubt that these representatives from hell are getting worse all the time.  So next Spring I'm going to start using permethrin on my pants and shoes (keep this stuff away from cats!).  This is an all-out war, but the best one can hope for in this one is a stalemate  :-/.


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## kingston73 (Dec 4, 2011)

weatherguy said:
			
		

> Pat53 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



No, these things definitely DO NOT die.  Part of the reason they're so bad this year in the NE is because of the snow cover we had last year.  Snow actually insulates them plus it makes it harder for insect eating animals to get them, so more survive the winter and breed the following spring.  PLUS the amount of rain the NE has had PLUS the unusually warm weather we've had here all season has made it a booming year for the little creeps.  

Those of you who dont' have deer ticks or lyme disease are incredibly lucky.  Ticks scare me more than any other animal out in the woods, my dogs both have the lyme vaccine and need a thorough check over every time they come inside from a walk.  

If you live in the NE its definitely worth it to buy a dedicated tick removal device, basically a little plastic 'hook' that pulls the tick out without smashing it or ripping its head off.


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## willworkforwood (Dec 4, 2011)

kingston73 said:
			
		

> ...... Those of you who dont' have deer ticks or lyme disease are incredibly lucky.  Ticks scare me more than any other animal out in the woods .....


+ 1 Million


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## weatherguy (Dec 4, 2011)

> If you live in the NE its definitely worth it to buy a dedicated tick removal device, basically a little plastic â€˜hookâ€™ that pulls the tick out without smashing it or ripping its head off.



I agree, I bought the one mentioned earlier in this thread and cant stop raving about it, it pulls the whole tick out easily without leaving the head behind. In the past when Ive removed ticks from my pets and didnt get the whole tick it would form a sort of crater, almost looks like it would get infected then form a scab, this tool took the one out I had on my groin last week in 2 seconds no problems, didnt leave a mark.
I bought that product Battenkiller mentioned upthread too yesterday, I bought the liquid version and mixed up a couple gallons and sprayed my whole wood processing area and my yard, hope that kills the little ba$tards.


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## Pat53 (Dec 4, 2011)

willworkforwood said:
			
		

> Boom Stick said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



These ticks have been slowly working there way into the U.P. from Wisconsin. We have lots of deer here so plenty of host animals available, altho the wolves are starting to have a real impact on them. maybe having the wolves around isn't such a bad thing after all ! I've never seen a tick on a deer after killing/gutting it in deer season in 40 years of hunting, and nobody I know has either. nevertheless, they are here. Now I'm worried about my kids. I think I'm going to get some of that repellent mixed up for next spring and start using it on their clothing when they go outside, and tell them to really start checking themselves good each day before they go to bed. Scary stuff, indeed.


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## iod0816 (Dec 4, 2011)

Had a dog tick after I was cutting past weekend. Was only out for an hour... Got a couple cords so far this fall and 15 last year for this and no ticks... This one beat me up with a cut..... From the digging for the head! Could not reach my self so the wife was digging. that was not fun. Went this weekend and found a few crawling... Must love the 50 degree days. Didn't figure this see but then again pretty mild fall so far.


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## weatherguy (Dec 4, 2011)

iodonnell said:
			
		

> Had a dog tick after I was cutting past weekend. Was only out for an hour... Got a couple cords so far this fall and 15 last year for this and no ticks... This one beat me up with a cut..... From the digging for the head! Could not reach my self so the wife was digging. that was not fun. Went this weekend and found a few crawling... Must love the 50 degree days. Didn't figure this see but then again pretty mild fall so far.



The first tick I had this year was a deer tick. I didnt know it was a tick since it was on my back and I ended up puuling it out and leaving the head. When I went to the doctors she told me its recommended that you do not dig it out. Im not sure why because she really didnt answer my question when i asked.


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## Battenkiller (Dec 4, 2011)

weatherguy said:
			
		

> The first tick I had this year was a deer tick. I didnt know it was a tick since it was on my back and I ended up puuling it out and leaving the head. When I went to the doctors she told me its recommended that you do not dig it out. Im not sure why because she really didnt answer my question when i asked.



I didn't know that until after I had my wife dissect a tick head out of my naval.  Increased chance of infection from regular bacteria I'm told.  The rotten little things have the Lyme bacteria in their gut from feeding on the mouse before you.  Main thing is don't squeeze the body or you can inject yourself full of the Lyme bugs without knowing it.

Dogs, however, can sometimes get something called "tick paralysis" from the head.  It's more of an allergic response, but if your dog falls over and can't move or has trouble breathing after you leave the head in you have to get it out immediately or the dog could die.  Some other animals are can get this, too, but I don't think people can.


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## weatherguy (Dec 4, 2011)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> weatherguy said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Is that cats too BK or only dogs?
I just pulled a deer tick out of my wife, I got the whole thing out no problem but there is a small mark. She said she felt an itch last night but where it was she couldnt see and didnt even bother to think, "I got an itch, could be a tick". Shes going to visit our doctor tomorrow. This is getting rediculous.


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## Battenkiller (Dec 5, 2011)

Wow!

Just looked it up.  Worse than I thought.  Lots of animals can get it, but worst of all, young children can get tick paralysis.  Seems it's a neurotoxin given off by the tick that's responsible, but it almost always presents in children under ten years old. 


http://www.aldf.com/TickParalysis.shtml


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## Pat53 (Dec 5, 2011)

weatherguy said:
			
		

> Battenkiller said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Unreal, I just can't believe these things are still active in ... December !


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## trailmaker (Dec 5, 2011)

I've got ticks swarming all over my property at certain times of year.  Fortunately out West here Lymes isn't as prevalent.  Apparently the nymph stage ticks here feed primarily on the Western Fence Lizard.  These Lizards have a protein in their blood that gets into the ticks gut and kills the bacteria that cause Lymes.  I loathe the little suckers nonetheless and can't wait to try out some Permethrin on them.

  Some interesting contraptions have been devised that apply Permethrin onto deer while they're at a feeder.
http://www.aldf.com/fourPoster2.shtml


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## weatherguy (Dec 5, 2011)

trailmaker said:
			
		

> I've got ticks swarming all over my property at certain times of year.  Fortunately out West here Lymes isn't as prevalent.  Apparently the nymph stage ticks here feed primarily on the Western Fence Lizard.  These Lizards have a protein in their blood that gets into the ticks gut and kills the bacteria that cause Lymes.  I loathe the little suckers nonetheless and can't wait to try out some Permethrin on them.
> 
> Some interesting contraptions have been devised that apply Permethrin onto deer while they're at a feeder.
> http://www.aldf.com/fourPoster2.shtml



Ive read abouth those lizards doing that to the ticks, maybe we should import some of those lizards to the northeast.


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## firebroad (Dec 5, 2011)

I'm a little leery about spraying firewood with insecticide, but I might sprinkle the granules on the ground.  I have sprayed wood with pyrethrin, as it breaks down relatively quickly, but I have always heard one should not treat firewood.  A stove is an airtight system, so maybe not so risky?


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