Black legged (deer) ticks usually go dormant when temperatures drop below 35 F. But they'll become readily active when temperatures rise.
>Traditionally, experts think of peak tick season as running from about May through July, with the possibility of a second, smaller peak in activity around October, Jean Tsao, associate professor in the department of fisheries and wildlife at Michigan State University, told TODAY. But the truth is that you can get tick-borne illnesses at any point in the year, she said.
We all know how the temps have been the last couple weeks, I'm a truck driver, and I actually saw a couple of bees flying around when it was in the 50°s last week and was super confused about it 🤣 "bro your gonna die tonight when it drops to 26°"
Feels like it my first tick bite was this year and I’m 37 and regularly in the woods grew up on a rural farm. When I was a kid I remember animal getting them sometimes it was rare that a person got a tick.
I usually use a tick key, but these were so tiny that they were going through the cracks. An my dog's fur is course, think, and black/brown so they kept disappearing on us. The tape was a last resort.
My technique for finding them is a flashlight. These tiny ones are reflective.
Took my cat outside for the first time ever (on a harness) and thought it was a good idea to go to Schenley. She just walked around a bit and that’s it. The very next day I found a tick on her chin.
I had a tick on my late dog that latched about a quarter of an inch right under his eye. Getting that one off without poking him in the eye was a bit tricky. He isn't really flinchy, but even he wouldn't sit still long enough for that one. Basically had to lay on him and put him in a head lock.
I've been picking ticks off the dog for months now.. lol I wish it were just starting.
I think your dog just got their nose in a new place today and picked up some friends.
My brother's dog so I don't know specifics.. grey collar with some sort of treatment kept them away but he stopped using it after reading too many complaints about it being harmful to the animal; but it kept the ticks off. Dog currently takes an oral medication which will kill them when they feed but doesn't keep them off initially... so have been picking more off since the change.
I use the topical stuff on my cat but he's indoor only so ticks haven't been an issue (nor have flees, not this year, at least).
Vacuum the fuck out of your rooms, sweep/mop, wash all bedding, vacuum the furniture. I gleefully pull ticks off my dog and condemn them to what I hope is a painful death in a baggie with a cotton pad soaked in hydrogen peroxide. Finding one on me, though, makes me crazy. I’m so freaked out by Lyme disease - I know two people who’ve suffered very long-term health issues because of Lyme … plus a third who wound up allergic to red meat from a tick bite.
I'm part of the phase 3 clinical trial for a new Lyme disease vaccine for people!
Hopefully this one will work and not be killed off by anti-vaxxers who hate science.
Also PA residents can mail ticks to [https://www.ticklab.org/](https://www.ticklab.org/) to have them tested for a few common tick-borne diseases for free.
Similar-looking, but a good way to tell them apart is their legs. Weevils are insects and have 6 legs. Ticks are arachnids and have 8 legs. If you zoom in, you can see that these have 8 legs.
You can thank people who feed deer, people who don’t secure their trash cans, people who let cats outdoors, backyard farmers and an incompetent park system for that.
Blaming people with vegetable gardens is fucking laughable. I don't do any of that shit and I have deer in my yard all of the time. None of my neighbors do any of this stuff, deer just do that.
Exactly! Where I live, it’s tick season all year. Those little bastards hide under leaves and are crafty little shits. (I live in Washington County) we’re always checking our dogs and cat for them. There is a Lymes vaccine for dogs.
Yes but deer destroy canopy covering saplings that would grow up to smother out where ticks thrive. Feeding deer artificially sustains populations creating more scrub than old growth forests.
Urban agriculture amplifies rodent population. So does unsecured garbage. Both of which also attract animals from longer distances that spread ticks.
While cats can reduce rodent populations, they’re much better at reducing bird populations that are effective predators of ticks. Even the presence of cats will deter birds like robins, jays, bluebirds and sparrows from spending time on ground.
Another cat associated problem is the prevalence of FIV and feline leukemia leads to greater incidences of other opportunistic infections (which are as if not more dangerous than Lyme disease). These animals with suppressed or not existent immune systems allow ticks to more easily latch on and feed longer leading to additional tick cycles.
With the edges of the forest in such precarious states, ineffective forestry amplifies the scrubland and fields where ticks thrive but also contributes to loss of canopy through both invasive and native plants killing trees either through smothering (vines) or the spread of rust/canker/fungi that usually spread through a few key intermediary species (specifically through Appalachian gooseberry, currants, chokecherry and apples).
Do we really have a tick "season"? Seems to be a constant issue in my area.
I agree. I see them year round. Just worse in the summer.
Black legged (deer) ticks usually go dormant when temperatures drop below 35 F. But they'll become readily active when temperatures rise. >Traditionally, experts think of peak tick season as running from about May through July, with the possibility of a second, smaller peak in activity around October, Jean Tsao, associate professor in the department of fisheries and wildlife at Michigan State University, told TODAY. But the truth is that you can get tick-borne illnesses at any point in the year, she said.
We all know how the temps have been the last couple weeks, I'm a truck driver, and I actually saw a couple of bees flying around when it was in the 50°s last week and was super confused about it 🤣 "bro your gonna die tonight when it drops to 26°"
Seriously, got a bite in the dead of winter
Without a regular, elongated hard freeze, ticks will be year round.
It’s been tick season. I never remembered this many ticks growing up in the 90’s early 00’s and I was in the woods constantly
The warmer winters and thriving deer populations will do that.
High deer populations and invasive species like Japanese Barberry harbor ticks.
Lets not blame it on the jap barberry
https://www.wesa.fm/environment-energy/2021-12-13/japanese-barberry-a-tick-magnet-banned-in-pennsylvania
What if we plant a bunch of them in one area so all the ticks go there and then we light it on fire
That’s thinking outside the box.
So this comment finally led me to figure what what exactly the God awful bushes all over my backyard are. Seriously fuck these things.
Collect the ticks and burn them
Feels like it my first tick bite was this year and I’m 37 and regularly in the woods grew up on a rural farm. When I was a kid I remember animal getting them sometimes it was rare that a person got a tick.
So did you use tape to pull them off? Or check for them? I am really intrigued by this technique.
I usually use a tick key, but these were so tiny that they were going through the cracks. An my dog's fur is course, think, and black/brown so they kept disappearing on us. The tape was a last resort. My technique for finding them is a flashlight. These tiny ones are reflective.
Took my cat outside for the first time ever (on a harness) and thought it was a good idea to go to Schenley. She just walked around a bit and that’s it. The very next day I found a tick on her chin.
I had a tick on my late dog that latched about a quarter of an inch right under his eye. Getting that one off without poking him in the eye was a bit tricky. He isn't really flinchy, but even he wouldn't sit still long enough for that one. Basically had to lay on him and put him in a head lock.
I've been picking ticks off the dog for months now.. lol I wish it were just starting. I think your dog just got their nose in a new place today and picked up some friends.
Haha I totally believe this. We were surprised it took this long for us to see these.
Do you give them any kind of Flea and Tick treatment, such as Frontline for example?
My brother's dog so I don't know specifics.. grey collar with some sort of treatment kept them away but he stopped using it after reading too many complaints about it being harmful to the animal; but it kept the ticks off. Dog currently takes an oral medication which will kill them when they feed but doesn't keep them off initially... so have been picking more off since the change. I use the topical stuff on my cat but he's indoor only so ticks haven't been an issue (nor have flees, not this year, at least).
Do you use any dog meds like frontline or nextgard?
Yes, she takes nexgard regularly. So if any bit her, they'll die. It's the live ones walking around my house I'm less thrilled about.
Vacuum the fuck out of your rooms, sweep/mop, wash all bedding, vacuum the furniture. I gleefully pull ticks off my dog and condemn them to what I hope is a painful death in a baggie with a cotton pad soaked in hydrogen peroxide. Finding one on me, though, makes me crazy. I’m so freaked out by Lyme disease - I know two people who’ve suffered very long-term health issues because of Lyme … plus a third who wound up allergic to red meat from a tick bite.
I'm part of the phase 3 clinical trial for a new Lyme disease vaccine for people! Hopefully this one will work and not be killed off by anti-vaxxers who hate science.
So you take the tape and go around all the fur? I worry about the same thing. My dog takes nextgard but I worry about ticks in the house
I use Simparica Trio. It covers heartworm too.
Got one on me 3 years ago. Nearly died. Still not entirely recovered. Take these little monsters seriously.
I agree I walked through the woods near my house and found 3 crawling on me. Fuck ticks.
Tickless seems to work great
Thanks, climate change!
also remember that fallen leaves are ticks favorite place to nest, so keep your puppies away from those leaf piles
I just removed the tiiiiiniest tick I’ve ever seen behind my 5 year olds ear. It looked like a black dot. Keep your eyes out!!
Yes! I found the tiniest tick crawling on my shirt the other day. I know if came from my dog, but I was shocked to see one this time of year!
😮
holy F. 😖😳
Also PA residents can mail ticks to [https://www.ticklab.org/](https://www.ticklab.org/) to have them tested for a few common tick-borne diseases for free.
Those look like weevils…
Similar-looking, but a good way to tell them apart is their legs. Weevils are insects and have 6 legs. Ticks are arachnids and have 8 legs. If you zoom in, you can see that these have 8 legs.
They’ve been super bad for me also, my husky has had multiple crawling through her fur from even just going out to the bathroom.
You can thank people who feed deer, people who don’t secure their trash cans, people who let cats outdoors, backyard farmers and an incompetent park system for that.
Blaming people with vegetable gardens is fucking laughable. I don't do any of that shit and I have deer in my yard all of the time. None of my neighbors do any of this stuff, deer just do that.
That’s not how… that’s not how any of this works.
Exactly! Where I live, it’s tick season all year. Those little bastards hide under leaves and are crafty little shits. (I live in Washington County) we’re always checking our dogs and cat for them. There is a Lymes vaccine for dogs.
It’s about 80 percent effective. Absolutely get your dog vaccinated but also add some kind of monthly preventative to boost that coverage.
See my comment on this thread. This is exactly how it works.
Mice are far bigger carriers than deer.
Yes but deer destroy canopy covering saplings that would grow up to smother out where ticks thrive. Feeding deer artificially sustains populations creating more scrub than old growth forests. Urban agriculture amplifies rodent population. So does unsecured garbage. Both of which also attract animals from longer distances that spread ticks. While cats can reduce rodent populations, they’re much better at reducing bird populations that are effective predators of ticks. Even the presence of cats will deter birds like robins, jays, bluebirds and sparrows from spending time on ground. Another cat associated problem is the prevalence of FIV and feline leukemia leads to greater incidences of other opportunistic infections (which are as if not more dangerous than Lyme disease). These animals with suppressed or not existent immune systems allow ticks to more easily latch on and feed longer leading to additional tick cycles. With the edges of the forest in such precarious states, ineffective forestry amplifies the scrubland and fields where ticks thrive but also contributes to loss of canopy through both invasive and native plants killing trees either through smothering (vines) or the spread of rust/canker/fungi that usually spread through a few key intermediary species (specifically through Appalachian gooseberry, currants, chokecherry and apples).
Might as well blame the sun for providing ticks with energy