Lyme Disease and the tick explosion

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Len and Jo

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PBS NewsHour had a very good program on the above subject last night.  Good for all those who like to spend time in the out of doors.

https://www.facebook.com/newshour/videos/10155594674848675/
 
Molaker said:
Oh, great.  Now it's exploding ticks.  What's next? ;D

Every time I venture out past the grass line on our property I bring some ticks back. I wish we had the exploding kind (as long as they don't explode on me).
 
There's also a somewhat new kind of tick disease which is relatively rare but which can be deadly.  If you have a tick bite and feel sick within 1-3 weeks go to the doctor because this is a bad one - as though the others weren't deadly enough!  You will need a blood test to verify the virus.  It is called Powassan Virus and it is named after the town of Powassan, Ontario, where it was identified in a young boy who eventually died from it.  Google Powassan Disease to learn more.

ArdraF
 
In the last month I've had three tick bites. One in FL and two in TN. By the time we got to Columbia, MO the third bite looked pretty angry, so I stopped iand saw a Dr and got a Rx for some Doxycycline. None of the bites displayed the bullseye that is associated with possible problems, but I thought it was time to be proactive.
 
TheNewhalls said:
In the last month I've had three tick bites. One in FL and two in TN. By the time we got to Columbia, MO the third bite looked pretty angry, so I stopped iand saw a Dr and got a Rx for some Doxycycline. None of the bites displayed the bullseye that is associated with possible problems, but I thought it was time to be proactive.
In the PBS show I posted above the doctor states that not all tick bites associated with Lyme disease will show a bulls-eye.

We all should be proactive and know signs and infection stages.  We treat all of our exterior clothing (shirts, pants, socks, boots) with permethrin that we carry in our RV.  We use Sawyers permethrin to treat our clothing but now many clothing products can be bought with permethrin impregnation fabric ( Insect Shield Protective Clothing: L.L. Bean, REI, Gamehide, Sawyer, Columbia...) that supposedly lasts through 70 washings.
 
Gene, I think seeing a doctor was the smart thing to do.  I got a tick bite with a bullseye a couple of years ago in Virginia and was treated in Pennsylvania.  We had a friend who was bitten in Sonoma, California before Lyme Disease was thought about very much and she was in bad shape, going blind, etc.  This new one doesn't sound like it's even treatable which is scary, especially because it's carried by some of the same ticks that pass on Lyme Disease.

ArdraF
 
I know this tread is 4 years old, but would like to add that we in southern Utah do not have flees or ticks,, too dry climate for them to exist..>>>Dan
 
Kim and I each grabbed a cold one and took a walk around the yard before dinner yesterday just to enjoy the nice weather. Did not get into any tall grass/weeds but sure enough she had tick on her pant leg when we got inside. And so it begins here in central NY.
 
Reading this old thread and the recent replies... I like living at elevation in Arizona, it's dry enough most of the year to keep those pests from multiplying, and the winters are cold enough to kill off most bugs, or keep 'em dormant. My cats enjoy lives free of ticks & fleas, though we do have scorpions & rattlesnakes, lol. Big ol' tarantulas too, but they're basically harmless, and I let 'em go on their way.

That humidity Old Crow mentioned is the reason why I won't move to the Midwest, South, or East. I remember that slop from my "trucking daze"---I'd rather take my chances out West. Elevation is the key to comfortable living in Arizona, particularly during the warmer months. We get a little humidity during monsoon season, but nothing like Tucson or Phoenix.

And the "sky islands" are great for beating the heat, some of these ranges rise well above the surrounding high desert, and the temperature is much cooler at elevation. 20 degrees difference last time I visited nearby Mt. Graham, which rises to 10720' or so. There's a nice little lake at roughly 9000', and when the temp was in the 90s down below, it was in the 70s at the lake. Big difference!

If I wind up buying an RV, I think I may return to the White Mountains and boondock all summer long... it's so nice up there in the summer, I never really had to run the A/C in my home, I just "worked the windows" at certain times of day to regulate the temp inside. Dual-pane windows, of course, which are nice for holding coolness in as well as heat, kinda like turning my home into one giant cooler.

Here in Cochise County, I only have single-pane windows, but the same principle applies as I work the windows. This time of year, I open the windows early (if they're not already open overnight) to let the cool air in, then seal it in for the hotter part of the day, eventually opening the windows again in the late afternoon. Works like a charm, no need to run the furnace or A/C, which saves money.

Going back to the bugs, we do have some pesky insects during "bug season"---ants are the worst, they'll come boiling up out of the ground and overrun your yard if ya don't nuke the nest with poison. I'm not big on using poison, since I have my cats' safety to consider, but I'll pour some poison directly down each hole and that'll cramp the ants' style for awhile... but you never kill 'em all, they'll be back.

Honestly, I've yet to see a flea at elevation in Arizona, or a tick either, though they might be out there on some of those ranches where livestock is kept. Never saw any deer ticks in the forest either, up there in the White Mountains, but they might be up there... I dunno. Saw plenty of deer & elk, herds of 'em, but I never saw any ticks. Good riddance, as far as I'm concerned, never had much use for 'em.
 
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