Life cycle of ticks and what we should expect this year

[DougPaul]

First - here are treated gaitors (BugOut) made by OR -
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/gear-guy/Outdoor-Research-Bugout-Gaiters.html

And here are zip-off pants made by ExOfficio. I assume they make them from women also -
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/gear-guy/How-Can-I-Guard-Against-Ticks.html

These are both permethrin-treated clothing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin

You can also buy permethrin spray or soak and treat your own clothing:
http://www.rei.com/search?cat=45000...nt^cat,40006258:Insect+Repellent+for+Clothing

I treat my socks, pants, and shirts with permethrin and use DEET or Picaridin on exposed skin and have had no problems with ticks (so far...).

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

...You can also buy permethrin spray or soak and treat your own clothing:
http://www.rei.com/search?cat=45000...nt^cat,40006258:Insect+Repellent+for+Clothing

I treat my socks, pants, and shirts with permethrin and use DEET or Picaridin on exposed skin and have had no problems with ticks (so far...).

Doug

I bought a spray bottle of the one made by Sawyer last year at REI.

 

[Quietman]

These are both permethrin-treated clothing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin


Doug

Be aware that Permethrin is very toxic to cats. I'm not sure what the risk is from treated clothing but if you have cats, I would recommend not picking them up while wearing anything treated with it.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Be aware that Permethrin is very toxic to cats. I'm not sure what the risk is from treated clothing but if you have cats, I would recommend not picking them up while wearing anything treated with it.

Based upon what a physician posted on another bulletin board, apparently Permethrin isn't a threat to them if they come into contact with clothing treated with the stuff. Just don't spray it on them, or if you treat your own clothing, allow it to dry first.

 

[Chip]

Based on what I've seen and read and the pics in this link I doubt I'd ever recognize and properly remove a deer tick, especially a nymph, unless it was fully engorged. Not even then based on actual experience. I think what people are seeing are unengorged dog ticks.

 

[Jason Berard]

http://www.macsnaturals.com/blog/wood-ticks-deer-ticks-diseases-they-carry-and-identification

They don't really look that much alike.

 

[DougPaul]

Be aware that Permethrin is very toxic to cats. I'm not sure what the risk is from treated clothing but if you have cats, I would recommend not picking them up while wearing anything treated with it.

Permethrin is also toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms--don't let it get into surface waters.

Info on cats:
http://www.vspn.org/Library/misc/VSPN_M01289.htm
http://www.petplace.com/cats/permethrin-and-pyrethrin-toxicity-in-cats/page1.aspx
Most cat problems appear to be due to the (improper) application of permethrin to the cat or close contact with a recently treated dog. I haven't found any statements specifically dealing with treated human clothing that has been allowed to fully dry before exposure to the cat nor do I find warnings about the toxicity of pre-treated clothing (eg ExOfficio BugsAway) to cats.

From: http://www.fabcats.org/owners/poisons/pemethrin/article.html
"It is unknown exactly how long cats should be separated from dogs after dogs have had permethrin products applied." (Might be related to how long one must keep treated clothing away from cats.)

A medical article on treatment of cats:
http://www.isfm.net/toolbox/info_sheets/permethrin.pdf

BTW, the concentration of permethrin can be 50% or greater for dog treatments. The clothing spray is 0.5%.

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

Ran across this while reading Chip's ref:

A study in California finds that sitting on or leaning against wood to be high risk for ticks. Sitting on leaf litter was much safer. At least in California... http://www.canlyme.com/ticks_on_logs.html

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

Based upon what a physician posted on another bulletin board, apparently Permethrin isn't a threat to them if they come into contact with clothing treated with the stuff. Just don't spray it on them, or if you treat your own clothing, allow it to dry first.

Interesting...

Would you have a link?

Doug

 

[Chip]

http://www.macsnaturals.com/blog/wood-ticks-deer-ticks-diseases-they-carry-and-identification

They don't really look that much alike.

I see you're right when referring to the adult female pictured there. I'm concerned with being able to even see/notice the nymph.

"The tick in the image is the nymph stage of the lifecycle, the most common disease transmission cycle...hard to see or feel unless in the most obvious of locations on the body as they also numb the skin around the bite so as not to be detected."

 

[erugs]

Based on what I've seen and read and the pics in this link I doubt I'd ever recognize and properly remove a deer tick, especially a nymph, unless it was fully engorged. Not even then based on actual experience. I think what people are seeing are unengorged dog ticks.

The way I think about it is that the deer tick often has a red "shield" on its bottom back side. And the legs are more like 12 pt. crampons than 8 pt.

Someone earlier (sorry, I forget now who it was) said that this thread was making them itchy. That's the thing about the tiny ticks. You don't feel them. They don't itch. I've learned to carefully look when I feel something creepy-crawly. It's not easy, as the first instinct is to quickly brush whatever it is away. Usually what I'm feeling is -- nothing but one of those annoying imaginary sensations. I'm not going to take the chance that I'm brushing a tick off of me only to have it find you!

 

[Chip]

Well, between thinking about the Tick Delivery Service we recently adopted and this thread I got almost no sleep last night...kept waking myself up dreaming there were things crawling on me .

 

[DougPaul]

Well, between thinking about the Tick Delivery Service we recently adopted and this thread I got almost no sleep last night...kept waking myself up dreaming there were things crawling on me .

You could try treating your pajamas with permethrin (or at least try dreaming that you treat your pajamas...) and see if that cures your dreams...

Doug

 

[Quietman]

http://www.macsnaturals.com/blog/wood-ticks-deer-ticks-diseases-they-carry-and-identification

They don't really look that much alike.

The deer tick picture in the link is a female and only the female Deer ticks have the red area on their backs.
Here is a LINK that shows both the male and female deer ticks. It is the site that I have used for tick ID for many years.

 

[MichaelJ]

So does anyone know if the return to cold weather following the unseasonably early warmth has done anything to reduce the tick population?

 

[Jason Berard]

Here is a good link with excellent pics of male and female ticks for both wood and deer ticks:
http://closerviews.photoshelter.com/image/I0000Qh6JMJlkIts

As far as a decline...not sure. I'm treating my field clothing with permethrin, so I'm seeing fewer (none, actually!).

 

[DougPaul]

So does anyone know if the return to cold weather following the unseasonably early warmth has done anything to reduce the tick population?

My guess is no--since ticks can get you in mid-winter, I suspect that they can survive this cool spell.

Doug

 

[NH Tramper]

My guess is no--since ticks can get you in mid-winter, I suspect that they can survive this cool spell.

Doug

That's my guess, too.

 

[DougPaul]

It appears that the large mast crop in 2010 is a greater factor than the weather. Lots of acorns -> lots of mice. Mice are a more important tick host than deer.

http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/624252_Expert-sees-increase-in-ticks.html
http://survival.outdoorlife.com/blo...how-avoid-ticks-more-lyme-cases-expected-year

Doug

 

[Chip]

They just get dormant until it warms up. Only way to reduce them in an area is reduce deer and mice populations.