Ticks in the White Mountains

[grouseking]

This could be a silly question. I have never seen a tick in the White Mountains before, but as soon as I so south of the region (Plymouth south) I always see them. Can they survive in the mountains or have I just been really lucky? Just wondering as I will be a counselor this summer and we do A LOT of hiking in the Whites (can't wait).

 

[Bob Kittredge]

I've done a reasonable amount of hiking in the whites, and the only place I have ever encountered ticks was on a walk around my office building on a hill in Framingham, MA. Go figure.

 

[jjo]

Bob, agree and that's good news. Ticks can be nasty to remove once entrenched.

 

[Fitz]

Moat Mountain, North Conway.

Plenty of the buggers.

 

[Double Bow]

Not the whites but, I found one on me in Sunapee State Park...

 

[el-bagr]

Wood ticks ("dog ticks", the larger type) are not uncommon in grassy/brushy areas: e.g. logging roads on Weeks Brook Trail near Kearsarge North, old log-yards in Sawyer River valley.

 

[Dugan]

Since ticks can live in the Antarctic, I'd imagine they can handle the Whites.

Seriously, though, I have found ticks on both me and my dog in the Whites on almost every non-winter hike. They are still active in the winter, but not nearly as much. I have not yet found a deer tick in the Whites, though I have seen a couple in the LT corridor in southern VT.

 

[spencer]

I've read a couple of studies on the subject and what I've gleaned from them is that tick densities are highest in drier, more decidious forest types (implying lower densities where many of us spend the majority of our hiking time).

For what it's worth, the CDC has rated ME and NH as moderate risk states (in terms of contracting Lyme disease).

of course, not all ticks carry the disease. it's the deer ticks (Ixodes dammini) that are the culprits here in New England.

I contracted Lyme Disease a few years ago and I was in bed agonizing for almost 3 weeks. intense muscle pain and sweating.

avoid it at all costs.
If you want references to the studies, give me a shout and I'll see if I can dig them up.

spencer

 

[grouseking]

If you want references to the studies, give me a shout and I'll see if I can dig them up."

Here is the official SHOUT! I am definitely curious. I want to keep me and the campers at least knowledgable of the ticks. Then I'll know what to do if a tick lodges itself into a kid's arm. If you can't find the sources I'll just google it later. It's the lazy way of finding everything! But I don't know how good that info will be.

 

[peakbagger]

There are dog ticks along the Saco drainage and the androscoggin drainage and the streams that feed into them. The first section of the Mahoosuc trail from the trestle to the top of Mt Hayes is very ticky. I have heard soem comments about ticks in the wild river area.

 

[Bob Kittredge]

Here is the official SHOUT! I am definitely curious. I want to keep me and the campers at least knowledgable of the ticks. Then I'll know what to do if a tick lodges itself into a kid's arm.

From U Cal Berkeley Wellness Letter:

"If you find a tick attached to your body, ignore the tick-removal myths: do not use a hot match, petroleum jelly, or gasoline. Remove it with blunt tweezers, exerting a slow, steady outward pull. Don't twist, crush, puncture, or squeeze while pulling."

 

[grouseking]

From U Cal Berkeley Wellness Letter:

"If you find a tick attached to your body, ignore the tick-removal myths: do not use a hot match, petroleum jelly, or gasoline. Remove it with blunt tweezers, exerting a slow, steady outward pull. Don't twist, crush, puncture, or squeeze while pulling."

Thanks! I also googled the subject and found a pdf file on ticks in New Hampshire.

Ticks in New Hampshire

 

[Dugan]

With tweezers, use the smallest available and grasp the tick as close to the head as possible. If you squeeze the body, blood may flow from tick back into you, thus resulting in the very contamination you are trying to prevent.

Tick hooks work even better than tweezers:
http://www.interpet.biz/TickHook.html

 

[Rugger]

Last weekend we had a two day Rugby tourney on the Attitash fields in Barton down by the river. Everytime a ball got kicked into the tall grass, whoever went after it came out with 2-3 ticks.

 

[Barbarossa]

grouseking: You said you are worried about ticks on your kids. Do frequent tick checks. It has been my experience that they crawl around for a while before biting. I have found them on me the next day after a walk in the woods, still unattached. On the other hand, mosquitos don't bite me very much, so I might smell bad to insects.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I have used many devices and without a doubt, this is the best and most effective device I have found. It is remarkably simple and works great. You are not squeezing the tick and it puts no stress on the tick so it isn't going to throw up its gut contents (which is where the spirochets are).

Best removal tool I have found

standard disclaimers. I have no affiliation other than being a very satisfied user, yada, yada, yada.

Keith

 

[Dalraida]

Two tick three weeks ago

During the bushwhack between Nancy and Bemis about three weeks ago I ended up with two ticks embedded. One at belt line, one at the base of my skull. Both were the size of poppy seeds and were destroyed while removing them so I couldn't ID them. Deer ticks are small, but then so are juveniles of the other types. As a precaution I got the Lyme blood test a few days later. Came back negative for Lyme. Took about seven days for the results. Sure takes some of the fun out of bushwhacking. Kinda like the VC took the fun out of hiking in Nam when I was on my paid vacation there

 

[DougPaul]

During the bushwhack between Nancy and Bemis about three weeks ago I ended up with two ticks embedded.

It does kind of raise the ante...

Were you using any chemical defenses?

Not trying to preach, just trying to learn. It is my standard summer procedure to use permethrin (always) and DEET (optional, if under attack by mosquitoes or black flies). Just wondering if I should add the DEET on bushwacks even if not under obvious attack.

Doug

 

[grouseking]

Thanks for all the knowledge, opinions and expertise from everyone! Now I'm off to camp and who knows if I'll ever go on views from the top all summer. Withdrawals already!!

 

[Dalraida]

No DEET

DougPaul, No defenses used. We were in quite a bit of snow at the time. Sometimes 3 feet in the shaded spots. I rarely carry snowshoes and repellant at the same time