deer ticks!

My property is just east of Ottawa in Ontario .... and yes that area is infested with ticks.

They were not out yet last week end.
But normally by the 1st of May they are out. It is not a question if you will have a tick on you but how many.

The problem started around 5 years ago .... before that I hardly ever saw a tick out there.
It seems their range is moving further north every year ....

I spray my trouser legs with DEET and that seems to keep the off to some degree .... and I completely change all my clothes (and I mean all my clothes) before I get back into the truck .... and I put all my clothes in a big transparent garbage bag and tie it close. Back home and a day later there are normally a couple crawling on top and inside the garbage bag ..... but they can't get out .... :)
 
Sounds like we are getting a new species of tick coming into MB. The "Lone Star tick" this one scares the heck out of me, apparently it is very aggressive at stalking its prey (you and me) and even worse instead of lime disease it gives you another sickness that basically makes you allergic to eating red meat (no joke).... WHAT!! that is my main food! I dont want to be a tinfoil hatter but something seems strange with this....
 
Yeah, but then you are faced with the question of how to take care of those clothes?

When you run a load through a hot wash, then a hot dry session, and actually pull a live tick (barely live, but still...) off the clothes as you empty the dryer...it makes you realize how tough these things are.
 
Swamp said:
We are infested around my area with ticks. There are dozens of cases of lyme disease here. It can be a horrible disease with permanent effects. Permethrin is a great solution but has not been approved by health Canada for sale in Canada as yet. I cross the border to Northern New York and buy it at Walmart. It is ok to personally bring it back into Canada.
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Check out what RAID is made with - yup permethrin. So it's not that it's not available in Canada, it's just the products approved for using on _people_ are not.

Also note - permethrin is toxic to bees and snakes.

My property is also quite infested with ticks and we don't just have lyme in my area, we also have tickborne encephalitis - even scarier. I have been able to virtually eliminate ticks (and it seems every crawling insect) in the vicinity of the house by keeping guinea fowl. Unfortunately they are very dumb birds so they cannot be released into the wild in large numbers - they just don't survive. So if I venture into the woods, I still end up picking ticks off my clothes...

I strongly believe we should be bringing back DDT for some limited use.
 
KotKotofeich said:
My property is also quite infested with ticks and we don't just have lyme in my area, we also have tickborne encephalitis - even scarier. I have been able to virtually eliminate ticks (and it seems every crawling insect) in the vicinity of the house by keeping guinea fowl. Unfortunately they are very dumb birds so they cannot be released into the wild in large numbers - they just don't survive. So if I venture into the woods, I still end up picking ticks off my clothes...
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They're a very popular addition to rural homes in Nova Scotia where ticks are horrendous. I don't see why guineas wouldn't survive in our more temperate climates as wild animals. After all, they do live in Africa which is not entirely friendly to things that taste delicious.
 
BigUglyMan said:
They're a very popular addition to rural homes in Nova Scotia where ticks are horrendous. I don't see why guineas wouldn't survive in our more temperate climates as wild animals. After all, they do live in Africa which is not entirely friendly to things that taste delicious.
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Just my experience. I have to keep them cooped at night. Any that don't go inside for a night or two fall prey to raccoons and owls. I culled the local raccoon population significantly this spring so I have not lost any guineas yet (knock on wood) to brazen daytime attacks like last year.

I think the main issue is just that they are seriously dumb. Dumber than chickens. Significantly dumber than turkeys. Perhaps because of inbreeding vs the indigenous African population? But it would be great if a feral population starts up at some point in time - they are tasty and would make for some good hunting :) Perhaps the next big project for our hunting federations after bringing back the turkeys?
 
jjohnwm said:
Yeah, but then you are faced with the question of how to take care of those clothes?

When you run a load through a hot wash, then a hot dry session, and actually pull a live tick (barely live, but still...) off the clothes as you empty the dryer...it makes you realize how tough these things are.
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jjohnwm, I know .... they are tough .... :-(
By now I figured out that by day two they are all crawling inside the plastic bag on top .... and where I just burn them ... torch them ... and the clothes then go into the washer .... I know it is a pain, but I prefer that to ticks crawling all over my house ....
 
I find my drier is pretty efficient at removing them - I just throw my clothes into the drier first for a spin on hot for 20 minutes or so - the ticks all end up in the lint filter.

I have also found that if I hang these (e.g. clothesline), the ticks will congregate on the high spots and can be picked off.

Now, I don't necessarily wash my clothes every time I come back from the woods - I can't do that twice a day... so the pants at least get reused :p
 
Could not find permathrin here in Eastern Townships of Quebec. Just read that a solution of two parts vinegar to one part water repels ticks from clothing and skin and pets. Can add peppermint oil or other essential oils also. We have a massive tick/lyme disease problem here. We found yet another tick on our setter three days ago. Will now try to spray her and me with our new discovery from now on when we have our twice daily runs (her) walks (me). I have been ill for 16 months.......Just prior had tick bite ....no diagnosis......Could be Lyme, it is tough to diagnose. Know at least 10 people who have Lyme......It is very nasty. Many have stopped turkey hunting and deer hunting because of this danger. I am still taking the risk so far.
 
Ticks are the most disturbing and discouraging Canadian trend I've seen and/or can imagine - mosquitoes and black flies I can at least live with. Here's hoping that CRISPR technology renders all of them obsolete in short order. To hell with the lost frogs and starving spiders!
 
Thankfully, they have yet to show up here, however, it's likely going to happen shortly, as there is a large deer migration here.
I have prepared, with a permethrin spray for clothing. Got it from Amazon. Supposed to last through several washes? Holy crap, this stuff makes me almost as nervous as the ticks do.
Stuff you just have to do, if you love the outdoors.


This link is excellent tick info:
http://www.tickencounter.org/prevention/top_ten_things_list
 
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KotKotofeich said:
Just my experience. I have to keep them cooped at night. Any that don't go inside for a night or two fall prey to raccoons and owls. I culled the local raccoon population significantly this spring so I have not lost any guineas yet (knock on wood) to brazen daytime attacks like last year.

I think the main issue is just that they are seriously dumb. Dumber than chickens. Significantly dumber than turkeys. Perhaps because of inbreeding vs the indigenous African population? But it would be great if a feral population starts up at some point in time - they are tasty and would make for some good hunting :) Perhaps the next big project for our hunting federations after bringing back the turkeys?
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Lots of talk about that out here. Time for some tractor-trailer conservation, I think!
 
I caught lyme disease last year from a deer tick. It started with flu like symptoms. I think I found the tick 2-3 days after the fact. I quickly found it once I got home and was about to shower.

Then other symptoms were weakness in the opposite arm, weakness in the pinky, scoliosis pain I hadn't felt in years. To give you some perspective, after only a couple days, I had TROUBLE opening the passenger door to a sedan.

This turkey season, it only took 15 minutes until I realized I had a deer tick crawling up my arm. We use Permetherin in camp and haven't had a tick since, 2days only and counting though ....

Here's a tip *** the ticks maybe crawling all over your hunting cloths with no way of biting you, but it's only once you get back to camp that they actually get onto your skin and defeat what ever system you got. They can be on the couch, dining room chairs, on your buddy's jacket next to yours in the closet. etc.

Also with the right antibiotic, if caught in time you should be fine. I feel 100% like nothing ever happened. Make sure to keep the tick in a ziploc bag or something. The Dr will like to confirm the tick bite. In my case the tick was too damaged to guarantee lyme, but the tick was the carrying-type and in my area 34% likely to carry. With the early stage symptoms that I felt, I have zero doubt that I caught the lyme disease right then and there. I felt back to normal after only a couple days of early treatment.

One trick you may decide to use is to employ white cloths over your couch, dining room benches, sleeping quarters etc. Also put your hunting clothing inside out to avoid having them leap from one piece of clothing to another,etc. I've spotted like 600% more ticks in camp then outdoors.
 
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