Ticks

Hello all,<br><br><br>An unusual number of ticks have appeared in the house today. Last count was five. The kids have been checked and rechecked (much to their embarassment) thoroughly. The wife and I checked each other No ticks on our persons. I'm used to finding one or two every now and then during the summer; I always figured we brought them in on our clothing after playing outside. We were outside a lot today, but five in one day on the floor strikes me as odd. I've never heard of ticks invading houses en mass, but there are lots of things I've never heard of. Do I need to be worried, or is this most likely a coincidence?<br><br>Thanks for all replies. Take care.<br><br>Andy

Andy, They probably came in on clothing, and unable to attach themselves to a host ( you) dropped free. Kentucky has had it's share of odd problems lately. The horse community lost many foals to an unknown agent last year. It is now thought a unusual number of chokecherries created toxic abortions. I would merely be diligent. Contact the local health department and inquire about any concerns, ie lymne disease or other diseases carried by ticks,fleas etc. in your area and the warning signs. We have them out here also. There is a bumper crop in ground squirrels. I am told by Ag reps the strychnine bates used for control are being held in port by the F.B.I. They are manufactured in India. Something about averting potential terrorist use.

We experienced a similar problem a few years ago. We found that the dog was bringing wood ticks in and they had fallen off and were hatching in the carpet and woodwork. This had us, especially myself, quit upset as I hate the things. The solution was to vacumn often and spray with bug killer. We eventually wiped them out with no further problems. Sounds like the same thing may be happening to you. We are in Tucson, where you would not think there were ticks in the desert.

Chris,<br><br>Thanks for the reply. <br><br>Yes, we have had our share of problems lately. I don't pay much attention to horses myself, but I have heard of the problems. Chief among our problems lately has been water. We have too much. While dams and water managment programs have been successful in curtailing widespread flooding, flash flooding and localized flooding have really been a problem this year. One flash flood a few weeks ago succeeded in rearranging several boulders on my father's property that had for years resisited our feeble efforts to move them (including a small dozer). I wonder if there is a connection between the excess water and the ticks? Or the water, the ground squirrels (there are a about a zillion of them this year), and the ticks? I know a couple of fish and wildlife guys, I'll ask around.<br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

P,<br><br>Thanks for the reply.<br><br>What sort of bug killer did you use? I have children, one of whom is three and curious, and would be very leary of using pesticides indoors because of that.<br><br>Thanks again and take care,<br><br>Andy

Andy,<br><br>Not sure if lymes disease is an issue in your area, it is a huge issue here in SW Wisconsin. Many people here still opt for the vaccine even though the commercial manufacturer quit general production in February. Apparently there is still a medical protocol for its use , but not sure what the source of the vaccine would be unless it is limited to existing stock. CDC has a lot of information here http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/vaccine.htm <br><br>In the meantime, you and your wife should continue the FREQUENT inspection LONG after you quit finding ticks <br><br>Take care<br><br>Robb

If you are having a problem with ground squirels, you may want to contact your county agriculture department. We have gotten a number of products through them to control the ground squirrel population at our ranch. We have successfully used both traps & a bait poisoned with something that sounds a lot like diphacinone. Sorry, I don't remember for sure & the poison is at the ranch, which is some distance from my home. It does work very effectively.<br><br>John

Robb,<br><br>All of the ticks found so far have been American dog ticks. So far as I have been able to find out, that variety does not carry anything dangerous to humans. The internet is an awesome research tool.<br><br>Spousal inspections will continue. I may even start keeping some in a jar in anticipation of tickless times in the future : )<br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

Andy,<br><br>Permethrin. Do a Google search. It works.<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom

Tom,<br><br>Thanks! I forgot about that. I used to spray it on my BDU's before we went to the field.<br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

I'm trying to figure out how to get spousal inspection into a jar. That could be a real salable item:>>

My solution for ticks: 2 parts Cedar Chips<br> 1 part water<br>Soak chips in a covered dark container out in the sun for at least 24 hours. Strain the water into a spray bottle. Shpritz!!<br>It will dye your clothes and your dog red, but it smells good to humans and bugs--ticks, fleas, moskitoes, no-see-ums, even yellow flies don't like it. <br><br>I do not have a ranch, hence I do not kill squirrels except for food. (I understand that others may have a different circumstance than I do,) In the yard my solution for squirrels is sunfolower seeds. Squirrles love 'em. But they have to crack open each shell one at a time to eat them. It keeps the squirrels so busy that they just don't have time to get into anything else.

WW,<br><br>I didn't fail grammar twice for nothing...At least I try to not split infinitives anymore:)<br><br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

Speaking of Ticks, you cant do anything without ticks all around in FL. One thing that works, especially for the tiny ones crawling on you, is to have a tube of glue handy. Just put a little on a straw and touch the tick with it. When I was horse camping in Wekiva State Park, we used to take a can of tick powder and make a circle around our sleeping bag. Dont know if you can do that now, due to new environment rules.

hee,hee,hee. That is SO funny!

Try an organic powder with dessicant properties; borax or gypsum ( garden gypsite is merely milled gypsum for rapid percolation into soils)