Late Fall - Ticks are still out there

Two weeks ago a friend of mine pulled a tick off his thigh and sent it in for testing. Came back Lyme positive.

Tonight my aunt also found one embedded in her chest.

Be careful out there folks, just because it's late fall doesn't mean they aren't out there. Remember to check yourself daily!

Might be worth starting another thread over this, but what is the best way to check your pets for Lyme? Do you use your hands and go with the fur and feel for lumps? Do you go against the fur?

It's crazy because ever since I found out I had Lyme, I haven't seen ANY ticks on myself or my dog...or even outside, and I live in a highly infested area. Last year I was pulling them off my dog in the double digits with almost very trip in the backyard. I literally haven't seen one since July. Not sure if it's the drought we had here in NJ this summer or what, but so far it's been a very mild fall, and still not seeing them. I've even been quite careless with where I've been walking...I know they're out there, but for some reason something is keeping them down.

We don't see many ticks where I live.

I've only ever seen one when I was
in my back yard....and I am looking for them.

It was on my hair.

My husband saw it...we were on our deck in the back yard...and he said "Hold still...there's a bug in your hair"

Of course (bug phobia) I screamed as he swatted it off my head.

It was engorged...but I don't think it bit me...did a through check of my body.

That was summer of 2015.


I don't know where they are hiding out - never see them. (other than that one)

They are so tiny. Very hard to see. Mine was a nymph and when it was fully engorged my internist and I both thought it wasn't engorged at all and I caught it in time (this is for my re-infection). We find them on our dog but not a ton and he is treated.

If my new doc next week turns out to be another dud, I'm thinking of asking my vet to treat me! Sort of a two for one deal.... hahaha

My vet says same. Year round, sometimes less than 30 day intervals are needed.

I've also heard that the 50 degree threshold is not really a good indicator as the tick habitat in winter is actually much more warm and humid than the air temp, being insulated by the fallen leaves/needles/etc. It's also how some frost-killed plants actually make it through the winters if properly mulched.

My neighbor is a hunter and has found ticks on him in mid-December (in NJ).

A tick in the snow? NOOOOOOOO!

The tape idea is great thank you so much.

Crazy question but do Guinea hens stay on property if there is no fence? In other words, if they are fed will they stay? We have a lot of property at our weekend place and it cannot be fenced in, I mean it's not the size of the Mexican border, but...

NJ,

I have read a lot of valuable information on here and this post makes my Top 5 for sure! Thank you so much. I will look into the hens, but more immediately love the make your own tube ideas. Not that we cant' buy them - but I have a lot of Permethrin and can put it to good use since I won't put it on my body. Too strong.

Can you use it inside your home? We have had a lot of mice come in this year (more then in years past).

Thank you so much.

NJfillet,

Wow - more valuable intel. You just need to post on here more!

I had NO IDEA ticks can lay eggs in the house. I'm so grossed out right now. I'll be making that spray and saving the TP/PT rolls.

Not sure how you spray at home. That stuff makes me gag. My son went on a science expedition to Costa Rica before we knew he had lyme. I had to treat all of his clothing for Zika. I had to go to a friends and sleep - it was so toxic. I was soaking clothes in tub.

Thank you my friend.

joee -

I'm no expert (just a dog owner with lots of tick exposure), but as far as I know, Permethrin is generally only in the topical stuff (K9 Advantix, Proticall). For me, Permethrin is the only thing that I use because it works, is easily broken down in the dog's system, and I know I can use it sparingly around my dog's sleeping area in the house. I would check the ingredients of the collar you had, but most likely it was not permethrin.

The tubes should be placed where they would be more accessible to rodents as opposed to the dog. So if you have a pile of sticks, you would place sort of within the sticks, but so that both ends of the tube are accessible to the rodent. You kind of get a feel for the places rodents go in and out of their hiding spots. Also, depending on your area, the cotton will be taken within hours by the rodents. If used in a spot-type way, it won't affect other good insects like it would with liberal spraying around the yard.

I agree with you on the chemicals thing, but sometimes we have to find balance and use things sparingly if they work. Again, the reason I like Permethrin is because it is not toxic to dogs or other mammals and if used correctly will only serve to reduce the tick population in your immediate area.

Huddie - I did not know it either about the ticks. I believe it's just the Brown Dog Tick that will lay eggs inside. This site is an amazing resource for all things tick related. Tick Encounter Resource Center

The mixture I make does not have a strong smell at all, kind of like plastic but I use it so sparingly in the house. I've also used it to lightly spray my dog's feet before going outside. If you read the MSDS you can find the info on using it in bedding areas and on mammals, etc.

Just to point out, I only did this inside because I found one of those brown dog ticks walking on the floor (and also on my dog), so I wanted to make sure there wasn't 400 eggs waiting to hatch somewhere in my house. For example, I would do one short spray on the underside of the sofa in a small spot, then basically brush it across the entire surface...because it's so toxic to ticks I think a little goes a very long way.