When are those suckers going to die for the season?
Live in NJ and it has gone into the 30's the past couple of nights and has been very chilly during the day. Yet, everytime my dog goes out in the yard she brings in at least 5 or 6 ticks in with her...
She has had lyme more times then me in her 3.5 years and she probably has it again given I keep finding them on her.
Anyway...when can we expect the last of the ticks for this season? I know if we get a warm spell they can come back but shouldnt they be dying off by now?
Posted by coltman (Member # 21272) on :
Wow I thought they die by end of summer at worst.cant believe they survive the 30s -but I dont have a dog
Posted by trigal2 (Member # 20578) on :
I know....My dog is a tick magnet and the last couple of weeks they have gotten worse not better. She is a golden so I can see them pretty easily.
Maybe they live in the dead leaves? I don't know but apparently they are surviving some cold temp.s.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Never.
Yes, they love dead leaves.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Ticks have been seen in the snow - and on Christmas tress in December. Really. Not as many of them but everyone needs to keep an eagle eye out all year long.
If I recall correctly, I (think) I read that they can survive far below zero: -17 F (and even lower if they hide out in the moss or crooks of trees).
They also can survive a forest fire, mostly by burrowing into hiding places, but they sure can survive temperature shifts far better than I. -
Posted by trigal2 (Member # 20578) on :
Thanks for the info. Time to get rid of the dead leaves.
I thought I could take a big sigh of relief now that the colder temp.s are here and skip the daily tick check rituals..Guess not.
There has got to be a better way to control the tick population..it is just out of control.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
in maine i have seen them in feb (of course i have kayaked in feb too-without a wetsuit)-
my favorite tick story is about the one that was flushed down the toilet and then crawled out the next day
use permethrin-you won't see them
Posted by Topaz (Member # 20216) on :
Wa??! You're freaking me out about the toilet thing. Is that for real? I've flushed them before and it never even crossed my mind that they could crawl back up and out. *shudder*
I have seen ticks in the cold months here as well.
Trigal, since I've been using Advantix on my dogs, I've not seen one tick on them.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I've heard that you shouldn't flush them .. Wondering if it's because they don't die even if flushed?
Be VERY careful getting rid of those dead leaves!!!!
Posted by coltman (Member # 21272) on :
quote: my favorite tick story is about the one that was flushed down the toilet and then crawled out the next day
use permethrin-you won't see them
Or burn them. My grandma always burned them when she took them of her dog
Posted by Abxnomore (Member # 18936) on :
Simply put........NEVER. I've seen them all thru the winter.
Posted by 22dreams (Member # 17846) on :
Exactly. tick season is never over..... they can live for a couple years. they don't die just because the weather gets cold.
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
How about trying an experiment rubbing or spraying a little TKO Orange or Orange Guard on the dog's fur to see if that can prevent the ticks?
Posted by WildCondor (Member # 434) on :
It is indeed, never over.
Posted by trigal2 (Member # 20578) on :
Okay. well I can dream right??? I guess Tick season is over when I move out of NJ...
I typically flush the suckers but I will start having a burnfest instead. I did not know they could survive the flush but did begin wondering that recently.
Thanks for the tips for the dog - I will give em try.
Posted by kensadams (Member # 19272) on :
Didn't a couple of members report seeing ticks or were bit by ticks that came in from the Christmas tree they bought at the local tree farm?
I remember reading something about ticks sort of "hibernating" in the needles of the trees but waking up (and hungry) when the tree was brought inside and the warmth hits them...
Posted by massman (Member # 18116) on :
Those ticks have wetsuits, oxygen tanks, down parkas and camoflage raincoats with them all the time.
And lp, where the heck were you kayaking in the winter without a wetsuit ?
I kayaked + canoed CT + western MA in Feb. and March a lot from '75 to '85 and at that time of year always wore a wet suit !
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
And the tourist ticks in San Francisco have little cameras too.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
ok robin-whats TKO orange and orange guard?
burning sounds gross..i just put them in a ziplock bag-its usually clipped to my fridge...they stop moving after awhile...and seeing them reminds me to keep my guard up
it was on here i read about the one climbing up out of the toilet-i'm pretty sure-but it was a long time ago
and on here about the christmas tree ticks
and massman: i go out in the webhannet river in wells...its also called the marsh...i had a winter rental there a few yrs ago and there was this really nice sunny, 40 degree day in feb and the water was like glass...i couldn't resist...i hate wetsuits...but only go out in really quiet water...and stay close to shore (i know that doesn't matterif the water's cold)
and dog lovers and owners: it is true i have decided to use permethrin products on my dog...when i try to change there are just way too many ticks..it makes me crazy. my dog is 12 now and we have both been on lyme tx his whole life...we both have arthritis and nerve stuff-but we're both hanging in.
YOU MUST BE CAREFUL WITH PERMETHRIN PRODUCTS-SOME PPL CHOOSE NOT TO USE THEM-MAKE SURE YOU READ ABOUT THEM BEFORE YOU USE THEM
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
quote:Originally posted by lpkayak: ok robin-whats TKO orange and orange guard?
I thought you were going to ask about tick cameras...
TKO Orange and Orange Guard both have the active ingredient, d'limonene, from oranges - it's how oranges fend off bugs. It's biodegradable and nontoxic to us. It deters and kills bugs. They now use the orange stuff to kill termites.
I knew about it for killing bugs, so I called the company when I found out about Lyme and asked whether it would work against ticks. Yes, they said. It's the tick repellent I use on my clothing now.
We can get the concentrate directly from the company - www.TKOOrange.com - put a couple drops in a spray bottle and fill up with water.
Spray on clothing, home, yard, camping area, camping gear, and lightly mist or rub on dog and cat fur for added protection.
Yes, they said it was ok to use on animals, lightly. And I met a radio announcer for a radio program that reaches 650,000 in LA and she said she puts it on her dog and announces it on the program too.
Or we can get it in the stores - healthfood/hardware/garden supply stores as Orange Guard. I think it's like 1:6 solution to water for mixing.
One Lyme patient I know bought TKO Orange by the gallon, and sprayed it all over his land in Mendocino, CA and said no more ticks.
I don't put it on my skin, as it stings a little. Altho it was interesting to watch the TKO Orange people put it on their skin - didn't bother them. Me, I don't recommend doing that.
As a spray, it's also an awesome cleaner. Takes out spots, smells. Took out of the walls the smells of a fire I was exposed to a couple years ago.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
wow-that would be great. i have tried lots of other things to get away from permethrins but haven't been able to
i did find something called cedarcide - i think you could google it -that also has potential
when i get a little more energy i will see about ordering the orange stuff...i'm not sure whay iddidn't follow thru on the cedar stuff...maybe you needed to buy hug amts