Pulled another tick off the grandaughter.

[Wise Old Owl]

So Sunday rolled by and it was very chilly less than 40° and I took the dogs and the granddaughter to Ridley Creek State Park in PA. She is 5 years old and the highlight of my life. She and I hiked some 2.5 miles on a horse loop that doesn't appear on the maps, and she did well. Today we found a tick on her head,,, clearly there isn't a time year round where you are NOT at risk.

[Rick]

We've had some wildly fluctuating temps around here. Up to nearly 70°F and down to 40's. It wouldn't surprise me to see a tick if you are having those kinds of temps too. I've seen flies buzzing around and wouldn't have thought they would be out this early. Really mild winter, too, didn't kill of insects like winters usually do.

[edr730]

After I remove a tick, I take a pair of binoculars and look through the big end. Put the little end where the tick was removed and, like a microscope, you will see if the pinchers are still in the skin. They usually are. Then you can remove them with some tweezers.

[hunter63]

Good thing you found it.
Yes one need to be vigilant.
The dog think I am just petty them......which I do, but feel for ticks as well.

Sounds like a fun outing.... Papaw

[1stimestar]

After I remove a tick, I take a pair of binoculars and look through the big end. Put the little end where the tick was removed and, like a microscope, you will see if the pinchers are still in the skin. They usually are. Then you can remove them with some tweezers.

Nice trick.

[Pennsylvania Mike]

Ticks seem to be terrible this time of the year here in Pennsylvania, and now that it is warmer, well the high here was 78 degrees, my dogs have been bringing them in to the house, 2 that we found so far, the ticks will not bite them because they are protected but they get into their fur and bail out when they get into the house. My wife found 2 so far crawling on her arms but when I kill them they had no blood so they were still hungry.

[Solar Geek]

Ticks seem to be terrible this time of the year here in Pennsylvania, and now that it is warmer, well the high here was 78 degrees, my dogs have been bringing them in to the house, 2 that we found so far, the ticks will not bite them because they are protected but they get into their fur and bail out when they get into the house. My wife found 2 so far crawling on her arms but when I kill them they had no blood so they were still hungry.

Mike what do you use for your tick protection ? Thanks SG

[Wise Old Owl]

For my family of dogs is BioSpot But I keep a perspective on this. As Pa Mike describes - I have been on calls to homes describing the same issue. Permethrin is not a repellent. Most of the products used for flea and ticks are systemic to the blood system of the dog. You apply the product to the skin of the dog and the drug is absorbed. So the dog goes outside and so long as the dog stays on short grass - no worries. Ticks do not exist or survive in short grass or a manicured lawn and garden. They need field grass or brush and fallen leaves to survive outside. So when your dog comes into the home and the ticks are "falling off" they have already taken a bite and sipped some blood and received a lethal dose. They may take up to 10 hours to pass, so to see some movement is no surprise.

You have two choices here, if you do not want the ticks dropping off around the house, use a repellent when walking the dog in the woods. Deep Woods Off is perfect - spray the legs and body and around the back of the tail. DWO will provide 2-4 hours of repellent protection. It doesn't have any side affects that I know about.

The other choice is to limit the dog from riparian borders on your property, so put in a fence. I actually do something like this - I limit the number of rodents around the property reducing the ticks around the yard.

Hope that helps.

Woo

[hunter63]

I'm not sure about the , "need tall grass to survive" part?

While working around and under 'The Place" for wiring and plumbing...got more ticks jumping on me that any of the tall grass in the fields.
The ground was covered with "fines" a grade of very fine ground gravel....or what is left when the graded gravel is gone.
So they were on bare ground.

I would crawl out for under and be covered with them.

[Pennsylvania Mike]

Mike what do you use for your tick protection ? Thanks SG

I use PETACTION PLUS same as Frontline just cheaper, I think Walmart sells it but I bought this at Sam's Club. It seems to do the job, I need something that works, I live in a rural are here in PA and I spend 6-7 months in Virginia in the woods. The dog and I go for long walks in the woods in VA, and the same here in PA. By the way ticks can ambush from the trees and jump down on you or an animal, high grass, low grass, the damn things seem to be everywhere and nothing but DDT seems to kill them, other than guinea fowl eat them like crazy and so does chickens.

[Wise Old Owl]

I'm not sure about the , "need tall grass to survive" part?

While working around and under 'The Place" for wiring and plumbing...got more ticks jumping on me that any of the tall grass in the fields.
The ground was covered with "fines" a grade of very fine ground gravel....or what is left when the graded gravel is gone.
So they were on bare ground.

I would crawl out for under and be covered with them.

OK, I do not have an vested interest in this... but take a moment and understand that ticks need blood meals to survive - they cannot handle a stone field or short grass on a summer day, so consider that there was a vector such as a population of mice, white footed, or house, and other rodents. I go to University of Delaware each year to maintain my state licenses and scientists get up there for 8 hours and inform some 500+ professionals about the latest tech, knowledge and bio diversity. There had to be a warm blooded mammal to keep the blood suckers reproducing.. just saying.

[hunter63]

I don't have a vested interest either....just relating personnel experience.
When it's tick time....it pays to be vigilant, no matter where you are.