Not about boats or sailing - but important reminder

[Brian N.]

Last week I woke up to some "irritation" on my back, behind the armpit. Turns out it was a fully engorged deer tick and a big rash. Must have picked it up doing yard work the previous week. Anyway, I'm on a full course of Doxycycline for Lyme disease and have to avoid the sun for the duration. No sailing, swimming, fishing, hiking etc. I know many of us engage in activities outdoors, exposing ourselves to ticks. This is written as precautionary - check yourself thoroughly after spending time in grassy or wooded areas, even your own backyard. Have a spouse check areas that you cannot see yourself. Lyme is just one of many tick-borne diseases, which are serious. 

[noelH]

Hopefully no issues develop. Neighbors to the E,S,and W (County forest to the N) have all been diagnosed with Lyme or multiple tick borne diseases. One developed some significant issues after multiple treatment failures.

Lyme disease is probably the most common talked about tick borne disease. Enough incentive to apply insect repellent. Personal recommendation is anything with 20% picaridin. Just as effective as DEET, longer effective time, repels the Apostle Is Bitting Fly(ABF), not as harmful to synthetic materials.  I purchase a 0.95L/1qt bottle of 20% picaridin lotion plus a few pump spay bottles. Unfortunate necessity. Maybe a bit on the neurotic side. Most days. UVA/UVB sunscreen from the neck up. After letting it absorb for 20-30 minutes an application of picaridin lotion over exposed skin from the toes up before leaving the house. Why I need to purchase quantity of picaridin and sunscreen.  Long sleeve highly breathable permethrin treated sun guard top. All topped off with sunglasses and the Tilley.

This has been a good season for ticks, mossies, and ABF multiple hatchings. Need a couple consecutive weeks of dry heat to knockdown the population. Or "enjoy" the bugs 24/7 until the ground is snow-covered. 

"Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, anaplasmosis, Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness, Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever, and tularemia. Other tick-borne diseases in the United States include: Colorado tick fever, Powassan encephalitis, and Q fever." Quote from CDC webpage.

Nantucket Fever aka. babesiosis has become prevalent in this region of the Great Lakes. Western Lake Superior is a long ways from Nantucket. Friend a couple years ago had a clinically confirmed case of Rocky Mtn. Spotted Fever. Had not traveled out of the area for years. Wood ticks are everywhere. They love grassy areas. If I don't picaridin I end up picking up one or more just working in the veggie garden. They thrive in my cover surrounding the gardens. Only grows to ~20cm/8".

[Norm L.]

Down here dengue has popped up.
Warming is slowly moving tropical dangers north.

[noelH]

Down here dengue has popped up.
Warming is slowly moving tropical dangers north.

Another reason for bug repellant. I returned from S. America as a dengue "disease vector". Was a bit concerned that border control would be concerned. Minimal mossies inside airports to transmit the virus.  Maybe how many of the domestic case result. You get bit by a domestic bug. It bites another person and the disease start spreading.

Had a mild case years ago. Still no fun. Pounding headache and generalized body ache. Better than two friends. One end up overnight as an inpatient. The other upon returning to GB ended up waking up in medical ICU.

[Captain Kidd]

Lyme disease "survivor" here. I used to pick up a lot of ticks when we owned our wooded lake lot with pier and primitive cabin. Sure enough, after a tick the red ring showed up. Two rounds of antibiotics and I was clear. I've known people whose health was completely destroyed by it though.

[Doug SC]

I use Sawyer Premium Clothing Insect Repellent. The active ingredient is Permethrin. It kills any tick, chigger, or insect that crawls on my clothing. You don't spray it on you, but you spray your clothing and let it dry It last through several washing even. I wear long pants and shirts with a wide bream hat when outside and muck boots in the woods.

[Timm R Oday25]

This summer has been one of an enormous amount of ticks . We've woken up to them in our bed ! We've also been driving down the road and had them fall into our laps ! We are ever vigilant .
Healthy respect for the damaging effects of Lyme disease .

[Wolverine]

Spent a lot of my youth in the woods and still hunt every year. Never had a tick until this year. Since spring I've removed 8 ticks. One area was a bit too personal.

[noelH]

Wood ticks (aka dog ticks) are large enough to easily see. The Deer tick (aka. Black legged) nymph and larva are so tiny and difficult to see. It's been several years since retiring. But back then in this region it was estimated that 35% of the deer ticks were Lyme's Disease carrying critters. Not good odds. We more or less treated most people that came to the clinic with a deer tick bite.

Have a probably too old long sleeved sun guard that came from the maker treated with Permethrin. I also use Sawyer brand of clothing/gear spray on permethrin. But I didn't spray the sleeves far enough down to the wrist. Yesterday while trellising the tomato plants a wood tick dropped on the wrist area and started crawling up the arm. Tomato tick .  The product works great if applied properly. Hiking socks, trousers, shorts, tops all treated.

[Riley Smith]

We haven't had many ticks this year for some reason. Last year I went to north MS with my brother to get his trailer from the deer camp. Was sitting talking to him and my cousin and one fell from OVERHEAD onto my leg. The only thing up there was an oak tree. Nasty critters. I'm not so sure I really like the prevalence of deer nowadays. In many places they are really overpopulated and they bring disease and ticks. Back in my youth there weren't nearly as many deer.

[Frank B.]

We haven't had many ticks this year for some reason. Last year I went to north MS with my brother to get his trailer from the deer camp. Was sitting talking to him and my cousin and one fell from OVERHEAD onto my leg. The only thing up there was an oak tree. Nasty critters. I'm not so sure I really like the prevalence of deer nowadays. In many places they are really overpopulated and they bring disease and ticks. Back in my youth there weren't nearly as many deer.

Mississippi and Tennessee both have programs to encourage hunters to harvest an extra deer i.e., one more than they have tags for, bring it to one of the processing centers and it will be processed and given to food banks to feed the hungry.  Don't know how well it is working but the point is to bring down the population.

This is the first summer that my wife and I have not done a four mile hike on the Natchez Trace trail every Saturday. She is recovering from eye surgeries and with limited vision, doesn't trust herself to hike on roots and rocks so we do the local golf course.  In years past we concluded our hikes with a full body inspection when back home.  Often found and removed ticks.

[Riley Smith]

 I wasn't aware of that. I haven't hunted in a very long time but used to love it. The last few times I've shot the shotgun has been at dead "widow makers" hanging over the driveway way up high! There are so many deer in certain places in MS that it is amazing, although I read where some outside agency came through looking for them and couldn't find any. LOL! That jungle can really hide stuff! My wife travels all over the state and knows every hamlet there is. One highway up near Starkville I think, she avoids as much as possible, especially after dark. Too many deer. Down in this area along the coast there isn't as much farming as there one was and consequently, the jungle has reclaimed most of that former farm land. I especially don't go in the brush during summer. Of all the nasty bugs we have, and there are PLENTY, I hate ticks the most.

[noelH]

Couple decades ago depending on your perspective we had an overpopulation or "nice" population of deer.  Modern forest "management" provided improved habitat for the deer.  Lot of road kill. Then the wolf and coyote population increased.  More sightings and trail cam images of cougars.  Wolves keep the coyote population sort in check. Coyotes seem to kill off a large number of fawns and a few adult deer. Wolves take down a large number of deer. Depending on your view point it may or may not be a balanced population of prey and predators.   But, the tick population has seemed to exploded. Maybe the relatively high population of mice?  Fox population has dropped. Some blame the coyotes. Use to enjoy watching fox hunt in the winter. Now rare sight. Assuming they were hunting mice under the snow cover.