When I was a kid my stepdad had just gotten home from the UP and was doing work outside. When he came in he was sitting at the table and I noticed a brown speck on his back. I thought it was a chunk of dirt or something so I flick it to get it off his neck and out popped a bunch of legs! That freaked the heck out of my 8 year old self. ?

Didn't think much of this thread last year.  Did not see a tick once in VA or NC..  Whole different story this year.  One walk to the dock (NC) and back, and one or more is almost a guarantee.  Nexgard working well for the pup, but they need to make a human version....maybe Bruno will share with me...lol.  

  Removed a couple last night....one just getting buried right on the junk.  Not painful, but kinda heebie-jeebie-ish.  

Warmer, wet weather will increase insect activity, including ticks.  The last two summers here we've had a terrible drought so bugs haven't been an issue.

I worked for the Minnesota Metropolitan Mosquito Control Agency one summer years ago and we focused our efforts that received rain.  Follow the water, and you will find the bugs.

i just got back from a guided hike with a biologist.  she lectured.

 

we could see ticks on grass blades.  if you put your hand nearby, those little mofo's can move fairly quickly towards your hand.    (she said the bugs track heat and CO2) i kept my wife and i mid pack, and let the group ahead of us sweep for bugs with their legs. 

8 hours ago, Choporoz said:

Removed a couple last night....one just getting buried right on the junk.  Not painful, but kinda heebie-jeebie-ish.

Dude. I thought I was the only one. Had a tick on the junk last summer. I laughed so hard I cried when I discovered it in the 

middle of the night. My girlfriend almost passed out helping me remove it, while I was laughing too hard to do anything. 

On 4/2/2022 at 8:32 AM, gimruis said:

Lyme disease is no joke. I occasionally run into ticks when I’m turkey hunting in the spring. That is one advantage of living in the north. Less bugs because of later cold temps.

 

I believe @FryDog62 has had issues with tick disease in his family. Maybe he can offer some insight.

Thanks Gim, I can attest that Lyme Disease is a complete nightmare. The CDC test for it is antiquated and works less than half the time. Untreated Lyme goes systemic and at that point there is no real way to treat it.

 

My son is going on 5 years and will likely never be the same. My wife got it 3 years ago and it it attacked her whole immune system which basically shut down, loss of the use of her Thyroid, developed Graves Disease, then the Thyroid removal and then Thyroid Eye Disease (google Marty Feldman eyes).  

 

Bottom line is if you develop any symptoms (fatigue, joint aches, rash, heart palpitation, etc) go to a doctor and have them give you Doxycycline whether you test positive for Lyme or not.  You have about 2-3 weeks to treat it with Doxy before it goes systemic and then you're screwed. 

My youngest grandson had Lymes Disease a few years ago.  Thankfully they got it soon enough.