Ticks.

[Urbish]

Based on a week in Wisconsin they appear pretty light this year. They were sparse last year too so that’s all right with me. I was listening to a scientist on the radio a couple years ago who studies ticks . He said that nothing eats them and, unlike a mosquito which is a nasty insect that carries disease but provides food for birds, bats, dragonflies, etc, there is no known benefit to ticks in the ecosystem.

Chickens and Guinea Fowl will eat ticks, but probably not in sufficient enough quantities to control their population.

[Indy4570]

Ticks are a part of life here, I have many bumps right now where I have removed them, we check the dogs n cats on a regular basis. I know there are many ways to reduce them, but they are here by the millions. Back in the day they burned the woods, fires burned leaf litter in the spring n reduced tick numbers. Nowadays thats not done like it once was. Guinea fowl are widely used for in the yard tick control. it has rained so often here that there is no way anything like a dust will remain effective for long. There are many diseases carried by them, I do not dwell on that much. I killed a copperhead the other day too. There is always something out there that can git you!

[lyle11]

That is interesting about chickens and guinea fowl eating them. That “expert” was apparently unaware of that as he claimed nothing eats them. I live in suburban NE Ohio and have probably seen 5 wood ticks here in the last 10 years and zero deer ticks and I walk my dogs daily in the park and grassy areas a lot. I think that is why the doctor was adamant that I did not have Lyme, even though I told him I was recently in Wisconsin where I have 80 acres. Funny how the doctor’s office made me get a second appointment to write a prescription for antibiotics (and the appointment wasn’t free) even though I told them I had Lyme first appointment. I don’t think an auto mechanic would get away with charging a second time for a botched job.

The other thing that has really impacted my farm are those Asian beetles. Not dangerous but aggravating in the fall when they smarm and seek to get inside. They have twice invaded my circuit breaker box and shorted breakers. I hate them almost as much as ticks.

[lyle11]

Figures after posting about only seeing 5 ticks in 10 years here in NE Ohio one of my dogs got a wood tick a hundred yards down the street.

[mozer71]

I get you man. It's either chiggers or ticks or flying syringes this season.

[torchred89]

The Doctor told me deer got a bad wrap. He said Lyme actually comes from the field mouse and the Deer just carry the tick. I had Rocky Mountain spotted fever from one. Put me ICU for a week so when I fine one I go antibiotics

[mozer71]

Oh man. Yeah it is always "deer tick" , which comes from mice to deer via tick. Firstly, glad you are alive and cooking.

[mozer71]

Fleas came off the rats and caused bubonic plague. 24,000,000 people died. That is too great a number for me to believe or even comprehend. Could it be that ticks ate some of the fleas ? No. They weakened the immune system.

[Slim140]

My wife pulled a tick off our daughter night before last, our son had one crawling on his arm last night. These 2 were so small you could barely see them. Where are these small ones coming from? I figured they would be a little bigger this time of year.

[ajhbike]

The small ones are the problem ones. The small ones about the size of a pencil lead can have Lyme...I say that living 15 miles from Lyme, CT...origin of the problem years ago.

[mozer71]

"smell good or something" This is true . Within my family and others I know about, certain members are attacked by every chig, squito, tick. Then others are near immune. I have and keep remembering to have, a certain pair of socks. I'll put those on before getting into any yard work. They are fairly drenched with deet and I should remove them now. This stuff isn't doing me any good. One thing or the other.

[BigBill]

I have three or four broods of turkeys in the yard they come in three different times. All summer no ticks, just a couple on my outside cats recently. Turkeys are here for the cracked corn, sunflower seeds but like tics too.

Grandpa working in the garden had a garlic necklace.

[mozer71]

Yes. I haven't thought about that for a long time. Garlic was to ward off "evil spirits" . They didn't know that some mite or flea was the source. Some people eat a lot of garlic and smell like it. They are the survivors' descendants.

[mozer71]

Chiggers are actually mites in a larval stage. Their whole face is a boring bar to get into warm skin.

[BigBill]

I have three or four broods of turkeys. They do three shifts through my property eating birdseed and all the ticks are free. Not a bad tick season so far.