Posted on 05/02/2018 6:37:42 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt
The number of Americans sickened each year by bites from infected mosquitoes, ticks or fleas tripled from 2004 through 2016,
with infection rates spiking sharply in 2016 as a result of a Zika outbreak, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday.
Infections in 2016 went up 73 percent from 2015, reflecting the emergence of Zika, which is transmitted by mosquitoes and can cause severe birth defects.
Zika was the most common disease borne by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas reported in 2016, with 41,680 cases reported,
followed by Lyme disease, with 36,429 cases, almost double the number in 2004.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
In winter, ticks hide in the leaf litter, and when leaves are covered by snow,
that insulates them from hard cold (preventing 'winter-kill')
I agree intellectually with you about "burn them with fire",
but arson in a forest of a leaf environment is a punishable crime !
Yeah arson would be bad and not the intent of the post. I meant burning them after you pick them off.
Agreed ! However,.. I understand that 20%- 30% DEET is effective
but needs to be applied to only clothing and lower extremities, hands and arms,
and may need to be re-applied after 2 - 6 hours.
DEET Sources :
https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/find-repellent-right-you
There are also organic oils and herbals which will repel various insects,
but their efficacy is dependent on the percentage of oils and inert ingredients.
Actually, I understood that to be your intent .
I was just being a little sarcastic, at your expense. Sorry about that !!
However, if you think about it, in the West and Mid-west cattle areas, they generally conduct a "controlled burn" to get rid of the field 'winter-kill' litter.
I think this may be used to control parasitic and saprophytic insects which prey upon cattle in the fields.
I think the Bundy legal case comes immediately to mind...
My uncle was pastor of a church in Savannah Beach, Georgia in the 50s/60s. We would go down and visit during the summer. I remember the trucks driving down the street spraying the DDT.
[[Any place where there are deer, you will find deer ticks.]]
Mice carry disease ridden ticks as well- and mice are everywhere
It used to be said ticks needed to feed 48 hours before they transmitted lyme disease- but now they say it’s almost instantaneous, and even the nearly invisible baby ticks can infect you
[[Maybe so, but I also attribute the increase to warmer, and inconsistent winter temps which limit the amount of ‘winter kill’ of ticks and host deer populations,]]
You go online and you’ll find articles that state that warmer weather increases tick populations, but you also find articles that say lots of snow protect ticks by insulating them from the cold-
Bottom line is ticks are increasing rapidly- and will continue to do so- and it’s no longer safe to be outside- Who wants to do a full body search every time they go outside?
We need a vaccine
And you’re still alive?
As far as I know. How do I look?
Like the picture of health. I hope the CDC, EPA and the rest of the administration tell the truth about DDT and start widespread use of it again. Rachel Carson is responsible for the deaths of millions in Africa because of the junk science she pushed with nothing more than anecdotal evidence of bird shell thinning.
It used in those countries and exported to countries in Africa,South America and S Asia most being for mosquito control.
A now MGH doctor developed a Vaccine that killed people, he got promoted and moved from CT to Boston for a better job.
We live in Tick Country. We raise Treeing Walker Coon Hounds and Plot Hounds...who are in the woods ALL THE TIME training and/or hunting Raccoon and Black Bear.
We also have two Basset Hounds and a Beagle for house pets, as well as two indoor/outdoor cats on Mouse Patrol.
FYI? Here’s what we do:
a. All outside dogs get sprayed with a tick/flea deterrent in the Spring and throughout the summer. Spraying is less expensive, we can mix it up ourselves and it works better for our needs than just the ‘dab between the shoulder blades.’
b. House pets get Frontline applied every month and the dogs also get the vaccine, which is only 50% effective, BUT I’m not skimping on that; they’re family!
c. We save up our toilet paper and paper towel tubes and soak cotton balls in Permethrin and scatter them all over the place. Mice take the cotton balls and use them for nesting materials. MICE are the main HOST for tick larvae and this kills some of them off.
Let me repeat: MICE are the main host for tick larvae!
d. We do, ‘Tick Checks’ on all dogs and cats and on each other (which is kinda fun!) on a daily/weekly basis...or whenever we happen to be ‘petting’ one another, LOL!
So far, so good! I am VIGILANT, since I lost a Yellow Lab (Miss Lucy) to Lyme’s Disease. With Labs, it effects their kidneys and they don’t show ANY symptoms until it’s way too late. No kidney transplants for Labradors. :(
p
Thanks for the ping.
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