Deer ticks are active again

For those of you who live in the Catskills and Capital District, east of the Hudson River, the much ballyhooed rain predicted for last Tuesday turned out to be far less than we expected, or needed. I recorded less than one inch at my house in Conesville, which has done little to alleviate the serious drought we continue to experience. Remember to continue to water newly planted trees and shrubs right up until the ground freezes, or they may not survive the winter.

You might think that after a few really cold nights such as we had last week, all sorts of insect and arachnid (spiders and ticks) activity would come to a screeching halt. Well, the grasshoppers, crickets and katydids may be slowing down and hopefully the yellow jackets and the in-ground nesting bees have died in our lawns. Unfortunately, there has been a big increase in deer tick activity the past few weeks throughout our region.

Some friends and I were out shooting clay birds last Sunday and everyone (except me) found three or more adult female deer ticks crawling on them after walking through mowed areas, or in grasses that were not more than a foot tall for less than an hour. I think the reason the ticks avoided me is because I do use a Permethrin spray on my boots and pants and especially on my hunting clothes and vest. The treatment is claimed to last for a couple of weeks, even if the clothing is laundered, but I think the protection actually lasts for months.

Last Monday, I spent the whole afternoon in the woods. I was supposed to be turkey hunting, but mostly I was just enjoying taking naps on the forest floor and wandering around familiar places. There was not a single tick on me or on my hunting cloths when I checked that night.

In order for deer ticks to lay their eggs each spring, the female must take a blood meal during the winter before. Typically, adult female deer ticks end up on deer (hence the common name) each winter where they survive quite nicely under the deer’s warm fur. I got a call from a lucky bow hunter reporting hundreds of deer ticks on his buck. He wondered if Lyme disease could be acquired from eating the deer meat. Fortunately, the answer to that question as far as we know is “no,” but hunters and their families should be careful when hunting or handling any game since the ticks may drop off

and look for something or someone else to feed on. A dead deer in the bed of a pickup truck might leave a hundred ticks behind when the carcass has cooled sufficiently.

The best way to protect yourself from Lyme and other tick borne diseases is to do a thorough examination of your body after any outdoor excursion; even just a walk in the woods or cleaning up your garden puts you at risk.

Anyone who spends time outdoors should also use a “Permethrin”-based repellent. This is the active ingredient in many over the counter products, such as “Permanone,” “Duranon” or the one I use, which is called ‘Premium Insect Repellent” made by Sawyer. These products are sprayed on clothing and boots (not on bare skin) and will and repel kill ticks on contact for a period of up to two weeks at the very least.

If you remove a tick from yourself or a family member, there are a few important things to keep in mind. First, you must physically pull the tick out using a tweezers. This often requires a substantial yank! Do not apply anything to the embedded tick to try to make it back out on its own. Ticks infect people by regurgitating blood back into the host. Any substance that makes a tick pull its head out causes it to regurgitate its stomach contents first and that is how you can get Lyme or other diseases. Second, examine the tick to see how engorged it is with blood. If it is grey colored and swollen, it has been feeding for some time and the risk of Lyme infection is much higher. If it is red colored, not swollen and with a noticeable black “shield” on its back, it has not fed for long. Third, if the head remains in you after yanking the tick out, don’t attempt to surgically remove the head by using a razor or scalpel on yourself. The head will eventually come out on its own like a splinter.

Call your doctor and save the tick in a pill vial in case he or she wants to have it tested. Most local doctors will prescribe a precautionary dose of antibiotics.