Disclaimer: Please make note that I am not a medical professional. I am an amateur naturalist with over twenty years of field work. My answers are either based on passages from books, other websites, publications, letters sent to me, or my own personal experiences. Although I will answer any question to the best of my knowledge or experiences, I always recommend that you seek vital medical answers from an experienced professional. There is no such thing as a stupid question. I always find being a little paranoid, cautious, whatever, better that being sick. Be safe and always see a doctor whenever you get sick for no seemingly logical reason. I do. Remember this; Diseases CAN and DO kill, including those from ticks.
Also, I you ever have anything to add, dispute, refute, etc., please write insect@ptd.net and I will pass on the information. Like I said earlier, information I have is either for other sources or my own experiences.
I have a question about ticks. Is there a
natural predator for the American Dog Tick? We are so infested that it is
impossible to go outside with out getting 1-2 on you. Our dogs are keeping us
very busy. Our little dog got loose and was gone for 3 days. When he came home,
I picked 47 ticks off of him. A stray Great Dane pup ended up on our porch
Saturday. Before taking her home, I picked 62 ticks out of her ears alone. I
dip the dogs, keep the brush cut back, grass mowed, but they are everywhere. If
there was a natural predator, maybe it could be introduced in this area, and in
the long run, get the population of ticks down.
I am honestly not aware of anything that eats
ticks in the numbers that would keep their populations in balance, or else they
would be using them now. An option, you might consider for a first try, an
agricultural pesticide that will kill ticks. They don't migrate far. Some ticks
will spend years in a very, very small location. I understand that mint is one
plant that ticks don't like. Another one is the citronella plant. These are the
kinds of things I would use to keep them out of a perimeter. There are probable
other plants that will help too. If it is an option, getting rid of their
habitat, and planting something other than what they like might help too, such
as instead of fields of grass, maybe a field of English Ivy for a ground
covering.
My one text recommends the industrial
spraying, it will help for one season, but chemicals always have risks of
allergenic reactions to killing off good insects. I believe in using natural
plants. There is something out there that will drive any pest away from an
area.
Due to my line of work (livestock farming)
plus love of the outdoors, I seem to be a primary target for ticks and this
current year seems to promise a record exposure to same. As such, I've read
many articles regarding ticks, but while all warn of tick dangers and how to
remove or avoid them.... not one single article I've ever read or physician
I've ever spoken with seems to have an answer to my main query.
I practice every method I know to avoid ticks
or discourage them from being able to bite into me.... I even wear panty-hose
(I'm a man) and while that helps considerably, they still manage to get into my
flesh. I'd estimate I've experienced some 50 tick bites in just the past two
weeks (mostly from 'seed' ticks) but 'seed' or adult, I always experience the
same reaction.....and that is what I would consider a very high 'sensitivity'
to whatever sort of antigen they seem to impart with their bite. To get to the
point of the matter, whenever I am bitten....and regardless of the size of the
tick or the shortness of the duration of the bite, within hours I develop a
hard welt at the bite site that itches intensely and normally that itching/welt
will continue to plague me for at least six to eight weeks per each bite before
disappearing. Add to that....many bites per season and I am itching like crazy
for 99% of the warm weather months of the year. I am assuming I am highly
sensitive due to the fact I've seen others remove attached ticks and never
develop welts or complain of any real distress from same. When asked of same,
such people tell me they just don't experience any significant after effect
from the bites.
My question? Are you aware of any type of
medication or treatment to relieve the long term welts and itching. If the
season continues as it has this year, I am sure I can expect several hundred
bites before cold weather arrive (end of tick season) and while I can tolerate
the bites....I dread the after-effects of the itching.
I would sincerely appreciate any help you
might render regarding this query. I've been to doctors, dermatologists, and
others and most of them consider my problem to be a non- issue....or merely say
I should stay away from ticks....but for me....that is not a viable answer.
Surely....something must be available that can reverse or minimize the long
term effect of the bites.
To keep the ticks off, try extra strength
DEET, or something along those group of insect repellents. You might even try
planting mint, garlic or other potent and pungent herbs in the bad areas.
Appreciate the info you sent me regarding
relief for tick bites. Will try the 'green soap' and spray systems. I believe
when I wrote of the problem I had some 50 tick bites (most from what we call
'seed' ticks') ....and about a weeks later, I count over 100 bites of same
nature. Have started taking over-counter Benadryl types anti-histamines and
they give me periodic relief from the itching but only for say a couple of
hours or so.
I've tried the 'deet' products heavily and
have lost faith in them. Maybe they help...and I know they help repel a lot of
nuisance insects such as sweat bees, etc....but I really question if they
really repel ticks. I think I really summed up my doubts when I (on more than
one occasion) took a freshly caught tick and placed it on a clean table
surface...I then a sprayed a concentrate of 'deet' into a spoon and the
proceeded to spread the liquid 'deet' into the form of a quarter-size circle
around the tick. In each and every instance, the tick quickly crawled right
through and across the 'deet' path and seemed to show no hesitation in doing
same. Perhaps I'm not thinking logically, but it would seem to me if 'deet'
really deterred ticks, a tick would hesitate or refuse to put itself into that
dilemma. Thought I just pass that on to you for thought. You might want to do
the same test and see if you get same results.
As to spraying the ground area, I've found
about the only effective spray that has any real lasting results (a few days)
is something we're not supposed to use....a termite killer that is generally no
longer available to the public and possibly no longer available to the
professional as well. I believe you'll know without me spelling it out the name
of that chemical pesticide.
Also, the area I'm bitten in most of the time
is our 30 acre farm in southern Virginia and this year looks like it is going
to be a record year for tick prevalence.
I do believe the theory that ticks cannot
survive long freezing spells...something we have very seldom in this area. I
say that in the fact that I grew up the first half of my life in northern Ohio
where the winters were much more severe than here in southern Virginia and
likewise in growing up, ticks on dogs and such never seemed to be near the
problem up there as they are down here in the south-east. Of course, I could
move North but that is not really a viable answer ;family wise. Thanks for your
advice and input.
Contact me at insect@ptd.net
if you have questions and I will try to answer them personally or in this
forum. Thanks!!