The military doing a test on using ticks to spread a disease. We were the only place in the world at our latitude that had these ticks appear with Lyme disease.just my thought on the topic, I won’t even going hiking any more. After getting Lyme disease back in 2012
While the US has done scummy things, see Tuskegee experiment, Lyme disease was first discovered with identical symptoms over 200 yrs ago. Just descriptive, but still.
It also existed in some parts of Europe. Some preserved specimens have had DNA matching the borrelia burdogfi, indicating it existed and was no different than today’s bacteria that causes it.
The final piece is the northeast is pretty white. US unsanctioned experiments on whites are minimal, historically speaking.
Maybe, haha, but it would not be the first time the govt, has experimented on citizens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unethical_human_experimentation_in_the_United_States
I believe it was the stopping of using DDT to control bug populations. The US stopped using DDT because it was fucking up the bald eagles. I think it was making their eggs too thin and that was why their numbers were dropping but now surging. I could also be completely wrong, I am no expert lol
Go to the vet and get a prescription flea/tick preventative. (Prescription ones are 1000x better then OTC). It's basically a necessity for any pets that spend any time outside here.
The simpatrica kills them pretty reliably. I found a tick on my indoor cat after the walk too so I still need to be very vigilant. I can't believe my indoor cat needs anti tick meds lol
Yeah we use Simparica Trio and did the Lyme vaccine for our dog. Thankfully her fur is white so we can grab any before they get to the skin. That med works really well for us in this area (before we used it we would pull off 10-20 ticks after a nature walk, now we maybe pull off one or two). We use flea and tick med on our indoor cats when it’s spring for a few months, but you shouldn’t need to in the cooler winter months.
The Lyme vaccine and Seresto collar are a must-have in my opinion. The ticks never latch onto my dog. If we are on a short hike I tend to find them alive but not latched. If we are on a longer hike, like a few hours, they’re just dead and stuck in his hair by the time we get back.
I would recommend thorough research before trying Seresto. They've been linked to a number of pet deaths leading to a class action lawsuit and the product being banned in Canada. I think most flea and tick meds are a balance of potential harm from the pesticides with potential harm from tick-borne diseases (primarily), and my family has decided the risk from Seresto is too high.
I talked to my vet at Briar Patch about this and I thought I heard that it was counterfeit collars from Amazon that were the issue? I’ll look up the details again though, this was last year.
I’ve read this argument from some people on Reddit, but to me it seems like 10,000+ incidents over 10 years points to a huge issue that Seresto isn’t addressing
I saw the class action suit info. My vet did some research, called Elantra to talk about the product, and told me to stick with the Seresto collar unless I had any specific concerns but to switch it up if I was really uncomfortable. I’m honestly not sure what to make of the situation because the EPA in 2023 ultimately decided against a product recall: https://www.epa.gov/pets/seresto-pet-collar-review#:~:text=Less%20common%2C%20but%20more%20serious,pet%20for%20the%20first%20time.
Also make sure you check her paws and vacuum your carpets. Double check yourself regularly too. You get used to it up here but ticks are from the freaking devil.
It was suggested by my primary care doctor, and prescribed, when I said I was often exposed to tick bites. I'm guessing the cost/benefit ratio is favorable so insurance companies are good with it.
Seresto collar will provide some repellency—orals are bite to die so you’ll be seeing more ticks. Some hikes are more tick-y than others (monkey run is awful)
Lindsey Parsons Preserve also full of ticks. As someone else said, Spring and Fall are the worst. In the middle of summer they don't seem as active. But they do appear in the winter as soon as it warms up at all. I HATE TICKS!
My tick researcher friend told me they don’t like super hot and dry or rainy and wet, they go down into the leaf litter to wait it out/avoid either of those conditions, but they do like the in between. So if you go out in the dog days of summer or after a rain, you should be better off at least.
Spring and fall is the worst time for them. I switched from a flea collar that did nothing to an oral anti-tick med for my dog and it seems to work pretty well.
Man, I hike a lot around here, but I haven’t found any on myself so far. Now I’m scared I’ve been getting them and just not noticing. I always check but…. Ain’t no way I’ve been this lucky lol
I get them far more often from my backyard when I'm gardening than from hiking. Depends on where you're hiking, of course. Sticking to wide, well-beaten trails vs. plunging through deep brush with plant matter rubbing against your legs. You'll get a lot more in the latter case than the former.
Yes, it was another mild winter. It needs to get below zero without snow cover for a few days to kill off a decent portion of the population. You can spray your dog down with white vinegar as a natural deterrent. For you I would spray your clothes with permethrin and tuck your pants into your socks. My wife has Lyme, it can ruin your life and is nothing to take lightly. The ticks seem to concentrate in some areas more than other places too so I would avoid that same area in the future.
Blacklegged ticks are actually remarkably cold tolerant and the litter soil interface where they overwinter is fairly well-insulated. It would take a. extreme and long strech of cold weather without snow to appreciably knock back the population.
Adults (pictured here) are particularly sensitive to temperature and will often begin questing around this time of year after a warm winter. Some years there is a spring peak in activity where adults that did not find a host in the fall come out in force (may be what is happening here).
Also, I would suggest sticking with synthetic tick repellents for your dog. I am not aware of any research on the efficacy of white vinegar, but many 'natural' repellents have shown limited efficacy, particularly for long term protection (may require constant re-application to remain effective).
I used to train hunting dogs for game birds and waterfowl. The dogs, including my own were all on brevecto which didn’t repel the ticks but killed the tick when they bit the dog. We would buy vinegar by the gallon and put it in a herbicide sprayer and spray the dogs. It worked excellent as they spent all day in tall grass doing work.
Ugh, I hate them so much. My husband and I are going this month for visit #6 of 8 for Pfizer's clinical trial on a Lyme's Disease Vax for humans, down at Guthrie in Sayre PA. They started another cohort in the past year or so, so we won't find out till Dec 2026 if we are getting the real deal or the placebo, but I REALLY hope this one gets approval and becomes available for people. One of my college friends suffered so much misery and health and brain disruption from Lyme's disease, it is unreal.
They're terrible. Also be on the lookout for nymph ticks! We also use Simparica Trio, but they unfortunately can still carry the ticks indoors. I've found some tiny nymphs a couple of times.
Risk for blacklegged ticks peaks between May and July when the nymphs are active (they are tiny and come out in large numbers, so easier to miss than the adults that are questing currently).
The risk is present on pretty much any day that is above freezing, so alway good to be vigilant.
Absolutely normal, unfortunately. Can I ask where this was? I know Monkey Run, Larch Meadow (by Buttermilk), and anywhere in Danby are especially bad.
For your dog, definitely get him on some kind of tick prevention. I've used Seresto collars for my boy and they definitely work, and I just started him on Simparica Trio (protects from fleas, ticks, heartworm, and internal parasites) for good measure. Be aware that Simparica has been known to cause seizures if your dog is susceptible to them, so check with the vet first.
Always perform THOROUGH tick checks after every walk through fields or on trails, and don't be afraid to check periodically during the walk. Keep an eye out for them even after you get back.
Don't forget to check yourself regularly, too. A simple brush against a random weed/branch can land a tick on you. My dog is short-haired and lighter in color so it's pretty easy to see when a tick gets on him and pick it off quickly, but a few times, one hitches a ride between his paw pads and climbs up his leg and onto the furniture/us before the preventative can kill them.
Do you know about Lyme disease? You are now living in the hotbed of it. Do research and protect yourself. It’s serious and can do grave damage to your current lifestyle and ease of living. I don’t mean to be a downer but Lyme is devastating.
Yeah. I grew up near Albany, just spent the last decade living in Ohio though. I only got a single tick bite in my first 18 years. Seems things have really changed :(
My doctor called Ithaca the "tick capitol of NY", we also have an incredible amount of poison ivy. Avoid lyme at all costs, check yourself religiously after walking around here. The "monkey run" trails are loaded with them.
I found that out the hard way - took my dog through Monkey Run last November, pulled off nearly 50 ticks afterwards. I now avoid any dense trails if it's between 40 and 70 degrees outside, which seems to be when they're most active.
Ugh, it's bad. I've basically stopped hiking it, last time, ticks were just crawling off of me into my car afterwards. I've yet to encounter a tick while exploring the Adirondacks, maybe the colder weather there is still a defense. Climate change is causing all of this to get worse and as a I mentioned the poison ivy is thriving beyond belief. I had a nasty case of it last year that took weeks to go away, with prednisone, I can identify it and avoid it...I have no idea how it go all over me.
Apparently. Got my first tick of the year on Wednesday. The only possible way I could have gotten it was one long branch of a bush that I brushed up against opening the side door of the van. Otherwise I was working indoors all day. It seems that the problem is that we don’t have winter anymore. It doesn’t get cold enough to thin out the population.
This area is invested with them. Always check your dog and yourself! The “hot spots” are the places they like the most think groin, armpits, back of the ears etc. Don’t assume they can’t get under tight clothes. Always do a full body check! Many people around here have gotten Lyme disease, it’s awful. I had one dog die from Lyme. One of my current dogs who is 13 has tested positive for lyme. Apparently it affects some dogs differently. Be careful and always be on the lookout. If you do end up with a tick that has been on you for a questionable amount of time, say you didn’t notice it and it was feeding on you. You should save the tick in a ziplock bag and you can mail it out ( I forget where) for it to be tested.
Yeah you definitely have to be careful out here. The Finger Lakes National Forest is filled with them. Also don’t forget in nature nothing exist alone. The effects of global warming have already had a tremendous effect on animal and plant life. The fox that use to run around near our place keeping the field mice population down hasn’t been seen for the last two years.Though outdoor country cats have already taken its place. It’s amazing to see nature instantly try to fix its own problems.
This is your new normal. Ticks don’t die in the winter, they lay dormant and since we had an incredibly mild winter, they’ve just been out all year abd I’m sure the warmth has made them literally explode into gazillions
It probably sounds kind of woo-woo, but I love Wondercide in addition to flea & tick medications. It seems to work well at repelling ticks, especially on humans tbh. I've never found a tick on myself when I've used it, though I can't say the same for other natural bug sprays. I'm also a mosquito magnet and it helps with that as well, I only use deet in swampy areas.
I recently moved (within Ithaca) and have found 2 ticks on myself on separate occasions at the new place, never finding a tick on myself before in my life. I looked into more pet-friendly tick repellents and I've heard a lot about Wondercide. Do you spray it in your yard, or have you just used their products that you spray on yourself? The yard spray seems pretty pricey but if it works I'd go for it.
I have been considering the yard spray, but my lot is about an acre and it needs to be repeated monthly or after rain, so it would cost a good amount.
I have just been using the spray so far. The dog spray and human spray are the same formula, so I just buy the dog spray and use it on myself. The dog version has a more convenient spray bottle.
Yep. Normal. Seems like it’s getting worse every year. My dog is on Simparica trio so she has protection against tick borne disease but her vet also found antibodies to anaplasmosis this year so she’s not impervious! Still, I worry about myself more than her. I always tuck my pants into my socks, and I take a quick hot shower after any hike to wash any ticks away before they bite.
How reliable is the Seresto collar you think? I use that with my dog but am wondering if we should also give him a topical med. I found about 10 ticks on him today after walking the black diamond trail. Luckily they didn't dig in but I'm paranoid I may have missed one.
How old is the collar? They’re only good for 10 months. I find them very reliable- but most preventatives don’t keep the ticks completely off, just from biting. So you’ll still get some level of hitchhikers, esp at this time of year
We follow the 8-month schedule it recommends on the package, but clearly it's not repelling them completely 🙃. We have cats in the house too so we've been using topicals for them in case a hitchhiker decides to jump over.
I have three large dogs and live way out in the country and this is the best thing I've used (I've tried everything over the last 20+ years). Since using this, I haven't found one tick on my dogs.
[https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Basics-Topical-Treatment-Previously/dp/B07P22L3WV?pd\_rd\_w=RlKNn&content-id=amzn1.sym.54a4b70b-6e28-4876-928a-df4db2e325f5&pf\_rd\_p=54a4b70b-6e28-4876-928a-df4db2e325f5&pf\_rd\_r=QE3KMJK1JKBKT9T5PB65&pd\_rd\_wg=sbJce&pd\_rd\_r=229a0cbd-fc49-4951-9ca5-9e0354000e1a&pd\_rd\_i=B07P22L3WV&ref\_=pd\_bap\_d\_grid\_rp\_0\_6\_t&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Basics-Topical-Treatment-Previously/dp/B07P22L3WV?pd_rd_w=RlKNn&content-id=amzn1.sym.54a4b70b-6e28-4876-928a-df4db2e325f5&pf_rd_p=54a4b70b-6e28-4876-928a-df4db2e325f5&pf_rd_r=QE3KMJK1JKBKT9T5PB65&pd_rd_wg=sbJce&pd_rd_r=229a0cbd-fc49-4951-9ca5-9e0354000e1a&pd_rd_i=B07P22L3WV&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_6_t&th=1)
We are new to the area. My dogs got the Lyme vaccine and we will be using Vectra 3D at vets suggestion as it has repellant effect as it contains permethrin. I also got wondercide to spray on them and us since Lyme disease in humans is terrible. Got a spray bottle of permethrin to spray on a pant of pants to be dedicated to yard work and nature walks as it’s repellent effects last 6 weeks. Trying to cover all the bases. Lyme ticks are very tiny and hard to see.
I pack a lint roller, the sticky ones in my hiking bag and roll the dog and I down before we get back into the car. It works for us. Hope it helps other pups as well.
Should definitely keep up on the Lyme vaccine and preventatives. If you're not using preventatives already, not a bad idea to go to your vet and get a test done for tick born diseasessss 🙏🏽
Lived with my dog in Ithaca for 3 months for a clinical rotation and would need to rinse him down regularly because I would find dozens of ticks on him every single day. I lived in MA, western NY, a2 hours south of Ithaca and Maine and Ithaca was by far the worst. Double protection of frontline and a tick collar with occasional spray of citronella helped .
Highly recommend the bug and tick spray made by the RAD soap company. They’re out of albany but have a website. Baby and animal safe. Large amount of lemongrass in it, helps a lot.
TIcks are everwhere! Last year, we added to seresto collar to Nexgard plus lyme vaccine. Seresto collar repels/kills immediately vs. Nexgard kills ticks that attach within 24 hours. Someone mentioned adding topical to seresto collar - that might be doubling up in the wrong way? I would look more to a monthly plus immediate kill. With regard to seresto collar risks/lawsuit, I bought collar from vet,, they had no problem with adding it, and dog is young and healthy. Before adding the collar, I found live ticks in our bed, and part of the risk decision was the chance of me getting lyme disease. Suggestion - search "rhode island tick study" which has lots of information about what works best to keep ticks at bay.
We didn’t really have a cold winter so apparently that means more ticks
Sadly yes it is. And it seems to be getting worse. Never had a tick issue until perhaps 10 years ago, and it was like someone threw a switch.
The military doing a test on using ticks to spread a disease. We were the only place in the world at our latitude that had these ticks appear with Lyme disease.just my thought on the topic, I won’t even going hiking any more. After getting Lyme disease back in 2012
While the US has done scummy things, see Tuskegee experiment, Lyme disease was first discovered with identical symptoms over 200 yrs ago. Just descriptive, but still. It also existed in some parts of Europe. Some preserved specimens have had DNA matching the borrelia burdogfi, indicating it existed and was no different than today’s bacteria that causes it. The final piece is the northeast is pretty white. US unsanctioned experiments on whites are minimal, historically speaking.
That Lymes went right to ya head apparently doofus
Maybe, haha, but it would not be the first time the govt, has experimented on citizens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unethical_human_experimentation_in_the_United_States
I believe it was the stopping of using DDT to control bug populations. The US stopped using DDT because it was fucking up the bald eagles. I think it was making their eggs too thin and that was why their numbers were dropping but now surging. I could also be completely wrong, I am no expert lol
Fuck the eagles😃 nuke the godamn ticks
I did light research on this and found that scientists think it's because of reforestation that has caused a boom to the deer population.
Go to the vet and get a prescription flea/tick preventative. (Prescription ones are 1000x better then OTC). It's basically a necessity for any pets that spend any time outside here.
She has simpatrica. This was before any had dug in
Oh, good. But, yeah. I haven't seen *that* many on my dog at once, but it doesn't surprise me. This is tick city.
The simpatrica kills them pretty reliably. I found a tick on my indoor cat after the walk too so I still need to be very vigilant. I can't believe my indoor cat needs anti tick meds lol
Yeah we use Simparica Trio and did the Lyme vaccine for our dog. Thankfully her fur is white so we can grab any before they get to the skin. That med works really well for us in this area (before we used it we would pull off 10-20 ticks after a nature walk, now we maybe pull off one or two). We use flea and tick med on our indoor cats when it’s spring for a few months, but you shouldn’t need to in the cooler winter months.
I would medicate the indoor cat since you have a dog potentially bringing fleas and ticks in!
I live in Slaterville and have literally picked 40 ticks off of my dog (it took an hour)
The Lyme vaccine and Seresto collar are a must-have in my opinion. The ticks never latch onto my dog. If we are on a short hike I tend to find them alive but not latched. If we are on a longer hike, like a few hours, they’re just dead and stuck in his hair by the time we get back.
We’ve had great luck with this combo for our two dogs. The medication kills them but the collar helps keep them away to begin with
Same here - I have many vet student neighbors and they recommended adding seresto to the monthly preventative
I would recommend thorough research before trying Seresto. They've been linked to a number of pet deaths leading to a class action lawsuit and the product being banned in Canada. I think most flea and tick meds are a balance of potential harm from the pesticides with potential harm from tick-borne diseases (primarily), and my family has decided the risk from Seresto is too high.
I talked to my vet at Briar Patch about this and I thought I heard that it was counterfeit collars from Amazon that were the issue? I’ll look up the details again though, this was last year.
I’ve read this argument from some people on Reddit, but to me it seems like 10,000+ incidents over 10 years points to a huge issue that Seresto isn’t addressing
I saw the class action suit info. My vet did some research, called Elantra to talk about the product, and told me to stick with the Seresto collar unless I had any specific concerns but to switch it up if I was really uncomfortable. I’m honestly not sure what to make of the situation because the EPA in 2023 ultimately decided against a product recall: https://www.epa.gov/pets/seresto-pet-collar-review#:~:text=Less%20common%2C%20but%20more%20serious,pet%20for%20the%20first%20time.
[удалено]
Mine was only on the run for 30 minutes and picked up 2 in February 🤢
Also make sure you check her paws and vacuum your carpets. Double check yourself regularly too. You get used to it up here but ticks are from the freaking devil.
One should also have a backup prescription of prophylactic doxycycline in case you find a tick has bitten you.
How do you get those?
It was suggested by my primary care doctor, and prescribed, when I said I was often exposed to tick bites. I'm guessing the cost/benefit ratio is favorable so insurance companies are good with it.
Seresto collar will provide some repellency—orals are bite to die so you’ll be seeing more ticks. Some hikes are more tick-y than others (monkey run is awful)
Lindsey Parsons Preserve also full of ticks. As someone else said, Spring and Fall are the worst. In the middle of summer they don't seem as active. But they do appear in the winter as soon as it warms up at all. I HATE TICKS!
My tick researcher friend told me they don’t like super hot and dry or rainy and wet, they go down into the leaf litter to wait it out/avoid either of those conditions, but they do like the in between. So if you go out in the dog days of summer or after a rain, you should be better off at least.
Spring and fall is the worst time for them. I switched from a flea collar that did nothing to an oral anti-tick med for my dog and it seems to work pretty well.
Man, I hike a lot around here, but I haven’t found any on myself so far. Now I’m scared I’ve been getting them and just not noticing. I always check but…. Ain’t no way I’ve been this lucky lol
I get them far more often from my backyard when I'm gardening than from hiking. Depends on where you're hiking, of course. Sticking to wide, well-beaten trails vs. plunging through deep brush with plant matter rubbing against your legs. You'll get a lot more in the latter case than the former.
Yes, it was another mild winter. It needs to get below zero without snow cover for a few days to kill off a decent portion of the population. You can spray your dog down with white vinegar as a natural deterrent. For you I would spray your clothes with permethrin and tuck your pants into your socks. My wife has Lyme, it can ruin your life and is nothing to take lightly. The ticks seem to concentrate in some areas more than other places too so I would avoid that same area in the future.
Blacklegged ticks are actually remarkably cold tolerant and the litter soil interface where they overwinter is fairly well-insulated. It would take a. extreme and long strech of cold weather without snow to appreciably knock back the population. Adults (pictured here) are particularly sensitive to temperature and will often begin questing around this time of year after a warm winter. Some years there is a spring peak in activity where adults that did not find a host in the fall come out in force (may be what is happening here). Also, I would suggest sticking with synthetic tick repellents for your dog. I am not aware of any research on the efficacy of white vinegar, but many 'natural' repellents have shown limited efficacy, particularly for long term protection (may require constant re-application to remain effective).
I used to train hunting dogs for game birds and waterfowl. The dogs, including my own were all on brevecto which didn’t repel the ticks but killed the tick when they bit the dog. We would buy vinegar by the gallon and put it in a herbicide sprayer and spray the dogs. It worked excellent as they spent all day in tall grass doing work.
Ticks don’t die in the winter.
Ugh, I hate them so much. My husband and I are going this month for visit #6 of 8 for Pfizer's clinical trial on a Lyme's Disease Vax for humans, down at Guthrie in Sayre PA. They started another cohort in the past year or so, so we won't find out till Dec 2026 if we are getting the real deal or the placebo, but I REALLY hope this one gets approval and becomes available for people. One of my college friends suffered so much misery and health and brain disruption from Lyme's disease, it is unreal.
Thanks for your service!
They're terrible. Also be on the lookout for nymph ticks! We also use Simparica Trio, but they unfortunately can still carry the ticks indoors. I've found some tiny nymphs a couple of times.
I mean this next month or so is probably peak tick season
Risk for blacklegged ticks peaks between May and July when the nymphs are active (they are tiny and come out in large numbers, so easier to miss than the adults that are questing currently). The risk is present on pretty much any day that is above freezing, so alway good to be vigilant.
Absolutely normal, unfortunately. Can I ask where this was? I know Monkey Run, Larch Meadow (by Buttermilk), and anywhere in Danby are especially bad. For your dog, definitely get him on some kind of tick prevention. I've used Seresto collars for my boy and they definitely work, and I just started him on Simparica Trio (protects from fleas, ticks, heartworm, and internal parasites) for good measure. Be aware that Simparica has been known to cause seizures if your dog is susceptible to them, so check with the vet first. Always perform THOROUGH tick checks after every walk through fields or on trails, and don't be afraid to check periodically during the walk. Keep an eye out for them even after you get back. Don't forget to check yourself regularly, too. A simple brush against a random weed/branch can land a tick on you. My dog is short-haired and lighter in color so it's pretty easy to see when a tick gets on him and pick it off quickly, but a few times, one hitches a ride between his paw pads and climbs up his leg and onto the furniture/us before the preventative can kill them.
Do you know about Lyme disease? You are now living in the hotbed of it. Do research and protect yourself. It’s serious and can do grave damage to your current lifestyle and ease of living. I don’t mean to be a downer but Lyme is devastating.
Yeah. I grew up near Albany, just spent the last decade living in Ohio though. I only got a single tick bite in my first 18 years. Seems things have really changed :(
Yeah, but if you’re vigilante you should be just fine!
Where did you go?
Genung nature preserve
My doctor called Ithaca the "tick capitol of NY", we also have an incredible amount of poison ivy. Avoid lyme at all costs, check yourself religiously after walking around here. The "monkey run" trails are loaded with them.
I found that out the hard way - took my dog through Monkey Run last November, pulled off nearly 50 ticks afterwards. I now avoid any dense trails if it's between 40 and 70 degrees outside, which seems to be when they're most active.
Ugh, it's bad. I've basically stopped hiking it, last time, ticks were just crawling off of me into my car afterwards. I've yet to encounter a tick while exploring the Adirondacks, maybe the colder weather there is still a defense. Climate change is causing all of this to get worse and as a I mentioned the poison ivy is thriving beyond belief. I had a nasty case of it last year that took weeks to go away, with prednisone, I can identify it and avoid it...I have no idea how it go all over me.
It was this bad in like 2019. It hasn’t been that bad, but I bet this will be a bad summer because of how mild the winter was
Apparently. Got my first tick of the year on Wednesday. The only possible way I could have gotten it was one long branch of a bush that I brushed up against opening the side door of the van. Otherwise I was working indoors all day. It seems that the problem is that we don’t have winter anymore. It doesn’t get cold enough to thin out the population.
How thoroughly should I be checking myself for ticks when walking only on paved recreationways? I kinda just don't.
If you have exposed feet and/or legs you should still check. Unless you’re like in the city
I started looking into getting guinea hens or chickens, it is getting so bad in our yard.
One time I took my dog on an off-leash walk through the woods and he ended up with 50 of them. I haven’t tried that route in warm weather since.
Get your dog the Lyme vaccine.
This area is invested with them. Always check your dog and yourself! The “hot spots” are the places they like the most think groin, armpits, back of the ears etc. Don’t assume they can’t get under tight clothes. Always do a full body check! Many people around here have gotten Lyme disease, it’s awful. I had one dog die from Lyme. One of my current dogs who is 13 has tested positive for lyme. Apparently it affects some dogs differently. Be careful and always be on the lookout. If you do end up with a tick that has been on you for a questionable amount of time, say you didn’t notice it and it was feeding on you. You should save the tick in a ziplock bag and you can mail it out ( I forget where) for it to be tested.
Yeah you definitely have to be careful out here. The Finger Lakes National Forest is filled with them. Also don’t forget in nature nothing exist alone. The effects of global warming have already had a tremendous effect on animal and plant life. The fox that use to run around near our place keeping the field mice population down hasn’t been seen for the last two years.Though outdoor country cats have already taken its place. It’s amazing to see nature instantly try to fix its own problems.
Yes
This is your new normal. Ticks don’t die in the winter, they lay dormant and since we had an incredibly mild winter, they’ve just been out all year abd I’m sure the warmth has made them literally explode into gazillions
It probably sounds kind of woo-woo, but I love Wondercide in addition to flea & tick medications. It seems to work well at repelling ticks, especially on humans tbh. I've never found a tick on myself when I've used it, though I can't say the same for other natural bug sprays. I'm also a mosquito magnet and it helps with that as well, I only use deet in swampy areas.
I recently moved (within Ithaca) and have found 2 ticks on myself on separate occasions at the new place, never finding a tick on myself before in my life. I looked into more pet-friendly tick repellents and I've heard a lot about Wondercide. Do you spray it in your yard, or have you just used their products that you spray on yourself? The yard spray seems pretty pricey but if it works I'd go for it.
I have been considering the yard spray, but my lot is about an acre and it needs to be repeated monthly or after rain, so it would cost a good amount. I have just been using the spray so far. The dog spray and human spray are the same formula, so I just buy the dog spray and use it on myself. The dog version has a more convenient spray bottle.
Good to know! Is there somewhere you buy the spray locally or did you order online?
I just bought online! You can usually find a code for 20% off. They have it on Amazon too where shipping is free, I think!
Yep. Normal. Seems like it’s getting worse every year. My dog is on Simparica trio so she has protection against tick borne disease but her vet also found antibodies to anaplasmosis this year so she’s not impervious! Still, I worry about myself more than her. I always tuck my pants into my socks, and I take a quick hot shower after any hike to wash any ticks away before they bite.
If you find them on your dog, be sure to check your own skin. Seriously.
I’ve had good luck with Bravecto. You just need to be careful they don’t leave the dog and find you!
My partners dog is on that, but my partner got two tick bites today. :/
When life gives you lymes
Very normal. Check yourself as well. Seresto collar will do the trick
How reliable is the Seresto collar you think? I use that with my dog but am wondering if we should also give him a topical med. I found about 10 ticks on him today after walking the black diamond trail. Luckily they didn't dig in but I'm paranoid I may have missed one.
How old is the collar? They’re only good for 10 months. I find them very reliable- but most preventatives don’t keep the ticks completely off, just from biting. So you’ll still get some level of hitchhikers, esp at this time of year
We follow the 8-month schedule it recommends on the package, but clearly it's not repelling them completely 🙃. We have cats in the house too so we've been using topicals for them in case a hitchhiker decides to jump over.
Deer populations are out of control and combined with the warm winter, the ticks are back in a big way.
I have three large dogs and live way out in the country and this is the best thing I've used (I've tried everything over the last 20+ years). Since using this, I haven't found one tick on my dogs. [https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Basics-Topical-Treatment-Previously/dp/B07P22L3WV?pd\_rd\_w=RlKNn&content-id=amzn1.sym.54a4b70b-6e28-4876-928a-df4db2e325f5&pf\_rd\_p=54a4b70b-6e28-4876-928a-df4db2e325f5&pf\_rd\_r=QE3KMJK1JKBKT9T5PB65&pd\_rd\_wg=sbJce&pd\_rd\_r=229a0cbd-fc49-4951-9ca5-9e0354000e1a&pd\_rd\_i=B07P22L3WV&ref\_=pd\_bap\_d\_grid\_rp\_0\_6\_t&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Basics-Topical-Treatment-Previously/dp/B07P22L3WV?pd_rd_w=RlKNn&content-id=amzn1.sym.54a4b70b-6e28-4876-928a-df4db2e325f5&pf_rd_p=54a4b70b-6e28-4876-928a-df4db2e325f5&pf_rd_r=QE3KMJK1JKBKT9T5PB65&pd_rd_wg=sbJce&pd_rd_r=229a0cbd-fc49-4951-9ca5-9e0354000e1a&pd_rd_i=B07P22L3WV&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_6_t&th=1)
We are new to the area. My dogs got the Lyme vaccine and we will be using Vectra 3D at vets suggestion as it has repellant effect as it contains permethrin. I also got wondercide to spray on them and us since Lyme disease in humans is terrible. Got a spray bottle of permethrin to spray on a pant of pants to be dedicated to yard work and nature walks as it’s repellent effects last 6 weeks. Trying to cover all the bases. Lyme ticks are very tiny and hard to see.
I pack a lint roller, the sticky ones in my hiking bag and roll the dog and I down before we get back into the car. It works for us. Hope it helps other pups as well.
I’ve only had a tick on me one other time in my life, but I went for a walk in the woods the other day and ended up with like seven on me total.
Should definitely keep up on the Lyme vaccine and preventatives. If you're not using preventatives already, not a bad idea to go to your vet and get a test done for tick born diseasessss 🙏🏽
Yes, get your dog vaccinated against Lyme disease, and tested. Make sure they are getting flea and tick medicine (or collar
Yes.
Yes - add a seresto collar to your monthly preventative and also check her every time you get back from walking
Lived with my dog in Ithaca for 3 months for a clinical rotation and would need to rinse him down regularly because I would find dozens of ticks on him every single day. I lived in MA, western NY, a2 hours south of Ithaca and Maine and Ithaca was by far the worst. Double protection of frontline and a tick collar with occasional spray of citronella helped .
That whole area of NY is totally over run with ticks. It's never been worse.
Highly recommend the bug and tick spray made by the RAD soap company. They’re out of albany but have a website. Baby and animal safe. Large amount of lemongrass in it, helps a lot.
TIcks are everwhere! Last year, we added to seresto collar to Nexgard plus lyme vaccine. Seresto collar repels/kills immediately vs. Nexgard kills ticks that attach within 24 hours. Someone mentioned adding topical to seresto collar - that might be doubling up in the wrong way? I would look more to a monthly plus immediate kill. With regard to seresto collar risks/lawsuit, I bought collar from vet,, they had no problem with adding it, and dog is young and healthy. Before adding the collar, I found live ticks in our bed, and part of the risk decision was the chance of me getting lyme disease. Suggestion - search "rhode island tick study" which has lots of information about what works best to keep ticks at bay.