is there a tick issue where you live?

r1ghtpath
r1ghtpath Posts: 701 Member
in Chit-Chat
if you live in the USA, do you have a tick problem/ epidemic?? i'm curious if there is a part of the country where ticks are NOT an issue, and not as prevalent as they are where i am....

thanks!
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Replies

  • SP2Bfit
    SP2Bfit Posts: 114
    yep...Northern VA....ticks and Deer tick are a huge issue, as is Lyme Disease...had the bullseye rash myself around 8-9 years ago (thank goodness I was symptomatic) and was treated...thankfully no joint or residual side effects since I was treated right away.... Because our property backs to woods on two sides and we have both cats and dogs that love the tall grass/woods we likely encounter even more ticks than average for No VA...ticks are nasty...GROSS!!!
  • StarkLark
    StarkLark Posts: 476 Member
    We DEFINITELY have a tick problem here in NH. After any time outside hiking or walking through wooded or tall grassy areas tick-checks are a mandatory part of my routine.

    http://www.aldf.com/usmap.shtml
    http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/02/01/new-map-shows-that-most-lyme-infected-ticks-are-in-northeast-northern-midwest/
  • _Triple_S_
    _Triple_S_ Posts: 214 Member
    Northern MN is horrible...I swear you walk outside and they jump out of the trees to land on me. I dont go in the woods because of so many nests....YUCK.
  • halobender
    halobender Posts: 780 Member
    While some places are worse than others, any location that has trees is going to have a "bad" tick problem. My mom is constantly picking ticks off her cats and dogs and she just lives outside of town, not what I would really consider "in the woods".

    If you're looking to get away from ticks, it's likely you'll have to move to one of those nice, dry, sandy and ridiculously hot southwestern states ;)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    I've never seen a tick in the Pacific NW. We just don't have many bugs, period. Most people don't even have screens or air conditioners. Short summers.

    I lived in Lake Tahoe, no ticks.
  • Natashaa1991
    Natashaa1991 Posts: 866 Member
    i totally misunderstood the topic, i thought it was about fat issue, haha
  • deadstarsunburn
    deadstarsunburn Posts: 1,337 Member
    They seem to be worse this year! I let my two chihuahuas outside for like five minutes and one had a tick already chomping on his little ear!
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    I'm in FL. My husband and the gal on his crew went into the woods to do a survey, and they both came out infested with dozens of the little buggers!
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
    I live in the Southeast part of Montana and this is the first time I have ever seen ticks! We put tick killer in our yard and stuff on our dogs and that takes care of them pretty well, in fact, I have not seen one on the dogs or me in the last 3 weeks!

    Before we moved here, we lived in Central and Western Montana and I grew up in Washington....no ticks in that part of Montana or in Washington.
  • tat2dmrsgrimm
    tat2dmrsgrimm Posts: 226 Member
    they are always bad in central Arkansas, but this year they are horrible. Especially the wee little ones. I have had 3 latch on to me, my son had one, my mom has had several and my poor doggies, several.
  • vkahlenberg
    vkahlenberg Posts: 21 Member
    Grew up in Central California -- never saw one down where we lived, but occasionally way up in the mountains. Have since lived in Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas, and they can be bad in those places.
  • llamalland
    llamalland Posts: 246 Member
    Live in NW Oregon, and SW Washington. Saw 1 tick, about 18 years ago, in SW WA on a neighbor's dog. Never in nearly 60 years have any of my indoor/outdoor cats or dogs gotten a tick. It's wooded & rural here, and I know there must be some ticks around, but I certainly can't say I've ever had a problem.
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
    if you live in the USA, do you have a tick problem/ epidemic?? i'm curious if there is a part of the country where ticks are NOT an issue, and not as prevalent as they are where i am....

    thanks!

    I was raised in Iowa and was bitten by a tick and developed Lyme disease...wasn't diagnosed until years later...I then developed epstien barr that they think was because of the weakened immune system. The doctor also thinks my fibromyalgia came from the tick bite and ensuing illnesses.

    I live in Idaho now, and ticks are rare if ever seen...makes for a much happier me since I am now tick-paranoid
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    I've lived in northeast Ohio as well as southeast Arizona - I do not think I have ever seen a tick, nor have I heard of them giving anyone (or their animals) any issues.

    I have not lived on a farm or in a farmland area, though. That could be why?
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    I live in Florida, and the tall grasses here are loaded with ticks. We never go hiking without bug repellant. Mosquitos down here also carry disease unlike many other areas of the US.
  • bonogul
    bonogul Posts: 96 Member
    yeah long island... especially at the end of the island, like southampton and stuff.
  • Miss_Chanelle
    Miss_Chanelle Posts: 87 Member
    I'm from South Africa..... Funny enough no tick problem...... Huge AIDS problem tho lol
  • Snitch1
    Snitch1 Posts: 201 Member
    While some places are worse than others, any location that has trees is going to have a "bad" tick problem. My mom is constantly picking ticks off her cats and dogs and she just lives outside of town, not what I would really consider "in the woods".

    If you're looking to get away from ticks, it's likely you'll have to move to one of those nice, dry, sandy and ridiculously hot southwestern states ;)

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^AHHH,NOOOOOO!!!We have 'em all too,including centipedes..and those sucker's are FAST!!!!
    I have long thick hair, and have woke up and have found ticks..freaks me out!!!
  • halobender
    halobender Posts: 780 Member
    I'm from South Africa..... Funny enough no tick problem...... Huge AIDS problem tho lol
    I just ... I mean. I want to say "lol" back but. I mean. I just can't.

    It kind of reminds me of that episode of South Park, "Jared Has Aides". Y'know?
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^AHHH,NOOOOOO!!!We have 'em all too,including centipedes..and those sucker's are FAST!!!!
    I have long thick hair, and have woke up and have found ticks..freaks me out!!!
    Yeah, centipedes are evil and disturbing and I can't stand the very thought of them. I guess maybe you have to live in the arctic, then, to get away from them? I don't know. Blood sucking critters are going to live wherever critters live. Bleh.
  • gizziemonkey
    gizziemonkey Posts: 451
    I live in Central Maine...and I have heard that the ticks this year are worse than in previous years....most likely due to the mild winter and strange warming we had in March. I personally have never seen a tick...but I am certainly waiting as I do enjoy a stroll through the woods....egads....did I mention I am scared of creepy crawlers!!!
  • hevhoyda
    hevhoyda Posts: 146 Member
    I live in Ohio and ticks are big here every spring... Even with tick And flea medicine we pull a couple off our dogs each year... Plus we live in the country and are in the woods a lot so that never helps
  • katejenkins1
    katejenkins1 Posts: 210 Member
    I'm in Central Maryland, they are freaking all over the place. Pulled 2 off my one son and one off my dog so far this year. I haven't even taken them into the woods yet. Been lucky so far all ticks have been large dog ticks, no threat of lime disease.
    I'm having my yard treated for ticks and fleas this year.
  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
    I am a parasitologist, ticks are my field of study. It's already stacking up to be quite a summer because of the extremely mild winter we had. Lack of long, hard frosts have resulted in unprecedented populations. Make sure you keep your beasts treated and use your DEET repellent!!!!

    Remember that Picaridin repellent doesn't work for ticks so read labels.
  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
    By the way, Lyme disease is a serious worry, but it is not the only tick-borne disease to worry about. If the tick you pull off of yourself or your pet is not a "deer tick", that doesn't mean you should not be concerned about disease transmission. Ehrlichia and babesia are just two of the diseases that are popping up, especially on the east coast. Both of them far worse than Lyme disease.

    Always keep your eyes open and be careful out there!
  • bcollins500
    bcollins500 Posts: 9 Member
    We live in the Central Maine area and we have a tick problem for years. I have a large fenced in yard and in spite of that our cat and dogs have had ticks on them. My daughter after a small hike at the end of May also found a tick on herself. You really have to pay attention if you live in or near the woods as we do.
  • r1ghtpath
    r1ghtpath Posts: 701 Member
    By the way, Lyme disease is a serious worry, but it is not the only tick-borne disease to worry about. If the tick you pull off of yourself or your pet is not a "deer tick", that doesn't mean you should not be concerned about disease transmission. Ehrlichia and babesia are just two of the diseases that are popping up, especially on the east coast. Both of them far worse than Lyme disease.

    Always keep your eyes open and be careful out there!


    thank you!!
    i'm in NOVA and we have a massive tick/ lyme issue. it's insane. it's hard to find someone that hasn't been affected by lyme or had a family member affected by lyme :-(

    i am getting tired of picking ticks off me and the kids. every single time we go out, we have ticks i pull off :-( we are outside A TON! i have started using DEET again because it's gotten so bad, and we still have ticks come home with us :-(

    i'd like to end up somewhere that is NOT as bad as NOVA!
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
    I live in British Columbia, Canada, just north of Washington. We have ticks and lyme disease, but the Canadian health system likes to say we don't get that here. I guese the Ticks in Washington can't get across the border? No passports? Till we catch up, if we suspect Lymes disease, we have to go to the US for testing......
    Pretty irritating. I have friends that have been diagnosed with it, so I know it's here too.
    We will catch up eventually, most things to do with healthcare here are fantastic, so this is just a glitch.
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
    By the way, Lyme disease is a serious worry, but it is not the only tick-borne disease to worry about. If the tick you pull off of yourself or your pet is not a "deer tick", that doesn't mean you should not be concerned about disease transmission. Ehrlichia and babesia are just two of the diseases that are popping up, especially on the east coast. Both of them far worse than Lyme disease.

    Always keep your eyes open and be careful out there!

    I can definitely relate to this!! Not the Ehrlichia and babesia, but the Lyme disease. It's not 100% easy to diagnose either if you aren't looking for it specifically
  • halhix
    halhix Posts: 48 Member
    My wife is on the way to get a PICC line inserted so that she can take Rocephin for three months. She has Lyme and Bartonella that she has to get rid of. This stuff is really scary for someone who has a problem detoxing. I can go on and on about this and the mess it causes...
  • Alexstrasza
    Alexstrasza Posts: 619 Member
    I live in Iowa and haven't come across a tick in years. I'm sure if I spent more time out in the woods I'd see them more often but I never come across them.

    Funny tick story:

    I used to visit family in Tennessee every summer. One year my best friend came with me. We were about 14 years old. Well whenever I would go down there I would sit and pick ticks off the dogs and throw them in the fire till they popped. The dogs loved it, they were strays usually and would have ticks that were as big as a grape!

    Well my friend thought it'd be funny to take one of these huge ticks and pop it with a rock. What she didn't think of was in which direction to push. Instead of pushing outward, away from her, she pressed inward, toward her face. The tick popped and blood splattered all over her shirt and face.

    Nothing came of it (she didn't get any diseases or anything) and it has proven to be a pretty amusing story.

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