ticks

Arwen's Mom

Arwen's Mom

Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains
I know with the mild weather here in lovely NJ we have been able to ride all through the winter. But it comes with a price. The "usual" tick season has started 2 months early.

Yup, they are out there. UGH. Just wanted to give you all a reminder to look for ticks when you are done riding. Not just on you and your clothes, but on bags too. Even check the insides of your helmets. I have had ticks fall on me from trees. Evil little buggers.

Here's a few easy tips:
http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/on_people.html

And if you need to stop and take a break, do it away from leaf litter or tall grass 😀

I just gotta invent a way to safely carry my sugar glides with me when I bike. They eat bugs ya know :hmmm:
 
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/ticks-season-coming-ll-bug-spring-213325176.html

Ticks season is coming: They’ll bug you this spring
By Claudine Zap | The Upshot – 14 hrs ago

Courtesy of CDC

Because of the extra-mild winter this year, the early spring could bring an unwelcome guest: the tick. Be warned: The warmer weather is good news for people and pets who want to be outside, but beware of an uptick of the hard-to-detect pest.

The basic reason is that the eggs will hatch sooner. "Eggs are already in the ground, but this is the time that they will be coming out in great numbers," said Pollie Rueda, an entomologist stationed at the Smithsonian and Walter Reed Army institute of Research. He noted that the normal tick season is from May through August, but with the 70-degree temperatures in some places, the ticks may get a jump on the season.

Ticks that are already out and about are the visible adult, sesame-sized ones, noted Kristen Nordlund of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Think of these little buggers as the arachnid form of vampires. They hang out in blades of grass for a host to come along -- a mouse, a dog, or a human -- to attach themselves and feed off your blood over days, or until discovered, and they often leave disease behind -- sometimes multiple illnesses.

The big concern for humans, according to the CDC, is that most tick infections occur during the "nymph" stage. Those recently hatched ticks are the size of the period at the end of this sentence, and they have four sets of legs and the ability to suck your blood. Because they are essentially invisible, preying on a host can easily go undetected.

In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36-48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted. Infections from ticks, such as Lyme disease (plus babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and anaplasmosisis), are on the rise and are difficult to diagnose. The symptoms are awful: from headaches to long-term joint pain and even heart problems.

Since 1992, the cases of Lyme disease have doubled, according to the CDC, and more than 21,000 cases are reported every year.

The CDC is conducting tests on actual households to confirm if spraying a pesticide in the backyard helps to reduce the incidence of human disease. Check its website for good information on preventive measures.
 
I already dug one out of my leg, and it's not even April. My box of deet should arrive from amazon today, so hopefully it won't happen again.
 
Good to see info on ticks and their diseases. The one they did not mention is HGE and is prevalent in Morris and Sussex counties. I learned this after I was diagnosed with this debilitating disease. I thought I was just growing old but didn't realize how bad I had gotten. Stiff neck, bad joint pain, stiffness, back pain, fatigue and a bad attitude towards climbing stairs. Bottom line is it was treated with antibiotics and I feel great now. If you get a tick bite and get tested for Lyme ask for the HGE test also. I was negative for Lyme but positive for HGE. Good catch by my doctor!
 
They are back, we were out for a late afternoon hike and I found a couple on my arm. Just be on the lookout.
 
going to bring a chicken to ride with me now that its getting warm .might even drop one off at all the trails so be on the lookout for chickens while riding
 
The classic sign of a lyme bite is a red circle with a clear center. I got bit and mine looked like a burn from a circle from a hot drinking glass. If you get a bite like this, take a picture of it, for it disappears in a few days.

Do not ignore it !!!! It takes about 30 days to test positive for lymes, this is when you should get tested. A simple dose of antibiotics will take care of it at this stage.

This is what I was told when I got lymes a few years ago.
 
I found one on me today and was planning to post up. Looks like we're all finding them. Got Lyme a couple years ago and it was terrible. Def go to the Dr. if you suspect anything. Antibiotics will sort you out.
 
just plucked a bugger out this am which had to of got with a hike with the family Sunday, ugh...
 
I always have to check even after I spend time in my own yard. We have a deer family that lives in the back corner of our property (in a little tree and -- oddly enough -- bamboo alcove.) Those filthy, five-foot rats were probably how I got Lyme in 2009. And none of them got killed this year like they did last year, so there are currently five of them back there. So I figure I'm going to have to wear a hazmat suit to cut my lawn this year.
 
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