This past winter rains have brought the ticks out in force. Out on a hike the other day and kept having to brush them off. I try to wear light colored clothes on hikes like this so I can spot them before they find skin.
Malaria Mosquitoes Cause More Than 1 Million Deaths per Year
We have only one species of rattle snake and it is very rare here:Rattlers and black widows are legit threats and not as much as people would think.
You have to be pretty unlucky to get bitten by a Rattler. That rattle tail is there to alert you. They aren't looking for trouble.
It's just the female black widow whose bite is poisonous. I have lived where they are for decades. I have encountered a few, but very rarely. You aren't apt to run into one. They typically are in dark out of the way places, say under your house, maybe in a corner. And they hang out in their web, just sit there, is my experience. You will very very likely see it before it's any possible menace to you. And again, they aren't looking for trouble. They just want a fly to enter their web and have lunch. The female is a kind of medium sized spider. Not tiny, not big. Maybe IIRC all in all about the size of a 25 cent piece. There's a red hourglass on their abdomen, that's how you ID them.
Just saw a post on FB today that someone found one in a playground here. Yikes. Really not good.
Miss the good ol days when the only thing we had to worry about is bears, and sometimes moose. They generally don't really attack and you can see them from a safe distance.
Offhand I’d say 2mm long, at least for the last one I found crawling on me. Taking a shower every day helps, not sure if it’s sufficient.How big are these things exactly anyway, is there any chance of seeing them with naked eyes? Seems even mowing the lawn might not be safe anymore. Is taking a shower enough to take them off?
Moose bites can be pretty nasty.Just saw a post on FB today that someone found one in a playground here. Yikes. Really not good.
Miss the good ol days when the only thing we had to worry about is bears, and sometimes moose. They generally don't really attack and you can see them from a safe distance.
You think getting a tick bite is bad. Get some chiggers and you will know true misery.
https://www.medicinenet.com/chigger...t_are_the_signs_and_symptoms_of_chigger_bites
View attachment 7459
Who goes to ER for a single tick bite? Was there an allergic reaction or something?Ironicly was at the ER today to go see my dad (unfortunate day for that but thankfully he's fine now) and there was someone in the waiting room that got bit by a tick. This is getting bad.
I did not even know these things existed in first place until a few years ago when I heard about them being here. This sounds like the sort of thing that should only be found in the deep outback of Australia.
Starting to reconsider my dream of owning property in the bush. Though this particular person that was at the ER got it from their own back yard so it seems even outside the bush you're not safe.
I think the only thing they'll be able to do is come up with some kind of antidote shot you can take if you get stung, or some kind of repellent cream. Having to wear pants in the middle of summer is kind of unrealistic.
How big are these things exactly anyway, is there any chance of seeing them with naked eyes? Seems even mowing the lawn might not be safe anymore. Is taking a shower enough to take them off?
“Fleas and ticks” are common across North America, buddy, but that’s not supposed to scare you. A tick bite isn’t like a wasp or scorpion sting. It’s less than a mosquito or flea. You don’t even feel it. It’s painless, like a leech.Ironicly was at the ER today to go see my dad (unfortunate day for that but thankfully he's fine now) and there was someone in the waiting room that got bit by a tick. This is getting bad.
I did not even know these things existed in first place until a few years ago when I heard about them being here. This sounds like the sort of thing that should only be found in the deep outback of Australia.
Starting to reconsider my dream of owning property in the bush. Though this particular person that was at the ER got it from their own back yard so it seems even outside the bush you're not safe.
I think the only thing they'll be able to do is come up with some kind of antidote shot you can take if you get stung, or some kind of repellent cream. Having to wear pants in the middle of summer is kind of unrealistic.
How big are these things exactly anyway, is there any chance of seeing them with naked eyes? Seems even mowing the lawn might not be safe anymore. Is taking a shower enough to take them off?
“Fleas and ticks” are common across North America, buddy, but that’s not supposed to scare you. A tick bite isn’t like a wasp or scorpion sting. It’s less than a mosquito or flea. You don’t even feel it. It’s painless, like a leech.
It’s the potential for disease that’s scary,
Seems really weird that you didn’t know these existed here. A bit like thinking we don’t have spiders in North America!
In my experience ticks are a BIGGER issue when you go north.Exactly that's what makes them so scary, that and the fact that they are so small and don't hurt so you don't even know they're on you unless you're constantly checking yourself. If you're doing work outside and getting dirty it makes it even harder.
We did not have them here (where I live) before, these are new, maybe only within past few years. One of the nice things of living here in the north is not having to worry about these sort of dangerous bugs or dangerous stuff in general but that seems to be changing now.
I'm hoping they come up with a vaccine or antidote or something though. Something like an epipen if you get bit you just take the shot.
If it’s a deer tick - go see your doctor (at least here in NH). You’ve got two weeks to start treatment for Lyme disease before before risking long term recurring symptoms.It’s the potential for disease that’s scary, but it shouldn’t be any more scary than getting bit by fleas and mosquitoes. Try to pull the tick out by the mouthparts using tweezers so that it doesn’t leave any of itself embedded. If you are worried about Lyme Disease in your area then preserve the tick for later analysis and monitor yourself for symptoms. You bring it to the doctor if you show symptoms. Otherwise, throw it out and go about your business.