Damn Ticks

I went in the woods yesterday my bass station was set up for six and a half hours and I shot about 75 coordinates. And I had about 300 ticks dug in around my waist and on my legs. I got home and the county had cut my telephone line. I had to drive back to town to DPOS my job.DPOS is the Javad version of opus. So I wake up this morning I itch all over but my job is out in the truck and my phone line is still not fixed. I'll be scratching those tick bites for several days now.

Nate The Surveyor, post: 442945, member: 291 wrote: ... I'll be scratching those tick bites for several days now.

I've found several 'hitchhikers' on my person over the last few days. Most of August seemed like the tick population had disappeared but with all this rain I guess they're back.

Interestingly, I've done a little reading and found there is a tick known as the "Lone Star Tick" (Amblyomma americanum). It apparently doesn't inhabit Oklahoma much; probably due to its dislike of the PLSS up here. That's a good thing because if a Lone Star Tick attaches itself to you it can actually bore you to death (or make you wish you were dead) with its stories about its superior form of blood-sucking as compared to those indigenous to Oklahoma.

And although there are plenty of the common Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis) here in Oklahoma, I have a suspicion most actually migrated north from Texas. This is probably due to their confusing our Oklahoma canines with human females they generally encounter south of the Rio Roxo in Texas. 😉

Nate. Ya ain't 'sposed ta be fishun on the job!

"my bass station was set up for six and a half hours"

Sort of related: Drexel University in Philadelphia is doing an in-depth study on ticks and they are looking for specimens. Check these out:
http://www.philly.com/philly/health/science/tick-bite-lyme-disease-dog-drexel-20170823.html

Saw a picture of what they called the "Lone Star Tick" last week.
It looks like what I've known as a "seed tick" all my life.
They can be felt crawling much more than they can be felt after they have dug into your flesh, they release some kinda numbing ingredient.
It don't take long before they are hip deep and are very hard to extract without leaving their head embedded.
A liberal dose of Vick's Vapor Rub will have them backing out gasping for some air.
I believe they are the source of the low grade fever that has bothered me for 40+ years.
BTW, Johnsons Band Aid makes an affordable topical liquid application that takes the itch away long enough to sleep thru the night with the aid of Benedryl or its generic form of medication.

Nate The Surveyor, post: 442945, member: 291 wrote: And I had about 300 ticks dug in around my waist and on my legs

Natester I'm surprised at that,especially considering you "luck" with ticks in the past. You ol' fool squirt deet all over your clothing. 😉

I read somewhere that a bite from the Lonestar Tick can trigger an allergy to red meat... Not good.

Zoidberg, post: 443012, member: 8841 wrote: I read somewhere that a bite from the Lonestar Tick can trigger an allergy to red meat... Not good.

The newest threat is powassan, it can be transmitted within 10 minutes of being bit, can leave you permanently impaired and is fatal in 10 -20% of the cases. No known cure. Here in my county in upstate NY three people have been diagnosed with it this year and one has died.
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/2nd-case-of-tick-borne-Powassan-virus-in-Saratoga-11296321.php

FL/GA PLS., post: 443008, member: 379 wrote: Natester I'm surprised at that,especially considering you "luck" with ticks in the past. You ol' fool squirt deet all over your clothing. 😉

I've heard that all that deet isn't good for ya... They say it'll make you grow a "third one"

I spray. They "like" me.

I've wondered about the social lives of ticks...

Mr tick says to Mrs tick:
"What are you doing, that's his anus!"
"it is? So what, do you hear the blood, flowing, right under my feet?"
"Oh! Yeah, scoot over, would ya? I'm starving too!"