Ticks & Chiggers--a study

[bobpbx]

I've been getting seriously chigged for the past few days, and I'm not going through any underbrush or tall weeds, just wandering around on my little trails. Have been resisting, but going out to spray a set of clothes/shoes with permethrin now.

These tiny little monsters are all over the place, hard to see them. Usually, it seems like they just have a quick bite to eat, then move to a new spot for another snack and I never find them. But I've had a few actually attach themselves now, they just look like little dots on my skin. But they hang on very tightly and I need to use some sharp-pointed tweezers to extract. Ugh.

Boyd, I remember a time I went on a botany trip. On the way out to the site on a path, nobody was afflicted by ticks. On the way back 90 minutes later, many were. They were likely drawn to the path we went in on by sensing our carbon dioxide. So they know where humans walk. When you walk your trails, look at the small plants that come up, especially grass and sedge blades. You'll notice them at the tips. I see them like that a lot. a little 1/8" bump.

 

[stiltzkin]

Taking the bite out of Lyme disease

In two new studies led by bacteriologist Brandon L. Jutras, Northwestern scientists have identified an antibiotic that cures Lyme disease at a fraction of the dosage of the current “gold standard” treatment and discovered what may cause a treated infection to mimic chronic illness in patients.

news.northwestern.edu

Some interesting developments.

 

[Teegate]

Taking the bite out of Lyme disease

In two new studies led by bacteriologist Brandon L. Jutras, Northwestern scientists have identified an antibiotic that cures Lyme disease at a fraction of the dosage of the current “gold standard” treatment and discovered what may cause a treated infection to mimic chronic illness in patients.

news.northwestern.edu

Some interesting developments.

Good news. Now we have to make sure the drug piperacillin is readily available.

 

[Boyd]

I've seen a few full size (adult?) ticks on my clothes, hands and arms. But they're easily spotted and brushed off. No bites from them yet, with normal precautions of tucking pants into socks, etc. But those little tiny ones are something else, I guess they can walk right through the weave of my socks to bite my ankles and then nibble their way up my legs. I really don't remember these being so bad in the past, but usually I start the permethrin regime much earlier. Wanted to see if it was really necessary this year... and now I know.

Speaking of bugs (not to get too far off topic...) the hornets are really awful this spring. Have been swarming so fiercly on my porch that I get nervous going in and out the door. Every year, I manage to get bitten once or more by those devils!

 

[Teegate]

We found a can in the shed and sprayed it on last weekend. They still get in my car and the house. Not as worried about the car this time of year because a few hours in my driveway with the windows up and I find them dead.

 

[RednekF350]

Good news. Now we have to make sure the drug piperacillin is readily available.

I am sure Pfizer is salivating over marketing this one. Tickdemic-2025 is upon us, we just didn't know it.

 

[Boyd]

Two years ago, I stepped out my front door and - wham - before I realized what happened, a hornet dive-bombed me and bit me on top of the head! Last year, I went into my little shed and one came down and bit me on the face - was lucky to be wearing glasses or it might have been my eye! Found the nest and sprayed it. Not learning my lesson, on a cool, sunny morning in this March opened up the same shed and a few came out at me. This was the worst, was wearing a heavy Carhart sweatshirt over a tee shirt, but one went down my neck, inside my tee shirt and was biting me repeatedly while I frantically was ripping off my clothes to swat it!

 

[RednekF350]

Two years ago, I stepped out my front door and - wham - before I realized what happened, a hornet dive-bombed me and bit me on top of the head! Last year, I went into my little shed and one came down and bit me on the face - was lucky to be wearing glasses or it might have been my eye! Found the nest and sprayed it. Not learning my lesson, on a cool, sunny morning in this March opened up the same shed and a few came out at me. This was the worst, was wearing a heavy Carhart sweatshirt over a tee shirt, but one went down my neck, inside my tee shirt and was biting me repeatedly while I frantically was ripping off my clothes to swat it!

What kind of hornets? It's odd that they are active each year in the same shed. The giant paper ball-building bald faced hornets die off at the end of each season and the queen hides in a tight crevice somewhere. In the spring, she poops out a few workers and they get to work making paper.

 

[Boyd]

No idea what kind of hornets, I wasn't even sure whether they were bees, wasps or hornets but they look like the pictures of hornets I've seen. They were only a problem in that shed for two years. Have been dreading going back in there, but opened it up yesterday and didn't see any. Guess I nailed their nest with the bug spray after the last incident. It's close quarters in there, and I just blasted the spray up above the door, where the nest had been before, without even looking. Seems to have worked.

But the porch has gotten progressively worse over the past 5 years or so. Spent awhile yesterday and just couldn't find the nest. So, I started spraying them in-flight with Raid flying insect spray, which claims to kill wasps and hornets. That's not easy, they move fast and the breeze blows the spray around. Initially it appeared to have no effect, but I think it killed them slowly. There were a lot less yesterday afternoon, so it seems to be working.

 

[RednekF350]

No idea what kind of hornets, I wasn't even sure whether they were bees, wasps or hornets but they look like the pictures of hornets I've seen. They were only a problem in that shed for two years. Have been dreading going back in there, but opened it up yesterday and didn't see any. Guess I nailed their nest with the bug spray after the last incident. It's close quarters in there, and I just blasted the spray up above the door, where the nest had been before, without even looking. Seems to have worked.

But the porch has gotten progressively worse over the past 5 years or so. Spent awhile yesterday and just couldn't find the nest. So, I started spraying them in-flight with Raid flying insect spray, which claims to kill wasps and hornets. That's not easy, they move fast and the breeze blows the spray around. Initially it appeared to have no effect, but I think it killed them slowly. There were a lot less yesterday afternoon, so it seems to be working.

Possibly the European Hornet. But they follow the same lifecycle as the bald-faced. Nests are not reused year to year. And you would certainly notice their nests.

European hornet - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[enormiss]

Noticed these going in and out when I got home yesterday. Wanted to spray last night but forgot. Had a huge nest in a small tree in the front yard that I didn't notice until the winter when all the leaves dropped. No activity and empty when I cut it down on a very cold day. Maybe same queen starting over, until I invade tonight.

 

[RednekF350]

Very industrious. The insect world is fascinating to me. The built-in behaviors and instincts that are programmed into a brain the size of a few grains of sand are nothing short of amazing.