Ticks?

[LongIslandPiney]

Is is time to start spraying the clothes? We've had quite a few warm days lately, so they must be back out. Because I've seen flies and yellowjackets already, walked into a swarm of gnats today, yuck.
I have a feeling the warm, wet winter is gonna lead us into the bug season from hell. Stock up on Repel!:rofl:

 

[Sue Gremlin]

Yes. I would say that is safe to do. The larval ticks that survived the winter are gonna be hungry!

 

[Seven Bridges Angler]

Hey do you guys actually use something to spray on your clothes to repel ticks or what? Luckly in the years i've been walking aimlessly through the pines, i've ended up with maybe 3 ticks total.

 

[LongIslandPiney]

Repel Permethrin spray, I get it at Walmart.

 

[piker56]

The Walmart near me never has permethrin. Last year I purchased it online from www.forestry-suppliers.com. If you have trouble finding it, try them.

 

[Seven Bridges Angler]

alright thanks..

 

[Sue Gremlin]

I use Repel-X for horses. After lots of experimenting with the human variety, we find that works best.

 

[Boyd]

The ticks have never gone away all winter here, and I gather it's pretty much the same in other parts of the pines after reading some posts here. I have been getting them on my pants every day I've gone out this week. However, they seem sort of "dazed" and don't seem to be a real threat yet. When I notice them I brush them off, but I think they just fall off on their own otherwise because none of them have found their way to any skin.

But yeah, I was just thinking myself that it's time to do a fresh permethrin treatment. "Seven Bridges" - have a look at this thread: http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/showthread.php?t=2749

 

[Boyd]

The Walmart near me never has permethrin

Happily I haven't been in a WalMart for quite awhile But FWIW, the permethrin was never located with the other insecticides at WalMart. They had it in the outdoor/sporting goods dept, with the camping gear. The brand which I've used from there is called "Permanone".

 

[andy1015]

the ticks never died this year, i have been picking them off my dogs all year

 

[Sue Gremlin]

They don't actually ever die out, ticks overwinter as larvae, usually first stage, but the latter stages can also survive. They have some good antifreeze in their blood, and when they can find some nice warm leaf litter, they will survive quite well. That's how they do business. If they can find a nice warm host, like a dog or a deer, even better for them.

 

[andy1015]

got ya, thanks sue

 

[LongIslandPiney]

the ticks never died this year, i have been picking them off my dogs all year

All I can say is hope we have a real winter next year, these warm winters stink.

 

[andy1015]

i with you

 

[Old Crazy]

I hiked from Pakim Pond to Batona Camp this past Sunday (3/16) I probably pulled 8-10 ticks off my pants, which were treated with permethrin, then sprayed with 100% deet.

The 1/2 mile stretch of the Batona Trail north of RT 563 is probably the worst section of the whole trail for ticks because the underbrush is so thick. Unfortunately it looks like the ticks have become active very early this year due to the warm weather.

You can hike the Cranberry Trail at Brendan Byrne State Forest spring/summer/fall and avoid ticks and chiggers because it's wide enough for bikes and mostly gravel or sand. Just be careful to avoid stepping on the sprigs of grass growing here and there on the trail.

 

[Phil from Philly]

last year, a few friends and i were hiking between carranza and apple pie at night, and when we finally made it back to the car, i could feel something strange on my legs. i looked down at my legs but i didn't see anything at first. i used my headlamp and looked very closely at my ankles, and then what i saw shocked me. it looked like the skin around my ankles was moving. they were actually covered with what i thought were ticks, thousands of them. i assumed i must have walked through a nest during the hike. i made my buddy drive home as fast as possible so i could jump right into the shower.

unfortunantly for me, they weren't ticks, they were chiggers. and they suck.

i've got a feeling that this summer is going to be bad for chiggers as well as ticks.
got any good anti chigger advice?

 

[Old Crazy]

Chiggers are at their worst in the late summer/fall. Avoid grassy areas. Whenever I hike when chiggers are active I always check my shoes and pants every time I come into contact with a clump of weeds or grass. Rub against the wrong blade of grass and you'll see a black mass the size of a half dollar form on your pant leg containing hundreds of chiggers. I use deet before I hike and I keep it ready in my pocket to use if I see a clump of chiggers form on my pants.

I generally restrict my hiking to dirt roads in the pine barrens from April-Oct to avoid coming into contact with the foliage. I contracted Lyme disease on the AT 5 years ago and that is definitely something I don't want to go through again.

 

[LongIslandPiney]

Chiggers are at their worst in the late summer/fall. Avoid grassy areas. Whenever I hike when chiggers are active I always check my shoes and pants every time I come into contact with a clump of weeds or grass. Rub against the wrong blade of grass and you'll see a black mass the size of a half dollar form on your pant leg containing hundreds of chiggers. I use deet before I hike and I keep it ready in my pocket to use if I see a clump of chiggers form on my pants.

I generally restrict my hiking to dirt roads in the pine barrens from April-Oct to avoid coming into contact with the foliage. I contracted Lyme disease on the AT 5 years ago and that is definitely something I don't want to go through again.

Yeah me too, I stick to the wide fire roads and stay off the trails in the warm season. It's a shame because the narrow trails go to some real nice places but I can only use them in winter.
There's no escaping the pine flies though.

 

[Old Crazy]

The deer flies can be tortuous, especially when you're near a swampy area where they're in abundance. Greenheads will bite you anywhere, but deer flies tend to attack you from behind and usually go for the back of your neck, so I wear a baseball cap, then drape a head net over that and tuck it into my shirt collar.

 

[BobNJ1979]

hiking in wharton yesterday, i found 4 ticks on me..and that was just walking down the RR tracks to a couple trestles..

does permetherin work for chiggers too ?

i've had some really LITTLE crawlers on me before. as small as the smallest freckle you can imagine. are those baby ticks or chiggers ? can you even see chiggers ?