Ticks...WTF? (house, organic, live in)

[typical guy]

So I went walking the other day and I felt something tickling me. So I wiped it away and it was a TICK crawling on me! When I woke up the next day, there was a tick on my side, so I had two different ticks the same day, just walking on sidwalks and such with my family! Then today my daughter got a tick on her. It's almost like we get a tick every time we go for a walk and that's a problem because I walk twice a day usually. So, are ticks really bad this year or is it just the area I live in?

What age is appropriate to start spraying a child with OFF? My daughter is 1 and it seems like maybe it would get her sick.

[normie]

Originally Posted by typical guy

So I went walking the other day and I felt something tickling me. So I wiped it away and it was a TICK crawling on me! When I woke up the next day, there was a tick on my side, so I had two different ticks the same day, just walking on sidwalks and such with my family! Then today my daughter got a tick on her. It's almost like we get a tick every time we go for a walk and that's a problem because I walk twice a day usually. So, are ticks really bad this year or is it just the area I live in?

What age is appropriate to start spraying a child with OFF? My daughter is 1 and it seems like maybe it would get her sick.

It's a bad year for ticks. Insects in general are going to be very bad this year, since we had so much rain.

Also, poison ivy and poison oak may be very bad this year.

[irisheyes13]

We have noticed a big increase in ticks this year also. I would not use anything on your daughter though until you talk to her pediatrician and make sure it is safe.

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by typical guy

So I went walking the other day and I felt something tickling me. So I wiped it away and it was a TICK crawling on me! When I woke up the next day, there was a tick on my side, so I had two different ticks the same day, just walking on sidwalks and such with my family! Then today my daughter got a tick on her. It's almost like we get a tick every time we go for a walk and that's a problem because I walk twice a day usually. So, are ticks really bad this year or is it just the area I live in?

What age is appropriate to start spraying a child with OFF? My daughter is 1 and it seems like maybe it would get her sick.

There are ticks everywhere here, and this year is worse than normal. I don't understand how you picked up ticks from the sidewalk though. When you walk don't touch trees, bushes or grass (especially high grass). I've never picked one up off a lawn, but maybe it's possible. When you get home you need to check yourself and your child for them. I walk every night and never see ticks unless I leave the beaten path.

[anpanman]

I got my first tick EVER a couple of weeks ago.

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by anpanman

I got my first tick EVER a couple of weeks ago.

I got a couple ticks on me last year and my dog (fortunately she's white) got some on her last year. I usually walk her on a sidewalk through a wooded area. This year she was picking up at least a tick a walk and I picked up a couple also, so we are now walking along the street on the sidewalk and haven't seen any since. If you have a dog and he's going into the woods or long grass, then it is probably covered with ticks! This is a good year for them I guess.

I believe the ticks I've seen are the "brown dog tick." (brown dog tick - Rhipicephalus sanguineus Latreille) The good thing about them is they are easily spotted (unlike the deer tick that is common in Maine) and they aren't a major disease carrier for humans. The bad thing is that, unlike most ticks, they can actually infest your house and sustain a population there.

I hate ticks, and there aren't many creatures I can say that about. But they are here so we have to watch for them.

[beatlecrazy]

Hmm I noticed that too...

I was working on pulling out weeds in my backyard, and I had two ticks stuck to my pants. Usually I get one per summer or so, but this is a lot.

[kd36]

My family gets ticks all the time. We take walks in the woods and nearly every time someone comes home with a tick. We do tick checks after every outdoor outing. We have found that using an organic spray in the yard (I can't remember the name, but it contains clove oil and maybe rosemary oil and smells sort of nice) has reduced the number of ticks we encounter on our own property.

[statecollege]

I'd never use insecticide on a child--even if your pediatrician gives you an OK. Most are poison. However, there may be organic sprays on the market that are safe. The "green" movement has done some good in this regard. Do you come in contact with pets in your home or friend's? Do body checks for ticks frequently. I was in Connecticut recently, and my niece had a deer tick in her ear, where fortunately it was visible. They are surprisingly tiny--like the period in this type. Deer ticks are in this area, too, so consider that source should anyone in your family have flu-like symptoms this summer.

[FL Beaches]

Is there an Off for kids? There was some kids bug spray when my son was 5th grade or so. I wouldn't use it on a little one like yours unless I checked with a pediatrician first.

We've given up going into the woods for the summer. Will have to save our woods Geocaching until the fall and winter. I still don't understand why the Geocaching groups in our areas have their annual picnics...in the parks...in the summer months and labor day weekend. It's beautiful here in the spring and fall. Why not then?!