Lyme ticks and gardening -- need advice before moving (Wake Forest: live in, gym)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Here’s my anecdotal experience…I’ve lived in the Triangle since the 80s. I’ve found 5 ticks on me in that time, despite spending a lot of times outdoors. 2 at Umstead, 2 at Harris Lake (specifically the disc gold course), and one at the RTP trails (MTB trails near Cisco, i picked up the tick when I stopped at the edge where there are tall grasses). I’ve spent enormous numbers of hours in Umstead, and only been to the other locations a handful of times each. I learned early on to check myself and family for ticks after visiting places like these, plus being proactive by using DEET. After the second tick experience at Harris, I quit using the disc golf course there. I have never picked up a tick on my own property (we currently have a very wooded half acre). Mosquitoes are a much bigger concern, imo.
I live in a burb of Charleston, SC and my niece lives in Columbia, SC. We also have friends in Chapel Hill, NC that we visit frequently.
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With SC you will have the added issue of hurricanes, although living in Columbia not to the extent that the Charleston area does.
All of this is pretty accurate, but NC gets more hurricanes than SC. Quite a few more. We are 4th in hurricanes after Florida, Louisiana and Texas. And it's a pretty big jump between SC and NC. Less of a jump between NC and LA although LA gets bigger ones usually as the Gulf is warmer.
Yes, ticks and snakes and bugs are here. You learn what to do to avoid them. I haven't gotten a tick bite recently, but would never be surprised to see one. If you have a dog make sure to keep them on heartworm preventative year round and check for ticks. There are quite a few tick diseases in the area. I know folks who have had Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, the red meat allergy, also there is Ehrlichiosis and STARI. But you are still more likely to get killed in a car accident or be a victim of gun violence than get sick from a tick. More info on diseases tick bites can cause here: https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/ticks.html
I hope they caught your Lyme early and were able to knock it out with the Doxycycline. It's no fun.
We are considering moving from Chicago to either North Carolina (Triangle area) or South Carolina (Columbia area). We are planning to buy a home with at least half an acre of land. We love to garden and plan to spend lots of time in the yard.
So, past July we visited the Triangle area and I got Lyme disease (it was from Umstead State Park). I know the CDC consider North Carolina as a Low incidence state with only 92 confirmed cases and 242 probable in 2019 but I believe the numbers are much higher.
I am little concerned because we have 2 young kids, no pets.
Is disease carrying ticks very common in wake county? Or I was stupid careless tourist?
Is disease carrying ticks only in heavy wooded areas?
Do I have to worry about disease carrying ticks if I live in subdivision or cleared lot?
Okay, so I put up a fence, do four foot of gravel around the boundaries of my yard and spray the rest for ticks and bugs every six weeks. Would that guarantee No tick bites?
I am sure my concern to some of you might sound stupid but please understand, where I come from (Chicago), we don’t worry about snakes, ticks and bugs and I would like to know the price I have to pay for better weather and beautiful greenery.
Unless you lived in an asphalt jungle, you do indeed have ticks, snakes and bugs in Chicago (I'm a former Chicagoan). Except, your snakes aren't venomous. A fence wont keep snakes, ticks, bugs out. Mow your yard, keep debris piles to a minimum and make sure your pets wear a flea/tick collar.
I live in a burb of Charleston, SC and my niece lives in Columbia, SC. We also have friends in Chapel Hill, NC that we visit frequently.
We moved from MA to SC and I LOVED to garden. I find it relaxing and enjoyable. That said I no longer garden in SC due to the Copperhead (venomous) snakes. Before you think that fear is unfounded, there are LOTS of Copperheads in suburban areas in SC. I used to think I would only see one if I was walking in the woods or tall grass. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
They have been on paved trails, on the sidewalk in front of our house (where they bit my pet sitter's puppy), in the grass on lawns, wound around stairway railings, and in the trees. A neighbor of ours was turning off his irrigation system one night and got bit by a Copperhead in the bushes (they love to hide out in gardens under the bushes). Another neighbor was bit running out to retrieve something from his car that was parked in the driveway. The neighbor across from us went to load a baby stroller in her car, and found a Copperhead inside of it.
I lived in NC 70 years. I spent a lot of time in the woods and fields the first 30 years of my life. I never got Lyme’s and I never had a tick imbedded under my skin.
We are considering moving from Chicago to either North Carolina (Triangle area) or South Carolina (Columbia area). We are planning to buy a home with at least half an acre of land. We love to garden and plan to spend lots of time in the yard.
So, past July we visited the Triangle area and I got Lyme disease (it was from Umstead State Park). I know the CDC consider North Carolina as a Low incidence state with only 92 confirmed cases and 242 probable in 2019 but I believe the numbers are much higher.
I am little concerned because we have 2 young kids, no pets.
Is disease carrying ticks very common in wake county? Or I was stupid careless tourist?
Is disease carrying ticks only in heavy wooded areas?
Do I have to worry about disease carrying ticks if I live in subdivision or cleared lot?
Okay, so I put up a fence, do four foot of gravel around the boundaries of my yard and spray the rest for ticks and bugs every six weeks. Would that guarantee No tick bites?
I am sure my concern to some of you might sound stupid but please understand, where I come from (Chicago), we don’t worry about snakes, ticks and bugs and I would like to know the price I have to pay for better weather and beautiful greenery.
I have fantastic news for you!! Illinois has 3 - 10 times greater reported cases of Lyme disease than North Carolina. So hurry up and get over here so you can reduce your family's chances of also getting the bacteria!!
We have not had a problem where we are, and we had a dog for the last 6 years. We do have deer that frequent our yard (and the whole subdivision) so surprised it hasn't been a problem.
Anecdotally I saw a case of lyme disease here this summer from somebody who got it out of state. It's the first case of Lyme I've seen in this area, and the patient remarked that the ED doctors and other providers remarked how rare it is to see Lyme in this area.
Have fire ants made it to Chicago yet? They are very common in NC and SC. I hate those MFers.
How could I forget the horrible fire ant. I've had way more bad encounters with them than just about any animal.
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