Are There Ticks in the Phoenix Area? (Mesa, Flagstaff: apartment, house)

[Nanny Goat]

No ticks or fleas. In Florida, we had them everywhere. I think I've only seen mosquitoes a few times here, too, in years. I lived on a lake last house and never saw any bugs either--just ducks.

[Finger Laker]

we definitely do have both ticks and fleas ..... you can't say that they aren't here

i just don't think they are a problem here because the numbers are few and the way they travel is not condusive to the landscape of the metro (at least with ticks)

we also don't have a lot of mosquitos or flying bugs - but they do exist

it's funny looking at our west nile rates, which tend to be higher than the rest of the nation despite such a low # of mosquitos

i think it's because the disease is often not diagnosed, however older people and kids will tend to get to the drs with the symptoms more often - but that is just my opinion

[cap1717]

ticks? yes. . Phoenix metro area. . . some years are a lot worse than others. . .

[NJ2AZSusan]

We had a dog here for over 8 years and never saw a tick on her or in the house. And we never had to use Frontline.
One of the greatest pleasures of living here is being able to sit outside at night and not get eaten alive.
But having moved from NJ, a land of mosquitos, ticks and Lyme Disease, I understand your concern. You may find the following amusing:
Transplants To Phoenix Examiner: Swine flu: disease du jour?

Susan

[Finger Laker]

heh - i'll never forget my last weekend in MN - helped a buddy put a fence up in his yard - bathed in bug spray as it was summer - super humid too

the mosquitos stayed off my skin pretty well, but they actually embedded themselves into my non-sprayed mesh shorts - i must of had a couple dozed mosquitos sewed up

[tyrbo52]

I think their population is held down by the black widows, tarantulas, scorpions and centipedes,

so, not to worry about ticks. lol

[canudigit]

Originally Posted by tyrbo52

I think their population is held down by the black widows, tarantulas, scorpions and centipedes,

so, not to worry about ticks. lol

If you think that this scares me, then you greatly underestimate how much I HATE ticks, lol. Lousy, bloodsucking, dirty, little #$@#%$*#$

[military spouse]

My dog has had several ticks here. I don't recall her having ticks in any other location. She has never had a flea.

[observer53]

I remember there being ticks on the dogs in the neighborhood where I grew up here. It was a greener area with irrigation, etc. I don't hear as much about ticks now, but I imagine they are still here, esp. in less "deserty" neighborhoods. Fleas? No.

[Stumblina]

I think ticks can be/live just about anywhere. With dogs (or any pet for that matter), the thing is to use preventive measures - like Frontline, Sentinel, etc. I've just recently watched several episodes of "Animal Cops-Phoenix" and in each episode they showed the inside flaps of the ears of pups and adult dogs being rescued and their ears were completely covered in ticks. In fact, there was one pup whose gums were white and it was at death's door because it had so many ticks sucking the blood out. Thank God the AHS was able to save this pup’s life! Don’t get me wrong - I'm not saying that ticks are running rampant in AZ or anything like that! We have ticks in Michigan too. I thinks it’s all about the pet’s owner ensuring that his pet (and home) does not becomes infested with ticks, fleas, etc. All this talk about ticks is making me itchy!!!