Yep. I'm going to have to break down and use something nasty in the back yard to keep the ticks off the dogs.

Am I happy about it? No. But on the damage scale, having a dog with Lyme's Disease is worse than the damage I'll do to the micro-arthropods in the soil. They're just going to have to take one for the team this year. At least I'm immune to Lyme's.

I've never had a problem with ticks in my yard - thankfully and it's been many years since fleas have been an issue. Seems Frontline and other similar treatments have done a good job of decreasing the flea pool. Mosquitos are my biggest complaint. I know they can't breed without stagnant water and I walk around my yard on a regular basis dumping any standing water I find, but those asian tiger mosquitoes only need about 1 tablespoon of water to lay their eggs. I absolutely hate having to bathe in deet before I go outside during the day. I hate even more that I have to bathe my son in deet before he goes out to play. I know that deet is safe and it certainly beats getting WNV, but I still don't like having to use it to be outside.

But on the damage scale, having a dog with Lyme's Disease is worse than the damage I'll do to the micro-arthropods in the soil

I live in one of the worst-infested Lyme Disease areas in the country. 20% - 25% of my family and friends have been treated for it. The life cycle of the Deer Tick requires Deer, Field Mice or Voles, leaf litter on a wooded area, and high grass or low shrubs. All of those are present in huge quantities where I live. My wife and one son have had Lyme Disease, a close friend lost 80% of his hearing from second-stage Lyme Disease nerve damage, and many friends have been treated. But people can complain when they feel disease symptoms (although Lyme Disease can be asymptomatic). Dogs can't complain. I had a gorgeous Golden Retriever whose mother was an American champion and father was a joint American/Canadian champion. She had the Lyme Disease shots (only 90% effective). She was "successfully" treated at age 4 after multiple rounds of antibiotics, despite a recurrence (it can hide in nerves for years). At age 6 and appearing perfectly healthy, she dropped dead of a Lyme Disease related heart attack one day at the back door of the house when I was bringing her in for the evening.

Don't ever underestimate Lyme Disease if you live in an area with it, especially after a Winter like this one.

I tend to get ticks from the incoming animals (rabbits, deer, and so on), plus the neighbor who doesn't cut his lawn very well. At least that's less of an issue since he hired somebody to do it.

There's an alternative to Deet--several, actually. Some people swear by Skin-So-Soft, but I can't say I noticed much difference. Strangely, catnip repels mosquitoes. But may attract cats. Effectiveness is moderate, so I'd still use Deet, just less of it.

You can make a catnip...well, it's technically a tisane, but I wouldn't drink it...by putting some in the toe of an old (preferably washed!) pair of pantyhose that have a runner in 'em and are useless. Or wrap in silk. Soak in 8 ounces water with 1/4 ounce rubbing alcohol (vodka will do fine) overnight, agitate occasionally to get the catnip into the water, put in spray bottle. Add a drop of citronella oil if you're so inclined.

Don't ever underestimate Lyme Disease if you live in an area with it, especially after a Winter like this one.

Got that one right. It's an awful disease. I got the immunization while it was available (taking a slight risk of rheumatoid arthritis knowingly) and I'm glad I did. No arthritis, but immunity to the disease--or at least a good resistance to it.

Ditto on what Andy said about lyme disease. Some who get it seem to recover with little to no long lasting effects. Others however are not so fortunate and have serious health issues for the rest of their lives. Seems to be somewhat of a crap shoot on who falls into the lucky category and who lands in the not so lucky category. For those who plan to venture into tick infested areas, permethrin spray is a good option to treat your clothing as it kills ticks on contact. You still need spray any exposed skin with a product containing deet. One word of caution about permethrin – it is hightly TOXIC to cats. Even if it’s been several days since clothes were sprayed, clothes should be washed thoroughly before you let your cat near them.

Whats that white stuff falling from the sky right now??? We actually have about an inch of real snow on the ground already!

Yep... Agree...

Down here - the insect pressure is that much more intense... The Mosquitoes decided to visit several times this winter.... Saw all sorts of moths and other bugs that infect fruit trees early too... The only hope for those is that the trees stay dormant - and we get some good late cold to kill those buggers off...

The down side of that is that many trees are seeing bud swelling - so the danger of winter killing the flowers or causing trees to crack now that the sap is running is high

Thanks

While we are on the subject of mosquitos, they can be really, really bad up in Maine. Deet is the best, but those little fan operated Cutter jobs do help. Three summers ago when we had 20 inches of rain in both June and July the mosquitos were terrible. I was able to garden with deet sprayed all over my clothing and one of those things running on my belt - at that time I was planting hydrangea. The belt clip job worked well so long as it had a fresh insert.

Thanks for the review on the Cutter fan thingy. I had wondered if they worked of not. I don't mind spraying myself down with deet before going out to work in the yard, but it bothers me having to do that with my son. Maybe I'll get him a little clip on to test out this year.

Why did those bug zappers with the ultraviolet light/electrically charged grid go out of common use? I remember my family using one 20-30 years ago in the backyard and it sure seemed to kill a lot of mosquitoes and other flying bothersome insects.I sorta miss that zapping frying sound, especially when a nice fat juicy bug would hit the grid!

HanLawn wrote:Why did those bug zappers with the ultraviolet light/electrically charged grid go out of common use? I remember my family using one 20-30 years ago in the backyard and it sure seemed to kill a lot of mosquitoes and other flying bothersome insects.I sorta miss that zapping frying sound, especially when a nice fat juicy bug would hit the grid!

My dad had one in Maine; it was like a fireworks show every night. They didn't really kill mosquitos which is why people don't use them anymore.

Mosquito Magnets do really work (I run four at a time in Maine), but you have to nurse them and make sure you change the Octenol every 3 weeks. If you get them going early in the season they do disrupt the breeding cycle. In 2009 however, it was sooo bad up there that when I went to help my dad take his sunfish out of the lake in late August (by then they usually have died down), I had to wear a wetsuit and would kill 15 at a time just slapping my arm. That was terrible; apparently Minnesota and Alaska get skeeters like that too. Last two summers have been pretty dry in Maine so it hasn't been that bad.

Zap! A mosquito killed, right? Ummm, not so fast...

Everyone assumed they were killing mosquitoes. The truth turned out to be that of 14,000 or so bugs that were analyzed from a bug zapper, around 30 were biting bugs - in a whole summer. Mosquitoes are not attracted to UV light. Now, they ARE attracted to CO2 exhaled, but those CO2 zappers are much more expensive.

Are those co2 zappers the ones that run off a propane tank?

Some of them, yes.

HanLawn wrote:Are those co2 zappers the ones that run off a propane tank?

Mine run off propane tanks. When I did the landscaping I had gas lines run to 3 of the 4 units, so once they get started all I have to do is empty the nets and change the octenol. In May and June the catch is truly remarkable and disgusting. By July it peters out. After 2 or 3 seasons there is a difference.

I was looking at one of those propane jobs a season ir two ago. I think I miss understood how it use it. Seemed like you changed the propane , nets, co2/oil every month. It would cost like 40 a month to run. Is that true?

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simpson wrote:I was looking at one of those propane jobs a season ir two ago. I think I miss understood how it use it. Seemed like you changed the propane , nets, co2/oil every month. It would cost like 40 a month to run. Is that true?

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Tank lasts about a month as does the Octenol cartridge. You clean the net as needed, they can last 1-2 seasons.

The Hudson Valley is a big apple-producing area, and there was a big Page-3 newspaper article today that the lack of sub-zero temperatures this Winter is causing apple farmers to be very nervous that the crop will be at-risk (higher disease, higher insect damage, no tolerance of Spring cold snaps) because there has been no "hardening" from the Winter.