Ticks in the Adirondacks?

[poconoron]

Just a question for you native Adirondackers, or anyone who is knowledgeable on the subject- are ticks common in the Adirondacks?

Just as a frame of reference- I live in the Pocono Mts. region of Pa. and ticks are a big problem here in spring to early summer. If I go out in May for a day's hike, bushwacking, etc. I can easily pull 25 to 30 off my clothes and body on the hike. When I get home and strip down I'll find a few more. It takes a little while for the little bloodsuckers to actually attach to your skin and start drawing blood- and then lyme disease is a concern.

Since my experience in the ADKs is mainly limited to summer and fall- I have NEVER has a problem with them up there.

Are ticks a problem in spring time? I am very curious about this.

Thanks for the info.........

[lumberzac]

Ticks generally aren’t a problem. They do exist in the Adirondack, but nowhere near the numbers farther south. I’ve been hiking there for about 20 years and have only had to pick a handful of ticks off of my dog. Last year (mid July) was the first time I ever saw a deer tick, which was crawling on my hiking partner

[redhawk]

Just a question for you native Adirondackers, or anyone who is knowledgeable on the subject- are ticks common in the Adirondacks?

Just as a frame of reference- I live in the Pocono Mts. region of Pa. and ticks are a big problem here in spring to early summer. If I go out in May for a day's hike, bushwacking, etc. I can easily pull 25 to 30 off my clothes and body on the hike. When I get home and strip down I'll find a few more. It takes a little while for the little bloodsuckers to actually attach to your skin and start drawing blood- and then lyme disease is a concern.

Since my experience in the ADKs is mainly limited to summer and fall- I have NEVER has a problem with them up there.

Are ticks a problem in spring time? I am very curious about this.

Thanks for the info.........

It's the deer tick that is the problem which is much smaller (and harder to spot) then the regular ticks.

I have yet to come across any myself but if there are deer, there are deer ticks. The question is if the lyme disease has spread up here yet. There doesn't seem to be the concern here that there is ufrther South and in Connecticut, but I would still take precautions.

[sacco]

what zac said.
except that last year seemed especially bad for ticks to me. before last year i'd only seen a couple in my life.
then last year i picked a half dozen off me throughout the season. maybe just a coincidence or just 1 bad year.
hopefully (and probably) not the start of a trend.
still a lot less than most southern areas at any rate.

[Rick]

Ron, I used to live near Easton and hiked quite a bit in the Endless Mountain Region as well as NW NJ. Prior to that I lived in Western NY and spent quite a bit of time in the Adirondacks and Central PA (Potter and Lycoming county area).

With that said, I have never had a tick problem in the Adirondacks or Central PA, I could never understand all the concerns of ticks, as I never noticed them - UNTIL I moved to the Easton area.

Ticks everywhere!!!! (Mostly brown dog ticks, though some deer ticks)
I'd pull a dozen off my brits after an hour of them running in the fields, I pulled 3 off my son and 2 off myself and 2 off my wife one day on the AT in NJ when we sat in some tall grass for lunch. I have pulled probably an easy 10-12 off myself over the past few years while completing the AT in PA & NJ - Like 1 tick for every 25 miles of hiking.
I woke up one night after an afternoon of hiking in Bucks County area, with something trickling my wrist -It was a tick. I almost drove off the road one afternoon as I left the trailhead and looked down and saw a tick race up my leg into my shorts - That is not a pleasant thought.

We have them here in Mass as well - They are everywhere - It really is annoying. I can understand the lack of them in the ADKs, but I don't know why they are not a problem in Central PA, but to the east, they are abundant.

[Dick]

I've never seen ticks in the Adirondacks, and I understand that they're more of a problem elsewhere. For instance, we have a huge deer problem in some parts of the Albany capital district. Both my son and I have contracted Lyme disease (both of us caught it in time and were treated). It can't hurt to do a tick check after hiking, especially if you're in areas prone to the disease.

Dick

[oldsmores]

I've never seen one in the High Peaks. I'm guessing that the relatively small deer population combined with the more severe winters higher up keep the ticks at bay. I imagine that they're around in lower elevations, especially where there are more open areas.

[kwc]

what zac said.
except that last year seemed especially bad for ticks to me. before last year i'd only seen a couple in my life.
then last year i picked a half dozen off me throughout the season. maybe just a coincidence or just 1 bad year.
hopefully (and probably) not the start of a trend.
still a lot less than most southern areas at any rate.

my wife has noted that there has seemed to be an increase (over the past few years) in the number of ticks being discovered on dogs being brought to the animal hospital ... guess we'll have to wait and see how things go as spring progresses. we've never found any ticks on our dogs after hiking around here (fulton & hamilton counties) but we did find some ticks after hiking the catskills. it can be especially difficult to find them if your dog has long fur.

[percious]

I am pretty sure I contracted a tick, and subsequently lyme disease near JBL three years ago. I was swimming in the brook, then I went through some tall grass on my way back to camp. I checked myself over, but I guess I missed behind my knee. Two weeks later, the tell-tale rash, and a feeling of fatigue and headache. After a month of pills, I felt better.

-percious

[protocoldroid]

I really got more ticks in NH as a kid than I have in NY as an adult. I don't know if it was that I just didn't care as a kid an went all over in shorts, or if it's regional, but....

You shouldn't worry if you do just one thing... Check yourself visually & with your hands (scalp and arm pits are the first spots to feel), then... have someone else look. If you do find one.... The home-remedy I've always used, is to light a match, extinguish it... then press the very hot matchhead to the tick, it'll back it's head out so you don't pull it off with the head in there.

[Dick]

Other common advice for tick-infested areas is to wear light-colored clothes (easier to see ticks), long-sleeved shirts, tuck pants into boot tops. DEET and permethrin (on clothes) works. I have read in several places that carefully using tweezers is the best way to remove a tick, and that the hot match method is not recommended, though I'm not sure why.

[poconoron]

Thanks for Tick info

Thanks, all, for the input.

The ticks in my region of Pa. that seem to be the most common are the larger brown (dog?) ticks. When I go out on a hike in Spring or Summer I KNOW I'm going to be pulling them off my clothes and skin. I'm assuming also as has been said here that a high deer population and somewhat milder winters here in Poconos (as compared to ADKs) have something to do with it, but there's probably more to it than that.

We do have an extremely high deer population here- something like 25 deer per square mile from what I've read; I guess that compares with something like 6 deer per square mile in ADKs if I remember correctly. We've also got around 1 bear per square mile totaling around 2,000 in Poconos 2,000 sq. mi.

I wonder whether the warming climate which we've been experiencing means that ticks will become more of a problem in ADKs in the years to come? Let's hope not.........

[protocoldroid]

Dick, I had to go do a little homework after reading you've heard not to use the hot match technique (especially cause I've done it countless times)....

And I definitely agree now, I understand why not to use the match. If you end up doing something that just aggrevates the tick without removing it -- the tick empties the contents of their stomach... gross and definitely not helping in the infection department!

My mom is a animal groomer, and I remember that she had these neat little spoons with at slit at the end for removing ticks from dogs & cats. The idea is to gently ease the tick out, and it gives you some good leverage. I've got to find the right tool to use to replace my technique... I'm afraid I'd crush the tick immediately with plain tweasers (but, i've got the butter fingers!).

Anyways.... not to freak out the thread starter here.... Last two summers in the adirondacks between my girlfriend and I.... One tick each (on our skin, I've seen more on our clothes), we're averaging .5 ticks / year, but... Better to check and not be sorry, even if you're checking for nothing (really the best outcome )

[Dick]

Here is a map that shows (as of 2003) that shows how prevalent Lyme disease is throughout the US:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/riskmap.htm

Again, I have yet to see a tick in the Adirondacks (maybe I'm lucky). My son and I most likely contracted Lyme from ticks in or near our back yard. We live in a "high risk" area.

Dick

[sacco]

that map's a nice find dick