With the wind chill, it felt like -45 C. If you are from the States and don't know Celsius, -35 C is 30 below F. You probably already know that -40 C and -40 F are the same.
This was actually good news. Those kinds of temperatures, coupled with only a tiny bit of snow on the ground, stand a chance of killing lots of ticks.
The tick population has exploded in recent years. Until about 15 years ago there were no ticks at all in Nolalu. Now you get ticks on you just about any time you walk through tall grass from mid-May to mid-July.
There are also new species of ticks showing up. The first were Wood ticks which are relatively harmless.
Now Black-legged ticks that carry Lyme disease are being found everywhere in the Thunder Bay vicinity. Nolalu is just 50 kilometers from Thunder Bay.
These new ticks are active much later in the season too. An entomologist in Thunder Bay gathered a bunch of the ticks in September and tested them for Lyme disease. Two-thirds of them tested positive.
And still another tick is showing up. A friend of mine was cleaning a grouse in Graham, which is about 150 kilometers west of Thunder Bay last September when a tick walked off the grouse onto his hand. This arachnid (ticks are members of the spider family) had a white spot in its center. Don had never seen anything like it but looked it up later and it was the Lone Star tick which carries yet other diseases to humans.
Don reported it to the health authorities and learned several others had also seen Lone Star ticks. Unfortunately, nobody thought to save the ticks so they could be verified and tested by the health unit.
The fact that the Lone Star tick was on the grouse shows how ticks can be transported into new areas like Northwestern Ontario. Grouse are not migratory, of course, but most other birds are and could be providing pipelines for ticks to what were once tick-free zones.
That scenario has always been the case but in the past the ticks couldn't survive the harsh winter conditions we experienced. Now, with climate change, they can live here quite easily. The cold of the last few days was really the only bitter temps we've had in a few years.
4 comments:
Dan, hearing cold like that is killing ticks is great news. I used to volunteer with buckthorn, wild rose and honeysuckle removal in our local forests. My role was to drag the cuttings to the burn pile. Even in the winter time if the temps were slightly over freezing, I found ticks on me after I got home. The risk just isn't worth the reward any longer. Any suggestions on how to keep ticks away that have worked for you.
Mike S
I have had great success with the Deep Woods Off that has 30 per cent DEET. If I spray this on my pants and socks before going afield, I am usually tick-free afterwards. Just keeping the tall grass mowed is another help. Ticks are everywhere but especially in tall grass. I run my brush mower around all our trails and field and the decrease in tick numbers is dramatic.
In Indiana, my wife was bit by a deer tick and contracted Ehrlichiosis. Nearly killed her. 5 days in the hospital with double IV's in both elbows. More than 8 months to fully recover. Rare disease. Always use DEET.
Sorry to hear about this and hope she is OK now. Your point is well-taken. Always use DEET! I have used DEET insect repellents my entire life. The 30 per cent OFF used to have a blue top but in Canada, at least, that changed last year. Now you have to read the label to see what you are getting. Another advantage of the 30 per cent was it kept ankle biter flies (stable flies) away too. In the summer when wearing shorts, Repel repellent cream will keep working all day long. The OFF spray needs re-application after awhile.
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