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What do ticks eat? (Other than blood from creatures...)


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They just wait. Squirrels, lizards, snakes, mice, rats, Deer, Elk, Song dogs, cats, dogs, large and growlies, people, rabbits, cows, horses, something will come along sooner or later for them to get a hold of for a free ride and dinner. I am not sure how long they can go without anything but seldom are the trails really empty for long.

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In my mind ... the one's that don't find a host ... I hope they find a slow lingering suffering death! But I'm not bitter icon_biggrin.gif

 

Tick.gif

 

----------------------------------------------------------------

Co-founder of the "NC/VA GEO-HOG ASSOCIATION"

... when you absolutely have to find it first!

 

[This message was edited by Hawk-eye on May 30, 2002 at 05:02 PM.]

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Can we have a moment of silence ... for the passing of Markwell's Tick? .........

 

icon_biggrin.gif Nope ... can't do it ... GLAD HE'S DEAD!!!!!!!

 

----------------------------------------------------------------

Co-founder of the "NC/VA GEO-HOG ASSOCIATION"

... when you absolutely have to find it first!

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critter's blood is all they go on. Creative hungry ticks used to go to the supermarket to latch onto some red meat if they couldn't find a host, but they found that this interfered with their GPSr reception.

 

Ever notice everybody is willing to give THEIR 2 cents worth but only offer a penny for YOUR thoughts?

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What I'm getting at is, would the ecosystem be harmed in any way if we could find a biological, chemical, or genetic agent that would drive ticks to extinction?

 

They aren't effective pollenaters, and the only creatures I can think of that benefit from the existence of ticks are the microbes that cause all the horrible diseases in tick-bite victims.

 

So, unless some species (other than those pathogens) would be directly affected, I vote for total eradication. icon_biggrin.gif

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I wonder about all this recent hype over ticks. You have a better chance of something much more serious happening to you while driving to a cache then a serious incident from picking up a Tick while caching.

 

If you remember to check yourself out after leaving the woods and fields than you should have no problem.

 

I just returned from a week of camping out in Northern Minnesota and I found 18 ticks on me that week. None of them had "dug in" because I took 2 minutes to check myself before zipping up in the sleeping bag every night. Even if one did dig in, its still quite rare to contract one of those "terrible" diseases everyone fears.

 

Relax...have fun, and don't let a little bug spoil a good time!

 

Smoochnme

 

goldfish.gif

"He who hesitates is lost"

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quote:
Originally posted by smoochnme:... Even if one did dig in, its still quite rare to contract one of those "terrible" diseases everyone fears.

 

Smoochnme

 


 

Maybe Minnesota has mainly uninfected ticks. But here in NYS, there are counties where 50-60% of the Deer ticks are infected with Lyme disease. Since you're from PA, I'd check the stats there as I believe it's pretty serious from your state as well.

 

Happy camping icon_smile.gif

 

Alan

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quote:
Originally posted by Alan2:

quote:
Originally posted by smoochnme:... Even if one did dig in, its still quite rare to contract one of those "terrible" diseases everyone fears.

 

Smoochnme

 


 

Maybe Minnesota has mainly uninfected ticks. But here in NYS, there are counties where 50-60% of the Deer ticks are infected with Lyme disease. Since you're from PA, I'd check the stats there as I believe it's pretty serious from your state as well.

 

Happy camping icon_smile.gif

 

Alan


 

I'm well aware of all the statistics. But they still do not scare me enough to stay home, afraid to venture in the field. There are precautions to take to minimize the risk.

 

I'm also not afraid to drive a car which actually could kill me if I'm not safe and take precautions.

 

goldfish.gif

"He who hesitates is lost"

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The CDC has several interesting sites regarding ticks. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/lymespot2002.htm refers to Lyme disease and has links to other tick-related diseases.

 

On another site (http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/rbkimsey/tickbio.html), I learned that"Hard ticks have three distinct life stages. Larvae which emerge from the egg have six legs. After obtaining a blood meal from a vertebrate host, they molt to the nymphal stage and acquire eight legs. Nymphs feed and molt to the next and final stage - the adult, which also has eight legs. After feeding once more, the adult female hard ticks lay one batch of thousands of eggs and then die. Only one blood meal is taken during each of the three life stages. The time to completion of the entire life cycle may vary from less than a year in tropical regions to over three years in cold climates, where certain stages may enter diapause until hosts are again available. Many hard ticks can go for several months without feeding if not unduly duressed by environmental conditions." (like being in a tupperware container, I'm guessing)

 

It's interesting that "the transmission of B. burgdorferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease) from an infected tick is unlikely to occur before 36 hours of tick attachment. For this reason, daily checks for ticks and promptly removing any attached tick that you find will help prevent infection."

 

Golly, and I thought the time-honored after-'caching "tick hunt" was just another of my husband's romatic ideas icon_biggrin.gif

 

-honeychile-

 

'*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

 

[This message was edited by honeychile on June 23, 2002 at 03:00 AM.]

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quote:
Originally posted by smoochnme:

quote:
Originally posted by Alan2:

quote:
Originally posted by smoochnme:... Even if one did dig in, its still quite rare to contract one of those "terrible" diseases everyone fears.

 

Smoochnme

 


 

Maybe Minnesota has mainly uninfected ticks. But here in NYS, there are counties where 50-60% of the Deer ticks are infected with Lyme disease. Since you're from PA, I'd check the stats there as I believe it's pretty serious from your state as well.

 

Happy camping icon_smile.gif

 

Alan


 

I'm well aware of all the statistics. But they still do not scare me enough to stay home, afraid to venture in the field. There are precautions to take to minimize the risk.

 

I'm also not afraid to drive a car which actually could kill me if I'm not safe and take precautions.

 

http://www.contrabandent.com/cwm/s/otn/animals/goldfish.gif

"He who hesitates is lost"


 

I agree with you that everyone should take the amount of risk they feel is OK for them. However I think it's important that we all know the facts so we can make an informed choice. Many people are not aware of the risks or how they can reduce the risk (DEET for ticks; seat belts for driving)

 

Also, you seem to be out there on your own. There are many who cache with their families which raises the danger level because of children being exposed. My kid is grown but I don't know if I would take her out caching with or without DEET if she still lived with me as a youngster. Or I would go to cirtuals, or locationles, or places where the tick population is not overwhelming. My wife doesn't let me take the dog on the hunt because of ticks. She lets me go though. Hmmm. icon_confused.gif

 

Alan

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quote:
Originally posted by honeychile:

The CDC has several interesting sites regarding ticks(snip)

-honeychile-


 

Honeychile,

 

THANKS! That was exactly what I was looking for, authoratative (not back-yard, weekend schlock that someone thinks sounds right to them.)

 

I apoligize to the schlockers, heck, I'm one myself!

 

--majicman

 

(Always trade UP in both quantity and quality and Geocaches will be both self-sustaining and self-improving!)

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besides eating their own offspring, ticks also eat puppies and butterflies. When the war on terrorism is won, we must next turn our atention towards ticks. And this from a Hearty Minnesotan who picks off at least a dozen ticks per week just offof his own hide. Not to mention my 2 dogs and my young son. Use DEET and stay out of grassy areas.

 

boo2.jpg

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Here in PA, we see our share of Lyme disease, but two other tick borne diseases are just as, if not more common. One is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, the other is Ehrlichiosis. I used to be a vet tech in an animal hospital, and I never saw a confirmed case of Lyme, but we had four cases of Ehrlichiosis in one summer. Like others have said, who doesn't do a tick check when they come in? I live in an area that has tons of ticks. I get four or five just from a stroll in the front yard. Besides, even if they do attach, the disease isn't transmitted instantly. It takes a while. My point is, don't get too worked up over ticks. icon_biggrin.gif

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