No cats here, but we have a black poodle - and I wonder how I'd ever find a tick in his dense, fluffy coat if I checked it! How visible are they against a pet's hair? Since I garden 'by the seat of my pants' I'm going to be working right in their zone :-( I have partial paralysis on one side, with decreased sensation. What do the bites feel like - itchy like a mosquito, or painful like a wasp or bee? DH tends to downplay risks to himself and I despair of getting him to do things like wear long pants tucked into socks and not wear shorts and sandals with no socks while traipsing about in woods and wetlands taking photos. At least he noticed the tick that bit him but it didn't prompt him to take any subsequent protective action! Any advice re how to get him to not think of himself as impervious to the dangers ticks present?! Did you modify how/when you do chores in order to lower risk? If so, what do you now do differently?

Google what Lyme Disease does to a body and show it to him. Serious complications can occur for years. It is not easily diagnosed and you can have it for a year before a definitive diagnosis can be made. In the meantime it is wrecking havoc in your body. I know many people who have the disease. If you are putting yourself in areas where ticks are prevalent then you need to protect yourself.

I think one just needs to follow the common sense recommendations. Shoes, socks (high ones, not the currently-trendy little ankle-high things), long pants, long sleeves, gloves, and hats. When I garden, about the only thing showing is my face, and, if I'm in the shade, my forearms - although if the mosquitoes are bad I wear a man's dress shirt over my t-shirt, which is what I do in the sun as well. (I avoid the sun at all costs, so my sun-avoidance style of dress also helps me with tick-avoidance.) I do have to really make myself wear a hat (hate 'em!) and if I ever get a tick bite I'm sure it will be on my scalp.

My daughter recently made some kind of tick repellent with vinegar and peppermint oil - not sure if it works but I spray it on my clothes and forearms.

I take my clothes off as soon as I get in the house and throw them in the wash. I admit to not checking for ticks as much as I should but since I cover up so well I'm not overly concerned with the checking. I do usually shower as soon as I'm done gardening, so that helps too.

digger dee - hmm... It sounds like my personal water consumption will be rising as the washing machine and shower gets heavier use ;-). I cover up a lot too as I sunburn easily. Does wearing white clothes make it easier to see any ticks on the clothes? (Note to self - buy lots of Javex....)

Deb - so far I've been unsuccessful in getting him to take ticks seriously as a threat to his health. I guess I just have to keep at it and hope it eventually sinks in!

Get the dog vaccinated. The real horror stories I've heard about Lyme are about dogs, not people. Cats supposedly don't get it, so we can shove the ticks on them without guilt. One of ours is a black long haired cat, and it isn't easy to find ticks on him.

Tick bites are very itchy to me. I garden in shorts and sandals, and don't tend to find a lot of ticks on me. My DH is a runner with a lot of trail running friends, and they don't consider it much of an issue. So I guess we are in the same camp as your husband. So long as you can get the ticks off you in a timely fashion, it isn't a big deal. Now a few years ago, I did develop a classic bull's eye rash. So I toddled off to the doctor's and they took one look and gave me an antibiotic prescription.

Oh, guys.... they think they are impervious to everything until something makes them sick and then they are a bunch of babies. :)

woody, what's Javex? That's a new one on me. :)

To clarify the "water use" - I don't necessarily throw my clothes directly in the washer machine; maybe I should have said "throw them in the laundry" or hamper or something like that! :) Although, I always seem to have something needing to be washed, so I just stick my garden clothes in with whatever other load needs washing. And as far as a shower, that's a necessity anyway after gardening with all those darn clothes on, lol! Ticks or no ticks! :)

Yes, hopefully your husband will take it seriously. I'm not paranoid about it - I certainly won't stop gardening because of ticks! - but I have seen firsthand how bad Lyme disease can be. A friend of mine suffers horribly from it, mostly because they now think she contracted it decades ago, before they even knew what it was. What I find ironic is that they think she got it as a teenager, and we grew up in a gritty city! Not much green where we lived! Anyway, by the time she was diagnosed, she had had it for years and years and it really wreaked havoc with her, so I do know how bad it can be.

Ok, I found the 'magic bullet' last year for the first time. It's called Permethrin and it is 100% effective. That means you have zero chance of getting ticks with it. .You can find it in farm stores, or sporting type stores.

You can buy it as a spray can which has .5% Permethrin, or in a 1 pint liquid container of 10% which you can dilute down. I make a 1 gallon solution of 1 to 2 % and spray my work clothes with it. I also go around and mist the common areas of the yard early in spring. I have had no ticks since using this. None, Zero. I had Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis the two years before. You can soak your clothes in a solution of it which will last between multiple washings.

It is safer to use than Deet. The tick dies within 30 seconds of contact with it.

And since ticks are arachnids, it also completely eliminates spiders from entry ways as I found out this year. But keep it away from cats.

Do an internet search for it to learn more if you want.

diggerdee - Javex is just a brand of bleach - if I'm going to wear light-colored clothes while sitting on the ground to garden, lots of bleach will likely be required to get the clothes clean again! :-) Re the laundry - there's usually always something waiting to go in the wash here too, so it's easy to make a full load :-) But it'll be a bit more expensive since we have time-of-use variation in power costs. I'll probably be running the washing machine at the most expensive time of day (I'm such a cheapskate!) I've read some of the horror stories about Lyme and that's why I'm more than a little paranoid about it - I just wish I could make DH a bit more worried about it!

dandy_line - I read about the Permethrin on the Tick Encounter Resource Center web site. LL Bean has men's pants with it so I may order a pair for DH. I'm a bit leery of such potent chemicals that appear safe now but who knows about longer term exposure.... For DH, it may be the lesser of the evils :-) For me too perhaps, but I'm still mulling it over since I fit into that 'compromised immune system' group that has to be more wary about everything. But it may well be the lesser risk than exposure to Lyme.

Re pets/our dog - we use the Revolution heartworm medication. He gets a dose every month from June 1st to Nov. 1st I just checked when looking for the link I've embedded - it is supposed to be effective against ticks, so hopefully he's protected and won't bring too many indoors with him!

I think I'm getting a bit more comfortable that we can manage this risk. Thanks for all your input.

I was just checking on the treated pants at LL Bean - they only ship those to the U.S....

Update: But I was able to order Permetrin spray through the Amazon.ca site so we're going to try that.

I don't think you need to be paranoid about ticks and gardening. I do A LOT of gardening and literally live within a deer crossing with A LOT of deer. Several years now and I have not seen a tick. Now, while I do advise gardening in long pants/shirts with socks, etc..., truth is, mostly I am in running shorts, t-shirt and bare-footed. I do have an outdoor shower that I installed so that I can run into after gardening, but mostly, to keep me cool. I do not let my cats out though because of the likelihood of ticks. Now, I also know people who are less than outdoor kinda people that have seemed to gotten ticks (one with full blown Lyme Diseease), so that seems interesting. Maybe lucky, maybe just the particular area. I have a wooded area in the back and I do mow the perimeter so I am not walking and brushing among tall reeds.

And it's the teeny deer ticks that are the problem and hard to see. I live on Cape Cod, tick central. I have found that, when I wear wool socks, I have less of a problem with ticks. But that is not a scientific finding!

I'm in that 'compromised immune system ' too, I had a tick bite but it was many years ago before we thought we had to worry about Lyme disease in my neck of the woods. Over the years I've had so many unexplained health issues and then my doctor retired and I ended up with a new one.

I was just coming down with Belle's Palsy for the second time, sitting there I started whining about all the complaints I've dealt with over the years, old doc I'm sure thought it was all in my head. New doc said I want to do some connective tissue blood tests on you, he was looking for Lyme Disease, didn't have that but the tests came back positive for Lupus, symptoms are just about the same for both. Anyone that gets bitten by a tick here is recommended to go on a dose of antibiotics to be on the safe side, since there have been cases of Lyme Disease here.

Annette

Annette - ain't health issues fun?! :-) When DH got bitten by the tick, coincidentally he was already on an antibiotic for a different issue, and the doctor said it was the same antibiotic he would have prescribed to deal with a tick issue. DH may lead a charmed life! :-) I was reading the symptoms of Lyme Disease this morning and they are certainly general enough (other than if you get the bull's eye rash) to apply to so many things. It's easy to see why someone could be misdiagnosed, especially as there seems to be no easy/simple test that could be included in a blood screen looking at multiple possibilities.

Woody 'ain't they fun' LOL, with Lupus I have to stay out of the sun and we've had the summer of all summers this year, it's been dart and dash around here, managing to keep everything alive 'barely' with the water restrictions this year has been challenging to say the least but I can pretty much spend the evenings out in the garden. I've got quite a bit of shade now so that helps but can't grow all the sun lovers I used to.

I turned one of my main beds into a vegetable garden, still have a couple of sunny beds but most are partial shade now. Health issues be damned I love my garden and will always find a way to keep on truckin'. I can be wobbly on my feet at times so got DH to make me a steadying tool, a replacement D-handle for a spade with a piece of rebar pushed into the end. I can get in amongst the plants using this and not end up trodding on anything, both me and the plants are loving it :).

Annette

Annette - similar problems generate similar solutions..... I have a number of what I wall 'my stationary walkers' in the main front bed. The ironworker who made the iron arbour for me years ago made them for me. The main front bed is the only one that is too big for me to reach all areas easily from a path, so I use them for support so I can walk around to weed or deadhead. Mind you, by this time of year the plants are too tall and bushy to get in there easily without doing some damage! I used to get DH to remove them for the winter but don't bother now and just leave them in place. They look a bit odd perhaps at times but, once the plants get tall, they become less visible. They are more-or-less arrayed around the sundial and I've had visitors to the garden ask if they are some sort of clock feature! :-)

I think they look wonderful standing alone, but then, I am a garden+metal type person. How many are there?

Min3 - I think there were originally 8-10 but a couple have been removed as other things (e.g. the 8' iron tuteurbehind and to the left of the arbour) were added and could provide support. Most of the ones removed were on the house side of the bed. That side of the bed is narrower so it's easier to reach from a path. This picture from spring 2010 shows a few more of them. The one you can see to the left of the arbour is not there now.:

Absolutely love those woody, much more attractive then my plunk and push.

Plunk and push looks fine to me :-). My balance problem is quite extreme which called for a more substantial frame.

Woody, you need to get rid of the chipmunks. They are a carrier of deer ticks, possibly more so than deer. Where there's two or three, there's so many more behind them. Gosh, they breed like crazy! We've gotten at least 75 this year, and that's only when we see about six at any one time. They just keep coming!

NH is one of the worst states for Lyme, so it's pretty serious here. We have a son with a genetic disorder, so we have gone so far as to spray each year for ticks and mosquitoes. I'm not a fan of chemicals, but we can't take any risks. I've watched my garden over these years and still see all sorts of bees, including honeybees, butterflies, dragonflies, etc. No ticks or mosquitoes though. I actually had a therapist tell me that some in the naturopath community up here think spraying is a good idea, even though it is chemical, compared to the risks of so many tick and mosquito borne diseases that are out there. We also have Triple E...deaths associated with it in NH.

My mom recently met with a company that sprays for ticks, and they have issues with chiggers (seriously, that would be grounds for me to move! LOL!) and they have been applying a natural spray mainly consisting of garlic. They have seen a great reduction of ticks. Whenever I've worked in their garden I would have multiple ticks on me throughout the day, and many times find them on me on the plane ride home! Yikes! So for them to say they haven't had any ticks on them since this garlic treatment started makes me think it must really work. Seems to keep deer away too. Our spray regimen does as well because there are aromatic oils in it.

If you check with a local pest company they might have organic sprays that might be worth looking into. Over the course of a season it is quite expensive though. But, if you don't pull ticks off you regularly after working in the garden, maybe you don't really have a major tick problem? We started spraying when every time I came out of multiple areas of the garden I'd have four or five ticks crawling on me. And I wasn't even working in tall grasses or woods.

I guess the good thing about Lyme is that you have a bit of a warning with the bullseye, so there is time to get meds before running into real trouble. Deer ticks are tiny so tick checks are so important. Although, I have such a head of hair (I suppose much like your dog, only blonde!), I don't think I'd ever be able to find any ticks on my head........

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

T2D (Susan)

T2D/Susan - I was hoping you'd reply as you've mentioned ticks before. Ticks have only recently moved this far north so they haven't been an issue before, but they are now being found around here so are likely to be a problem in this garden soon - especially now that the chipmunks have moved in too! What do you do to to control/eliminate the chipmunks? Traps? In the front garden, DH plants garlic wherever he can find space in all the beds - I wonder if that helps? We planted wild garlic in the 'wet corner' in the backyard a few years ago. It doesn't seem to have done very well though. Maybe I should try it in other beds there :-) What spray do you use in the garden to control them? I have never thought to check myself for ticks before but I'll be starting to do that now....

Woody (also a Susan....!)

LOL thyme - my hair is very thick too and my husband won't check my head for ticks for me. He says the hair is too darn thick and he would never find any anyway.

Interesting about the garlic treatment. I will have to look into that. Not that I seem to have a terrible tick population here (so far!) but better safe than sorry. Thanks for that info.

Woody, I'm not sure if you want to know my method for "controlling" the chipmunk population. I've gotten flack from some, but if you had seventy rats running around a yard, I'm sure many folks would take drastic action. Chipmunks being so darn cute strike a chord with people. With the tick/chipmunk issue as well as the incredible amount of digging/destruction they do in my gardens, we can't have such a huge population around. We do not trap them, we eliminate them. No poison. Even now I'm sure I have at least another dozen in the yard. There are times when I'm working in the yard and the chipping coming from all directions is astoundingly loud with so many of them. They just keep coming!

if you're OK with elimination as opposed to trap/release, shoot me an email offline and I'll give you the method. sconfalone@comcast.net.

We have a professional pest company come in with backpacks that fog the perimeter of the yard, up/into the ornamental trees, shrubs, under decks, etc. I always ask them to stay away from anything blooming and they generally stay out of the cottage garden in general since there's always a lot of bloom in there. I would imagine the pesticide would kill other smaller insects on contact, but thus far it doesn't seem to affect them otherwise. Unfortunately, I'll never know what the long-term effect is on them.

Not everybody gets the bullseye rash when they have Lyme Disease. It is a very misleading fact about LD. That is one reason why it took so long for my gf to get a proper diagnosis. The doctor wasn't aware of this fact, so since there was no bullseye rash, she didn't have LD. Thankfully she dropped him, and found a doctor that was better informed about this disease. But by then, more than a year had passed since she got it, a year with no treatment. It has messed her up!

Deb, than you for that extra information! I had no idea you could get Lyme and never see the rash.