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Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada

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Re: Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada

#11

Post by e28eta »

washbasin wrote: post #7

Through a combination of two of my hobbies, I learned that pyrethroids are toxic to aquatic animals. Glad to see that they used "locations [that] were situated away from waterbodies". Pyrethroids are very powerful tools for insect control (and non-toxic to humans) but any place where you have runoff or ground seepage is going to be a problem. Aren't those places the ones most likely for ticks to thrive -- areas near…

They’re also very toxic to cats, which is why dogs & cats have different flea & tick medicines.

Re: Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada

#14

Post by pfdietz »

tamimio wrote: post #12

I got bitten by a mosquito in Ottawa a couple years ago that sent me to the hospital.. I stopped near the river while cycling to see a raccoon for few seconds, was more than enough for that lil sucker to do the job.

There are some potentially very nasty diseases spread by ticks and insects. For example, flaviviruses like West Nile, Dengue, and Powassan (which debilitated and ultimately killed the wife of Canadian fantasy author Charles de Lint.)

Re: Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada

#15

Post by bluerooibos »

Another worrying proxy for how deeply climate change is bleeding into everyday life: coffee prices, orange juice prices, and now having to engineer huge trail areas with woodchips just so people can avoid being bitten by exploding tick populations.

Re: Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada

#17

Post by mantas »

bluerooibos wrote: post #15

Another worrying proxy for how deeply climate change is bleeding into everyday life: coffee prices, orange juice prices, and now having to engineer huge trail areas with woodchips just so people can avoid being bitten by exploding tick populations.

Ticks are a problem regardless. And they don’t like too much heat. So climate warming may even reduce their population in some parts. Or, more likely, move them up north. Giving relieve to some and headache to others…

Lyme disease vaccine would help a ton though. I’ve had Lyme 3 times by now. Thankfully encephalitis stab is a thing.

Re: Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada

#18

Post by littlestymaar »

topgrain2 wrote: post #10
Insanity wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or avoid the trails all-together. Given the 30th anniversary of Trainspotting this seems relevant: https://youtu.be/xtbS_PdA198?si=8ba8Fp8_uzdpIq6J . I’m pretty wary of ticks, when you go for hikes just do a body check after. Also, I tend to go with long pants (even in summer, I dislike bugs more than the sweat). Plus a lightweight windbreaker can help to cover upper body. Plus it limits sun exposure which is also ha…

Linen clothes are awesome. Long trousers and long sleeves and almost as cool as short sleeves and shorts in shade, and cooler in direct sun.

Linen is the most underappreciated fabric. It's cool in both ways. I don't understand why so few people wear linen in summer.

Re: Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada

#19

Post by Dumblydorr »

twoWhlsGud wrote: post #6
Insanity wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or avoid the trails all-together. Given the 30th anniversary of Trainspotting this seems relevant: https://youtu.be/xtbS_PdA198?si=8ba8Fp8_uzdpIq6J . I’m pretty wary of ticks, when you go for hikes just do a body check after. Also, I tend to go with long pants (even in summer, I dislike bugs more than the sweat). Plus a lightweight windbreaker can help to cover upper body. Plus it limits sun exposure which is also ha…

And if you're wearing long sleeves and long pants, you can apply permethrin in a semi permanent way to your clothing to discourage ticks and mosquitoes: https://www.consumerreports.org/health/insect-repellent/is-p...

Do not do so if a cat will be anywhere near the clothes or compound. It’s super harmful to cats.

Re: Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada

#20

Post by Dumblydorr »

mantas wrote: post #17
bluerooibos wrote: post #15

Another worrying proxy for how deeply climate change is bleeding into everyday life: coffee prices, orange juice prices, and now having to engineer huge trail areas with woodchips just so people can avoid being bitten by exploding tick populations.

Ticks are a problem regardless. And they don’t like too much heat. So climate warming may even reduce their population in some parts. Or, more likely, move them up north. Giving relieve to some and headache to others… Lyme disease vaccine would help a ton though. I’ve had Lyme 3 times by now. Thankfully encephalitis stab is a thing.

They don’t like heat? That seems incorrect. If true, Then why are they a huge problem in TX and other southerly areas, and are only now spreading north?
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