Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada • Hacker News Board

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

#21

Post by mihular » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 6:09 PM UTC

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.

AFAIK there was a Lyme disease vaccine, but was discontinued, probably because it wasn't effective enough, I don't remember the details.

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

#22

Post by bluGill » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 6:09 PM UTC

Dumblydorr wrote: post #20

mantas wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

They are a huge problem in Minnesota as well.

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

#23

Post by Analemma_ » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 6:09 PM UTC

littlestymaar wrote: post #18

topgrain2 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Some people don't like the scratchy feel of linen compared to cotton, although there are now linen-synthetic blends which ameliorate this almost entirely.

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

#24

Post by kbaker » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC

We have (had?) some ticks in our backyard and I came across these which I thought was a clever attack angle: tick tubes.

Permethrin-soaked cotton balls in a tube, mice find them and build nests out of the freely available cotton, ticks that the mice have gathered while walking around die when they come back to the nest.

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

#25

Post by mc32 » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 6:26 PM UTC

Analemma_ wrote: post #23

littlestymaar wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Some people don't like the scratchy feel of linen compared to cotton, although there are now linen-synthetic blends which ameliorate this almost entirely.

I have not come across linens that are scratchy. They can be coarse but not scratchy. Blends can be fine fibers. Coarse wool I do find scratchy, unless it’s cold then the scratchiness goes away. Seems like Belgian linen is good.

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

#26

Post by kzrdude » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 6:29 PM UTC

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.

Norway is projected to have growth in ticks and new tick species because of climate change (warmer and more humid climate), so that's one example of it moving north (though ticks seem to always have been in Norway?)

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

#27

Post by gramie » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 6:30 PM UTC

mihular wrote: post #21

mantas wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

AFAIK there was a Lyme disease vaccine, but was discontinued, probably because it wasn't effective enough, I don't remember the details.

There has been a vaccine for dogs and cats for a while now, not sure why it hasn't been released for humans yet. Lyme can be really horrible. Some people we know have a 30-something son who was very active (camping, hiking, rock climbing, etc.) until he was bitten by a tick. Now he's quadriplegic.

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

#28

Post by SoftTalker » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 6:33 PM UTC

littlestymaar wrote: post #18

topgrain2 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Cost, more complicated in the laundry, prone to wrinkling, and air-conditioning. Linen clothing was more popular before AC was invented.

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

#29

Post by SoftTalker » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 6:34 PM UTC

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.

So there's no natural immunity after having it once? How would a vaccine work then?

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

#30

Post by winxton » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 6:36 PM UTC

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.

I got bitten by a tick at a cottage near Ottawa and got a fever then bell's palsy a month later. I didn't even notice I got bit at all at the time. A year later, I went to the hospital for a swollen knee and had surgery done, and ended up being tested positive for lyme disease. The doc says you're too young to have bell's palsy and arthritis. Careful out there!