What to know about tick prevention

According to the Fuzz, it looks like there's a good chance of you experiencing a home invasion this summer. Fuzz, by the way, is our in-and-out cat. If you open a door, she either runs in or dashes out. After a day of lurking around the yard and checking for invading mice among the hay bales in the barn, she made her usual sprint for the opening kitchen door. As Fuzz made herself comfortable and began her fur-grooming routine, I reached down to give her a scratch when I noticed a tick on her ear. After removing the critter, I retreated her with a vet-recommended powder and escorted her back outside. I took a bit of time to wash my hands and clean up the scratches she left on my arm where she'd expressed her dissatisfaction with the service while my dog sneered at her out the window. It was then that I felt that creepy-crawly sensation on my neck. I'd found another tick invader. In Ohio, the American dog tick, its cousin the deer tick, also known as the black-legged tick, and the lone star tick are nasty little insects that can really bug our pets. They're also just as willing to hitch a ride on any strolling human. They're found in tall grass, woodlands and field edges and about anywhere else you or your pets may decide to take a walk. Ticks don't jump, fly or drop from trees onto your head and back. If you find one attached there, it probably latched onto your foot or leg and crawled up your entire body. While that's discomforting in its own right, we also know that the deer tick is guilty of transmitting Lyme disease while the more common dog tick has been known to carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. Now those are real reasons to be aware of these little buggers' presence. As Grandma always would say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This is good advice when dealing with ticks. Follow the directions on permethrin-based repellents and spray it on outer clothing before taking to the fields. Pants should be tucked into socks or boots and shirts into pants to keep ticks on the outside of the clothing where they can be spotted. Always check clothes and gear for crawlers and your skin for any attached ticks. Don't forget to check pets, too. Dr. Glen Needham, Associate Professor Emeritus of Entomology at Ohio State University, agrees with Grandma. "Ohioans are at greatest risk for contracting tick-borne disease from June through August, but Lyme disease is possible year-round. Wear proper clothing and use repellent to help prevent tick attachment," Needham cautions. For most tick-borne diseases, you have at least 24 hours to remove a feeding tick before it can transmit an infection. A quick tick check at bath or shower time can be helpful in finding and removing attached ticks before harm is done. Prompt tick removal is important, but there's a lot of misinformation about the procedure. Don't use petroleum jelly, fingernail polish, alcohol, cigarettes, matches or other similar methods to try to kill or stimulate the tick to back out; they don't work. Use tweezers or gloved hands and grab the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out with steady, even pressure. Quick yanks aren't recommended. Dr. Paul Mechling is a retired veterinarian and the Ohio Wildlife Council President. He adds his wisdom to dealing with ticks. "Urban and suburban development as well as outdoor recreation allows the spread of these diseases as people come in close contacts with mice, white-tailed deer, and other hosts for ticks. Pets in an outdoor setting should have tick control," he said. Mechling also points out that according to research conducted by the University of Maine, plant makeup can have an impact on tick frequency. It suggests that woodlots with invasive plants such as bush honeysuckle, Japanese barberry and buckthorn may have three to four times the number of black-legged ticks compared to woodlots with no invasive plants. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources adds that unlike humans and pets, wild animals such as deer are not affected by the black-legged tick and suffer no ill effects from Lyme disease. Additionally, Lyme disease cannot be transmitted by the consumption of venison. Hunters should remember that hunting and dressing deer may bring them into close contact with infected ticks. Here are four steps that can help protect you from tick problems. • T – Tweezer ticks by grabbing the head as close to the skin as possible and pulling it straight out. Disinfect the area before and after removal. • I – Inspect for ticks after outdoor activities. • C – Create a barrier by using repellant clothing and approved chemicals. These also protect against mosquitoes, ants, flies, chiggers and midges. • K – Keep Away from tick habitats. These include shady, wooded and weedy edges. This can be tough while walking the dog, exploring the countryside, birding or hunting so refer back to "T-I-C." Finally, don't forget to protect Rover and Tabby. While you're doing that, I'll keep an eye out for the Fuzz. "Insects sting, not from malice, but because they want to live; they desire our blood not our pain." – Friedrich Nietzsche Along the way A pair of piping plovers are nesting at Maumee Bay State Park in Lucas County. This is an exciting development for a species that is listed as federally and state endangered and has not had a documented nest in Ohio in at least 80 years. The birds have constructed a nest on the park's inland lake beach. The Great Lakes population of piping plovers is at a perilously low level. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife resources, no more than 32 nests have been recorded in a single year. Most pairs nested in Michigan. While the birds work on raising the next generation of piping plovers, a portion of the beach will remain closed to protect this federally endangered bird. Step outside • Thursday and Friday: Trap and skeet, open to the public, 5 p.m., UCOA, 6943 Township Road 243. • Today: Rifle and pistol target match, 11 a.m., Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Township Road 186. Pistol competition will be shot from 10 and 15 yards, rifles from the covered 100-yard benches. Rimfire and centerfire permitted. The public is invited to compete. • Sunday: 3-D archery match, 30 mixed animal targets, Field and Stream Bowhunters, 11400 Township Road 109. Registration opens at 8 a.m. For more information, contact Harold Spence by calling 419-423-9861. • Sunday: International Defensive Pistol Association shoot. Registration opens at 9 a.m., competition at 10 a.m., UCOA, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay. • Tuesday: Tuesday Trap Program begins and continues for six Tuesdays. 50 bird program starts at 9 a.m. at Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Township Road 186. For more information, email dcallison96@msn.com .• July 4: Blackpowder competition, patched round-ball only, 1 p.m., Black Swamp Muzzle Loaders, Township Road 19, 1/4 mile west of County Road 139. For more information, call 567-525-1921 or email roadkill4u@hotmail.com Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via email at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com