What month do the bugs arrive?

[elbowman]

Hello All,

I was wondering if some of you Sipsey Wilderness Experts can tell us when we can expect the bugs to arrive. I had alittle trouble with ticks last summer, and I am curious when I can expect them to be part of my camping weekends.

Thanks. Eric

[toph]

Pulled two ticks off of me this weekend but have seen the occasional one in January as well.  They're always out.

[Nalgene Ninja]

If the weather stays like it is, anyday now. 

[mich4076]

I had two ticks I felt crawling up my leg but none attached... saw a few mosquitoes but we were walking too fast for them to keep up

[Joshua Szulecki]

They leave?

I picked three ticks off the dog after a 10 minute hike in some heavy grass, in New York (coldddd), just after snow melted, about two months back. The ticks never leave.

But... I think you meant the mosquitos. I seem to recall seeing the first as the Trout Lilies start to bloom, so... there out.

[WolfVanZandt]

Grrrrr.....and I don't guess the 40° lows are likely to run them back in, huh?

I hate ticks.........

[Uncle Wayne]

Grrrrr.....and I don't guess the 40° lows are likely to run them back in, huh?

I hate ticks.........

I'd always heard "we need some cold weather to kill the bugs". I made that statement in front of a friend who worked for the forest service. He said they had a biologist show them an experiment with ticks and cold weather.  He took a dozen ticks and placed each one in a separate ice tray compartment, filled the tray with water, covered the tray so the ticks couldn't crawl out and put the tray in the freezer.  The next day they took the trays out, emptied the ice cubes with the ticks frozen inside onto the table and left them to melt.  All 12 ticks lived and were crawling around as soon as their individual ice cube melted.

Cold weather doesn't kill them.  It may make them less active but they are still there.

I hate ticks too.

[WolfVanZandt]

I'll go for "less active".

[Uncle Wayne]

I'll go for "less active".

Agree wholeheartedly.   

[Nalgene Ninja]

Saw ticks on my pants after sitting on the ground in Sipsey back in January.

[elbowman]

Hello All,

Make sure insect repellant is part of your packing for any future Sipsey Trips. Ticks are out and in force! I found at least a dozen on me hiking during last weekend. Even having deep woods off covering me and my clothes did not prevent one blood sucker from finding his way onto my back. Hate ticks!

Eric

[Uncle Wayne]

I've already found several ticks on me this year but luckily none attached so far.  I bit the bullet and bought some of the "Buzz off socks" for me and my wife and daughter.  My daughter and I wore ours for the first time today and for the first time this year, no ticks after an 8 mile hike taking pictures of wildflowers all the way.  So we were on and off the trail most all day and no ticks.  It may have been beginners luck but the maiden voyage worked out well for the "Buzz Off Socks".

[dreamweaver]

I hate ticks also.  What are Buzz Off Socks and where did you acquire the magic foot attire?

[Uncle Wayne]

I hate ticks also.  What are Buzz Off Socks and where did you acquire the magic foot attire?

They are articles of clothing, in our case socks, that are treated with some "P" word chemical that skeeters, chiggers and ticks just don't like.   Supposedly good for 25 washings.  Our are merino wool and very comfortable.

My wife bought a scarf on the AT last year that kept the bugs from flying around her face so we decided to try the socks.  So far so good.

We got the socks at Alabama Outdoors but REI, LL Bean and other online companies have them too. 

[Nalgene Ninja]

http://www.sierratradingp...9&codesProcessed=true

[sam4msu]

The "P" word in this case is permethrin.  You can also get this at Lowes in the bug chemical section.  I forget which product it is but it comes in a hose end sprayer bottle and will list permethrin as one of the active ingredients.  I just spray down all of my clothes, my hammock and my bug net.  Once dry it has no ill effects on humans but you can watch skeeters land on it and fall off dead!!!  Great stuff.

[weathermansam]

I echo the others...I've pulled ticks off of me in January before as well.  Granted, January 2008 seemed pretty warm compared to this year....

[Jackalope]

This seems to be a bad year for ticks so far, not just in the Sipsey but on the bike trials I ride over here in the Tupelo, MS area as well. I have read about permethrin and have been experimenting with it the last couple of weeks.

There are permethrin products by a company named Sawyer that are available at REI, Campmore and others. The  products are available as a "spray" treatment or a "soak" treatment. That soak treatment is supposed to last for six weeks or six washings. All the products are at a 0.5% (1/2%) dilution and are approved for human use. They seem to me to be reasonable priced.

However, I didn't want to pay the shipping or live with the ticks until it got here so I went to a local garden center and bought a couple of 8oz bottles of a product by Hi-Yield (approved for garden use) that was at a 10% permethrin dilution. I mixed them with 2.5 gallons of water to get the same dilution as the Sawyer products and soaked all my biking and hiking clothes and socks in it for two hours, then hung them to dry. I also poured of a spray bottle full of the solution to spray my boots and bike shoes.

Since this treatment I have been on 5 bike rides and not found one tick on me. I usually find anywhere up to a half dozen depending on how often I stop.

This weekend, my girlfriend and I (treated her clothes too) hiked down the Arnold Motorway to Quillan Creek and back then down the Thompson Creek trail to 209, crossed the river and camped on the south side of the rapids and back out on Sunday. Again, no ticks! We did wear long pants tucked into our socks but that hasn't stopped the ticks on our last few trips.

[highlife]

We were in the Bankhead this past weekend and we pulled several ticks off us and the dog. I refuse to spray my gear down with chemicals.
If you go anywhere in Bankhead be ready for some itchin. The mosquitoes are out something fierce! The only bad thing with good rain is all the bugs that come out.