Locator's dadgum turkey ticks

[Hoosier Hog Daddy]

I've been a Brown County woodsman all my life, but this was a new one to me. I read with curiosity Locator's post on Turkey lice after a recent squirrel hunt with his son. I had never heard the term. Of course , I read the responses and had to do my own reserch on the internet. Not lice at all of course, but the larvae stage of the lonestar tick...or as some people call them turkey ticks, turkey mites, turkey lice, seed ticks. My research uncovered the fact there are 3 stages of the tick and all three can bite you and the resulting itch can drive you insane and last for weeks. Larvae state, nymph, and adult tick. Larvae stage hits both spring and fall.

Finally it dawned on me, that weird rash and tiny blistering on my ankles a few weeks back that itched like poison ivy but was bigger and I thought I was getting hives or something and was nothing like I'd ever had before...well 2 + 2. Then those larger , seemingly like late season chigger bites around my waist that seem to leave results for a couple weeks....hmmm. Yep, got a second batch last week. Got my reading glasses on, and closer inspection, and with my finest fly tying tweezers pulled off what looked to be a speck of pepper. So tiny, I could not make out any features...need a microscope to view. 2 + 2. You can't feel these things crawling...you just know they are there if you are lucky enough to spot them, or most usually it is after the bite and you are itching, and most are long since fallen off.

Finally, looks like these pests have arrived here in Brown County. I get to talking to the neighbors, and yes...they got into them as well while out squirrel hunting behind their house. After being out squirrel hunting, one kid sees tons of the little critters crawling up his leg, and so goes and sprays Off, and with the resourcefullness of a kid, he gets a lint roller and rolls down his leg to pick up the carcasses , LOL. Running to a quick , hot shower in time may save you as another kid said.

Research showed me that you need to spray your clothes, even boots with a spray containing permethrin. I haul off to wallmart to see what I can find, and sure enough, right there on the sports counter is a new display of bug repellants with one being permethrin that you spray on your clothes and let dry for 2 hrs. Supposed to last thru 6 washings. Enough to treat 2 sets of clothes, eg socks, pants, shirt. That's the one I want....but sets me back $10 bucks. I find out later from another Indiana hunting post that you can buy some concentrate at like Tractor supply that you mix up yourself and put in a spray bottle and a heck of a lot cheaper than buying the expensive bottles I bought.

And this brings me back to why people call them turkey ticks? Here's the other thing....we typically see an odd turkey or 2 on the place, however this year my woods have been litterally scratched all over with an entire flock or 2. Almost everywhere you walk, you see where they have been digging the leaves. Is that why I am suddenly infested for the first time ever? Or...did the deer bring these in? You guys tell me.

With this year's drought , I have lost several oaks and so yesterday in the cool air, I spent all day out there cutting wood. I came thru the whole day with narry a tick....thanks be to the permethrin spray. Also dosed myself with some deet spray too.

Thankfully, there are no ticks out there on the water when you are crappie fishing. Locator, I wish you had kept your ticks down south.

HHD

[Fishaholic]

been using permethrin for years, the stuff is awesome...ticks give me the heebie jeebies, so I got some of this stuff years ago and went into an area where I knew there were a lot of ticks to test it out...they crawled right up the bibs I was wearing, but by the time they had traveled a few inches they were dead...well, that was all the convincing I needed...if you have pets or such, don't spray the stuff anywhere near them. I hang my clothes on a line outside and do it there.

[Hoosier Hog Daddy]

I read where permethrin is a synthetic derivitive of pyrethrin which is extracted from a type of chrysanthemum. It is apparently really toxic to aquatic life, and also your cat. My wife said some of the dog tick treatments...vectrin, etc has permethrin, and when you first treat your dog...do not have the cat in contact with it until it dries. Oddly enough, our small dog and and large cat like to wrestle with each other each day, so we are very mindful each month to keep the 2 separated when we treat the dog for ticks/fleas. I took my set of clothes and hung them on the clothes line as you said, and sprayed them down , then let them dry in the breeze for a couple hours before wearing them.

Fishaholic, I am guessing where you are that far north, you are talking about the regular dog tick. To my knowledge, these lonestar ticks have been further south near the ohio river counties...and just now making their way this far north. Maybe the mild winter last year has something to do with our current predicament.

HHD

[gijimbo]

Here's the other thing....we typically see an odd turkey or 2 on the place, however this year my woods have been litterally scratched all over with an entire flock or 2. Almost everywhere you walk, you see where they have been digging the leaves. Is that why I am suddenly infested for the first time ever? Or...did the deer bring these in? You guys tell me.HHD

Are you sure that wasn't Locator squirrel hunting in your woods

[Locator79]

Let me tell you......these are the worst #$&*ing things I've ever had, not the first time I've had them, but by far the worst. I still to this day have them, and got them opening weekend, what......3 weeks ago or so. We somehow brought them home without knowing, and the dog, and the furniture both are infested just like we are. To this day I've probably spent close to 100 bucks to get rid of them. I think I may have done but I've been itching for so long, I constantly feel things all over me, I and think its all in my head. I had to shave the dog, the furniture has beeen treated 3 times and steam cleaned twice. And I've tried ever home remedy, and everything on the market as far as cures for the body. Not sure why they are named the different names, kinda like all the different names for crappie, I have a new name for them you'd rather me not say. I've been obsessed with these tiny critters and have read more about these things than any sane man should. I can guarantee that I don't step foot in the woods again, until we get a nice hard FREEZE.

[gijimbo]

Let me tell you......these are the worst #$&*ing things I've ever had, not the first time I've had them, but by far the worst. I still to this day have them, and got them opening weekend, what......3 weeks ago or so. We somehow brought them home without knowing, and the dog, and the furniture both are infested just like we are. To this day I've probably spent close to 100 bucks to get rid of them. I think I may have done but I've been itching for so long, I constantly feel things all over me, I and think its all in my head. I had to shave the dog, the furniture has beeen treated 3 times and steam cleaned twice. And I've tried ever home remedy, and everything on the market as far as cures for the body. Not sure why they are named the different names, kinda like all the different names for crappie, I have a new name for them you'd rather me not say. I've been obsessed with these tiny critters and have read more about these things than any sane man should. I can guarantee that I don't step foot in the woods again, until we get a nice hard FREEZE.

TSC and Big R sells some professional strength bug killer called "Onslaught" and another called "Tempo." A Co-op near you might also carry these products. These products are expensive about $54 for 16oz bottle. You use 1/2oz per gallon for regular bug infestations and 1 oz per gallon for heavy infestations. Both of these products are safe to use on your furniture, indoors, restaurants, food processing facilities, etc. It is even safe around pets once it has dried. It leaves a microscopic residue of insecticide that keeps killing bugs for up to a year depending on the surface. It has a very light smell that quickly dissipates once it dries. Google it and I think you'll be amazed at what it doesn't kill.

I use Onslaught and my brother uses Tempo. If anyone has any questions please feel free to PM me and I will share my experiences with Onslaught and my brothers with Tempo. This is some of the best stuff out there!

Good Luck!! Hopefully this info will help.

[raporter]

Got so bad around here I mixed up some permathrin (2.5 %) in a garden sprayer and sprayed the whole yard. Had to keep the dog out of the grass for a few days but now he is running around the yard and have not seen any new bites on him or me.
I keep a set of overalls hanging that is treated with permathrin and a longsleeve shirt along with rubber boots for when I go into the woods. As long as I do this I do not get visited by the devils offspring.

[Locator79]

I, like every other crappie fisherman enjoyed the very mild winter we had last year, (except for you ice guys) prolonging everyones fishing. But hopefully this year will be back to the norm, if its not I can't imgaine what next year could be like.

[gone_fishing]

Oh yeah we have had all types of tics here in the Patolka Lake area for over fifteen years. I got bit up a by those turkey tics a time or two way back then been spraying my clothes with permethrin since and haven't been bitten once and if you look closely many times you can see them dead on your pants or socks. I only spray my pants legs and socks. Diesel fuel on your shoes helps too. Let your clothes dry if using peremethrin and don't breath it in as this is a nasty chemical. I am surprised your just now getting them. I have done some work for a guy that was a forrester for the hoosier national forrest. Interesting enough he didn't know what turkey tics were. He called them chiggers I think it was game warden once that called them chiggers too. But they too use permethrin.

[Hoosier Hog Daddy]

A Chigger is not what we are talking about here. It is different, and the bite itches like crazy, but I believe is less potent than this larvae stage of the lonestart tick. We've had chiggers forever here....but I have never experienced the lonestar tick larvae this far north until this year.

HHD