Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan4570
The first time I ever started noticing these winter ticks was fall 2016. One was crawling across my phone. I thought it was a spider. Then I looked down at my jacket sleeves and gloves in my lap. And they were everywhere. I tossed out a perfectly good set of fleece pants and jacket because of it. Since then, they're always getting on me and I make a habit of drying my hunting clothes first and then washing and drying them. Ticks can survive being wet and then going through dryer. I prefer hunting grazing leases where cattle have kept the grass low. Anytime I'm in thick swamp bush with moose, I always get them.
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I mostly hunt the river valleys, one or the other. Deep bush everywhere, lol. Never had a problem until last year.
Indeed, the drier works. They like the humidity, but can’t survive dry air for any extended period of time. The doc mentioned to me last year that even if you bring your clothes inside the house, they will certainly die shortly after because the air is usually dry in our houses, especially once the furnaces start working.
I dump my clothes into the dryer and run for half an hour (sometimes more, depending my level of “paranoia” at the moment, lol). These old pants are getting retired because I got caught on a brach and ripped them (it was mentally hard climbing back out with a giant hole on my knee with these thing all over the place, lol). So I put them in the garage to see what happens. The ticks are still there - so much for the repellent I bought, lol.
Funny thing is I know they are not much concern as far harming me goes, beyond extremely itchy bites, but I certainly can’t shake the idea of walking all day covered in them. What a sudden change it has been.