Yesterday's fieldwork in the Ulster County town of Shandaken off of State Route 28 in the Catskills left me feeling "creepy-crawly" into the night. This winter (warm temps & no snow) has allowed an extended "tick season". Ticks don't die off due to winter cold, rather they become "deactivated" by retreating into the leaf litter (and ideally quarantined under heavy snow cover).So yesterday I removed dozens of ticks and have a few pictures to share.
At night, I realized that I would rather shovel snow all day than to have to "wade through" all those ticks again. As a cold-hardy fellow, I will choose "brutal winter" over "more ticks" every time. So join me in hoping for more shovel-snapping cold and back-breaking snowfall!!!
Read more about ticks here:
At night, I realized that I would rather shovel snow all day than to have to "wade through" all those ticks again. As a cold-hardy fellow, I will choose "brutal winter" over "more ticks" every time. So join me in hoping for more shovel-snapping cold and back-breaking snowfall!!!
Read more about ticks here:
A brutal winter may mean fewer active ticks during the winter months, but I'm not sure if it necessarily leads to fewer ticks once the weather warms. I saw something recently from Northern Woodlands that suggested insects can actually fare better in colder winters than warmer ones. The idea is that at low temperatures, insects have a slower metabolism, so their fat reserves stick around longer. In warmer winters, they burn through those reserves more quickly. Granted ticks aren't insects, but I wonder if the same concept applies to them. I know even after 2014-2015's brutal winter, the tick numbers were crazy here in the Catskills. Here's hoping this milder 2015-2016 winter will knock them back! Then again, it seems like just about nothing kills ticks, so maybe it's just wishful thinking no matter what the weather does.
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