Posted By:
Bob SJay,
you're in the original "belly of the beast" re: Lyme, of course. But they have steadly expanded their domain and are now showing up as far south and west as North Carolina and Tennesee.
I'm in far north central MD, and we are, and have been, for several years in the area of densest concentration.
Back in '01, a close friend contracted Lyme while on my property, and required ER treatment for a secondary infection, with a fever of 105F, requiring an ice bath.
And just within the last week, I saw (simultaneously), a new all time high count of 22 white tail deer, a vector in the life cycle of the tick, within 100 yards of my house.
I've notified the Dept. of Natural Resources to see if there is any legal way to "remove" them from my property.
The ticks carry the spirochete, which actually causes the illness, at all stages of their life cycle, and they are active at any temp. above 40F
We've had a very mild winter so far, so the dormant period here this winter was barely 2 weeks long in mid December.
We should be worrying a lot more about this regional plague, which is fully established, rather than the theoretical threat of avian flu.
Wow, talk about Off Topic. LOL
Regards.
Bob