caddisguy vs ticks: The video

[caddisguy]

Slow evening... going through the raw video archives and thought I would put something together about ticks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2y7_79kJOU

[Bag1]

cool thanks, found one crawling across the kitchen floor last week here in urban Langley, must have came in on the dog or cat

[JDR]

The one that came out of your arm looks like a black legged tick or deer tick and the one on your wall looks like a wood tick. I've read that deer ticks are more likely to carry disease than wood ticks, but I'm no expert. Did you get the tell tale bulls eye from any of your bites?

[caddisguy]

The one that came out of your arm looks like a black legged tick or deer tick and the one on your wall looks like a wood tick. I've read that deer ticks are more likely to carry disease than wood ticks, but I'm no expert. Did you get the tell tale bulls eye from any of your bites?

Most of the ticks I have run into are black legged deer ticks (usually adults, females 4-7mm with red abdomen and males black and approx 2-3mm) with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 wood ticks (like the one crawling on the wall as you pointed out)

I have yet to be bit by one of those wood ticks as far as I know. The adults are a bit bigger on average. The females look similar to the female deer ticks, except larger, clumsier and duller red or brown. I have found them crawling on my neck/face/head but they seem to hitch a ride and take their time whereas the deer ticks seem to bite me as soon as they find skin. I would guess around 98% black legged deer ticks around the Fraser Valley, unless there are some wood tick honey holes I haven't run into.

I think you are right that deer ticks are more likely to carry B. burgdorferi which causes lyme, but all species of ticks carry all sorts of bacteria, some of which are arguably as bad as lyme or opportunistically become problematic co-infections when someones immune system is overwhelmed with the lyme infection (Bartonella henselae for example which causes "cat scratch fever" is carried by ticks within their saliva)

Never had a bulls-eye rash (erythema migrans) but rather just really red and swollen. Sometimes they get mildly infected. I am not sure if it's just me or if this is normal, but often my tick bites leave a hard bump that itches off and on for months. Worth noting that EM often does not occur. I don't suspect I have lyme, but I do have a requisition for a blood test sitting in my drawer at work I'll probably get done this week.

This page has a long list of nasty diseases that ticks carry:

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/i.../diseases.html

[JDR]

Most of the ticks I have run into are black legged deer ticks (usually adults, females 4-7mm with red abdomen and males black and approx 2-3mm) with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 wood ticks (like the one crawling on the wall as you pointed out)

I have yet to be bit by one of those wood ticks as far as I know. The adults are a bit bigger on average. The females look similar to the female deer ticks, except larger, clumsier and duller red or brown. I have found them crawling on my neck/face/head but they seem to hitch a ride and take their time whereas the deer ticks seem to bite me as soon as they find skin. I would guess around 98% black legged deer ticks around the Fraser Valley, unless there are some wood tick honey holes I haven't run into.

I think you are right that deer ticks are more likely to carry B. burgdorferi which causes lyme, but all species of ticks carry all sorts of bacteria, some of which are arguably as bad as lyme or opportunistically become problematic co-infections when someones immune system is overwhelmed with the lyme infection (Bartonella henselae for example which causes "cat scratch fever" is carried by ticks within their saliva)

Never had a bulls-eye rash (erythema migrans) but rather just really red and swollen. Sometimes they get mildly infected. I am not sure if it's just me or if this is normal, but often my tick bites leave a hard bump that itches off and on for months. Worth noting that EM often does not occur. I don't suspect I have lyme, but I do have a requisition for a blood test sitting in my drawer at work I'll probably get done this week.

This page has a long list of nasty diseases that ticks carry:

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/i.../diseases.html

Interesting that you have a lot more deer ticks at the coast and here in the southern interior we seem to have more wood ticks from my experience. Good idea to get tested; hopefully all checks out for you.

[Lionhill]

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/1.../vbz.2015.1854

Surveillance for Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes Ticksand Small Rodents in British Columbia

Abstract:
To determine the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in British Columbian ticks, fieldwork was conducted overa 2-year period. In all, 893 ticks (Ixodes pacificus, I. angustus, I. soricis, Ixodes spp., and Dermacentorandersoni) of different life stages were retrieved from 483 small rodents (Peromyscus maniculatus, Perognathusparvus, and Reithrodontomys megalotis). B. burgdorferi DNA was detected in 5 out of 359 tick pools,and 41 out of 483 mice were serologically confirmed to have antibodies against B. burgdorferi. These resultswere consistent with previous studies, data from passive surveillance in British Columbia, and data fromneighboring states in the Pacific Northwest, suggesting a continually low prevalence of B. burgdorferi in BritishColumbia ticks.

[caddisguy]

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/1.../vbz.2015.1854

Surveillance for Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes Ticksand Small Rodents in British Columbia

Abstract:
To determine the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in British Columbian ticks, fieldwork was conducted overa 2-year period. In all, 893 ticks (Ixodes pacificus, I. angustus, I. soricis, Ixodes spp., and Dermacentorandersoni) of different life stages were retrieved from 483 small rodents (Peromyscus maniculatus, Perognathusparvus, and Reithrodontomys megalotis). B. burgdorferi DNA was detected in 5 out of 359 tick pools,and 41 out of 483 mice were serologically confirmed to have antibodies against B. burgdorferi. These resultswere consistent with previous studies, data from passive surveillance in British Columbia, and data fromneighboring states in the Pacific Northwest, suggesting a continually low prevalence of B. burgdorferi in BritishColumbia ticks.

That sounds like a reasonable study. I will read the link later, as I am interested in which parts of BC they surveyed. I recall a distribution map last year that indicated the Chilliwack/Hope areas were "hot spots" and if I recall correctly 20% of ticks carried the bacteria (don't quote me on that though as I have to go back and check)

Last year I was going to carry out my own study in my tick "honey hole" using the "CarePlus Tick Test", but then I discovered research papers showed that test was virtually useless (close to 100% inaccurate) ... glad I found that out before I dumped $1000 on 20 test kits @ London Drugs !!! It was a member who tipped me off to that too. I would have to look back to give proper credit, but in lieu of that, THANK YOU!!! (you saved me 1k) ... I can't believe London Drugs still sells it too after my correspondence with them. They settled for the manufacture saying "oh yeah our 1.0 tests were all bad but our 2.0 is like totally better and stuff" (worth noting all the media outlets and canlyme who all promoted this test did not reply or refused to comment) ... sad people just want to profit off of disease... just as parasitic as the ticks themselves.

[DarekG]

What the hell man, I spend a ton of time trudging through tall grass and sitting around in the woods here and even though ticks are a somewhat common occurrence you... You are seeing too many and it freaks me out!

Ticks are attracted to humans similarly to the way mosquitoes are by the air we exhale, the urea in our sweat, urine, tears, etc. but they have proven that mosquitoes are attracted to some more than others!

Couple of interesting skeeter facts:

- As an example of preference Skeeters prefer blood type O over A.

- About 85 percent of people secrete a chemical signal through their skin that indicates which blood type they have, while 15 percent do not, and mosquitoes are also more attracted to secretors than nonsecretors regardless of which type they are.

- Mosquitoes are attracted to larger people as they exhale larger amounts of air therefor releasing larger amounts of carbon dioxide (which attracts them).

- BEER! Just a single 12-ounce bottle of beer can make you more attractive to the insects, one study found. But even though researchers had suspected this was because drinking increases the amount of ethanol excreted in sweat, or because it increases body temperature, neither of these factors were found to correlate with mosquito landings, making their affinity for drinkers a mystery.

I have to wonder how similar they are to ticks in these regards?

For example I know somebody who will have ticks crawling on them, but they'll never actually find a place to bite so they carry around and shed these little *******s but on the flipside I also know of someone who will have a tick try to latch on almost the instant it goes on their skin.

[caddisguy]

Black legged ticks seem to bite me the second they find skin. If I don't tuck in my socks, my ankles get hit. If I tuck in my socks but not my shirt, my hips get hit. If I have everything tucked in good my neck gets hit. I think I have only ever found one deer tick on my skin that was not biting. Wood ticks seem less eager.

My wife has had the odd one on her skin or clothing but never a biter. My brother seems to get nailed at a similar rate as me, but doesn't spend much time out in the bush.

I wonder how long you sweat ethanol after a beer. I usually drink a few before bed. Maybe it's a combo with the blood type thing. I am not sure what my blood type is off-hand... I should probably find that out.

I posted up a survey on one of the Facebook forums. Not a single person answered that they had been bit by more than 10 ticks in a season. I am perhaps the most delicious tick meal in BC. I was really hoping for a better super power like xray vision in invisibility.

[caddisguy]

Ok this is strange.

After I posted that tick video, my YouTube has gone all weird

For the past few years, I have been getting around 50-100 views per hour over total on all my videos. After I posted that tick video it dropped to around 10-15/hour.

When I view the live real-time analytics, I see it build up to the usual 50-100 views per hour, but when I refresh the page (that I have been watching updating live) it's getting knocked down back to 10-15 views... watch it for a while and it builds up the usual numbers, refresh and the views get knocked down.

Should I get my tinfoil hat out? Never seen anything like this. Holy crap... seems like posting that video hit some kind of nerve and stuff is being manipulated now.