I have always been curious what led to the exponential increase in the tick population in the Northeast. I always thought it might be spraying, or lack thereof. They used to. Now they don't.
However, it seems that the consensus is that it is the parallel increase in the deer population.
And rodents. (Yeah, yeah, chipmunks too)
And poo to the climate change warriors. Ticks do just fine during cold winters, so any warming trends are not behind the problem.
Some other links of interest.
Scary numbers
More Stuff Of course the eliminating predators thing is silly. There are plenty of 'yotes and foxes out there. And hawks. Eagles. Owls. Fishers. Stray cats. Honey badgers.....okay, maybe no honey badgers, but just ask our hens about predator numbers.
What saddened me about doing research for this week's Farm Side (surprise, surprise) is the level of misinformation put about by major publications whose writers really should do more to collect and disseminate accurate information.
And on a totally unrelated topic....do you have any idea how terrifying it is to hear someone at the back door and look up to see a police officer in full uniform? Men whom I love work at very dangerous jobs......and not too far from here currently
However, he was here to tell us that he has leased the land next door and will be patrolling for trespassers. He wanted to enlist our cooperation in said activity.
I can get behind that. It's a real problem. However, it's going to be a while before my heart slows down.
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4 comments:
That would send my heart pounding also! But patrolling for trespassers! YAY!
Linda
The level of misinformation about so many topics is sadly astronomical.
agree with all your points! lotsa factors are related like you said: e.g. upsurge in deer = upsurge in ticks; same w/predators. I can only imagine the "socked-in-ed-ness" of upstate N Y winters! as compared to not-so-all-encompassing high-desert winters such as in our area.
yeah, makes ya' wonder, drivin' thru the neighborhood & sometimes seein' several police cars parked somewhere ya' wouldn't expect ~
Linda, I was terrified, but it sure seems like a win otherwise
Jan, this is, alas, all too true
betunada, oh, yeah, you just never know what is going on. I am glad to have this nice young gentleman keeping an eye on our eastern border. We get a lot of traffic from there.
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