With all of this snow....

...wont it be a great spring for blackflies???

Just looking ahead.

I will kiss my first black fly.

Puck, you mentioned winter ticks in another thread. What are the implications of a heavy snow winter for black flies and winter ticks on moose? I'm always looking for a silver lining

happy trails

forestgnome said:

I will kiss my first black fly.

Puck, you mentioned winter ticks in another thread. What are the implications of a heavy snow winter for black flies and winter ticks on moose? I'm always looking for a silver lining

happy trails

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There was a thread that coverd this issue in great detail. IICR there is a stage in the tick's development when they attach thmeselves to bushes. When a moose or deer walks by they brush onto thier new host. With ample snow cover these thick can fall to the ground and die off keeping numbers low. I believe the citation was from a NH source.
Here it is posted by Waumbek
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6955&highlight=moose+ticks

. . . and black flies breed in clean, fast running streams. Something tells me we might have a few of those around this spring.

I imagine the vernal pools will be around a while longer than usual as well, giving amphibians (and mosquitoes) ample opportunity for increasing their numbers.

Puck said:

There was a thread that coverd this issue in great detail. IICR there is a stage in the tick's development when they attach thmeselves to bushes. When a moose or deer walks by they brush onto thier new host. With ample snow cover these thick can fall to the ground and die off keeping numbers low. I believe the citation was from a NH source.
Here it is posted by Waumbek
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6955&highlight=moose+ticks

Click to expand...

I must have missed that thread. Thanks to Waumbek for the link from F@G. Well, there's my silver lining to this long, nasty winter! Death to the ticks!!!


happy trails

With all this snow...

Its going to be one heck of a melt...

Hopefully its a slow and controlled one.

Ever seen the top of North Twin look like a field with little sprigs sticking up through the snow?

Ever seen a wall of snow 10 feet tall entering the summit clearing on Carter Dome?

Ever witnessed snow covering every direction from the summit of Washington to the surrounding Gulfs & Ravines, so that one can ski absolutely any where they want above treeline in Late May?

Ever seen fantastic views of the Presi's from the summit of Waumbek, not just from the Starr King fireplace clearing?

Ticks meeting an untimely death is a fantastic bonus!

Time for the celebratory SNOWDANCE !

Puck said:

...wont it be a great spring for blackflies???

Just looking ahead.

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Is it true that blackflies pollinate blueberries, too?
Which would be good, 'cause otherwise I'd have a REALLY tough time finding anything to like about them...

hikrgrl said:

Is it true that blackflies pollinate blueberries, too?
Which would be good, 'cause otherwise I'd have a REALLY tough time finding anything to like about them...

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Yep, I hear ya there! I hate those damm things! Then come the mosquitoes, my favorite. NOT!

hikrgrl said:

Is it true that blackflies pollinate blueberries, too?

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Quite honestly, that's the first I've ever heard of that. I worked on a wild low bush blueberry farm for a decade.

forestgnome said:

I must have missed that thread. Thanks to Waumbek for the link from F@G. Well, there's my silver lining to this long, nasty winter! Death to the ticks!!!

Click to expand...

Is it just me, or did this article only say that only winter ticks are affected? I've never been bit by a winter tick, as far as I know.

I'd love to hear that wood (dog) ticks and deer tick populations will be decimated!

Edit: from what I've found googling, snow insulates tick eggs during the winter so more eggs will be viable in spring.

jrichard said:

Is it just me, or did this article only say that only winter ticks are affected? I've never been bit by a winter tick, as far as I know.

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The article was talking about moose ticks.

I have no idea if the same applies to other species of ticks, although IIRC very dry summers are hard on the kinds of ticks that affect humans (they dessicate). Don't know about the coming summer, but I rather suspect the spring will be rather damp...

Doug

Empirically speaking, in a wet spring I will find more ticks on myself and the kids after being out in the yard, than I will in a dry spring.

On one hand, the snow may insulate the little bugger, but on the other hand could it be many extra weeks before they are out? Or better still - will they miss a window of opportunity?

Tim

Moose Ticks

I'd never seen a moose tick until one late April hike up Garfield. It was a totally miserable day - still snow on the trail, blowing rain, just cruddy. The 3 of us (4 with Brutus) just needed to hike, so ... Garfield it was.

About 1/2 up, where you cross into the white birches just before the crest of the ridge, we saw some moose tracks, and then I saw something fall off Brutus into the snow. It was a tick - a huge one, and as we looked we saw many others there. One of my friends knew what they were, and said they didn't pose any threat to us or dogs and probably fell off the moose. But, I still checked him over carefully, and again when we got home.

Ticks and leaches have a huge yuck factor. Mosquitoes, knats, black flies - those I can deal with, but ticks and leaches give me the creeps.

Kevin Rooney said:

Ticks and leaches have a huge yuck factor. Mosquitoes, knats, black flies - those I can deal with, but ticks and leaches give me the creeps.

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Yes but mosquitoes can give you EEE I'll take 1000 icks over an often fatal brain infection.

(Not that ticks aren't without their own disease problems of course)

Tim

Yeah, I hear yah, Tim, but am talking visceral reactions here, not rational ones!

bikehikeskifish said:

(Not that ticks aren't without their own disease problems of course)

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Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, relapsing fever (tick fever), tularemia, lyme disease, Colorado tick fever, to name a few...

Doug

Similiar story to yours Kevin............

My hike was to Carrigain, for the month of April. I was about 1/4 mile from the opening on Signal Ridge. I was solo and making fresh tracks in the snowpack. From the south, a Moose had entered the trail and proceed up to head toward the open ridge too. What I noticed first was blood droplets in the snow. Then, I saw a HUGE grey pellet........ an enormous Tick sack

All the way up to the open ridge, and then about half way up to the summit tower, the trail was littered with Tick sacks............ it was wicked gross.
This poor Moose had been covered with these blood suckers. F & G has said that some Moose make it through the Winter, only to die in the Spring from having the life blood literally drained out of them.

rocket21 said:

Quite honestly, that's the first I've ever heard of that. I worked on a wild low bush blueberry farm for a decade.

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I don't know if it's true or not...but it was reported on NPR....

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5439362