What Acorns Mean to the Tick Population

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What could acorns and ticks possibly have to do with one another?

That’s what I wondered. But I was looking into it as I was researching why it was a dismal year for acorns. When we were back in Ohio last fall I told our oldest son he would be able to find lots of acorns in Nana’s front yard because she has several oak trees, and they’re typically scattered throughout the area. Boy, was he bummed. It was scarce pickins this year. My aunt confirmed it when we talked later, which made me look into it more.

Acorns and Ticks

It appears the numbers were down throughout the Northeast, which was a surprise to many after a bumper crop in 2010. Aunt Francie said last year the squirrels and deer that frequent her place had a veritable buffet with all of the acorns, but this year they came up short.

The thought is 2010 was a strong year partly due to the dry conditions of the prior year. The stress kicks the tree into gear to produce more acorns in order to perpetuate the species (kind of like stressing tomatoes to encourage them to ripen). So the trees really cranked out the seeds in 2010, and naturally didn’t work as hard this year.

So what does this have to do with ticks? Well, with all of the acorns, the critters that feed upon them were healthy and happy last year. This means lots of babies. Particularly mice babies. This resulted in lots of ticks on all of those mice, many of which were undoubtedly infected with Lyme disease.

The catch is with fewer acorns last season, the mice population decreased over the winter. However, there are still going to be plenty of infected tick nymphs hatching this spring, looking for a meal. If the mice aren’t there, the ticks will go for any warm-blooded creature. This includes you, and this is not good.

Preventing Bites

With this warm weather were having in the spring of 2012, the ticks will undoubtedly be out earlier than normal. When you’re out in the garden, or out doing anything, you have to be proactive to prevent from being bitten. I know its hard when its nice outside, but if youre in an area where there are typically lots of ticks particularly if youre working in tall grass or weedy areas – wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. There are great lightweight ones that a lot of the fishermen out here wear that also offer excellent UV ray protection, as well as keep the bugs away.

Keep the yard and area around your home trimmed and free of debris where ticks can hold out until they have an opportunity to pounce on dinner. Use tick repellents on your pets, as necessary, and be diligent about checking them and yourself after youve been outside. If you do find a tick crawling around, carefully remove it from your body and dispose of it. Personally, I squish it thoroughly then wipe it up and throw it in the toilet. I hate ticks. Then I take a hot shower and do the heebie jeebie dance. Yick.

What to Do

If youre bitten by a tick, you can remove it by using any nifty tick removing tool on the market. They work—I’ve used them on dogs and people. Or you can use a pair of fine-nosed tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as you can, then carefully pull it out. Try not to leave any of the mouth parts in the skin, but if you do, pick those out as well. Afterwards, douse it with an antibacterial agent (I dump on copious amounts of rubbing alcohol it hurts like the devil, but works).

Just because youre bitten by a tick doesnt mean youre going to be infected by a tick-borne illness, but you might want to see a doctor just to be cautious. Definitely see a professional if you have aches or pains, a rash or a fever. Dont mess around with it because they can often do more if you seek help early. No go out there and clean up the garden, but be watchful of those ticks!

(Picture copyright of VVVera via istockphoto.com)

Meet Amy Grisak

Amy is a freelance author and photographer in Great Falls, MT who specializes in gardening, foods, and sustainable agriculture. She provides information on every kind…

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