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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Lyme Disease

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  • From: Willie McKemie <mf AT austinfarm.org>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Lyme Disease
  • Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 10:54:28 -0600

On Sat, Jan 30, 2010 at 10:51:53AM -0500, Road's End Farm wrote:
>
> On Jan 30, 2010, at 10:27 AM, <sunnfarm AT netscape.com> wrote:
>
> > Lyme disease is epidemic in NJ. yet little is said about it. All the
> > so called preventive measures don't work very well. On my home farm
> > I have never seen a tick in 25 years yet there is no shortage of
> > deer and mice. I attribute it to low level pesticide residue and
> > pesticide drift into the woods and grassy areas. I have another 8
> > acre farm 12 miles away without pesticides and you can not even walk
> > 100 feet across a close mowed lawn to the mailbox without getting a
> > tick.
>
> I doubt that the pesticide load is the only factor; Road's End has not
> had pesticides applied since some time in the 1970's and while we do
> have some ticks in the brushlots (the dog collects them occasionally,
> and once in a long time I find one on a cat) I have never gotten a
> tick myself on mowed lawn, unmowed lawn, unmowed fields, or cultivated
> fields; or even in the woods.

In The South, fire ants have largely solved the tick problem. 30 years
ago, we would have to pick ticks off of dogs daily, maybe 5-15 per
dog. People would get them almost daily. After fire ants appeared, the
ticks disappeared. Along with many snakes and birds. Sadly, they had
little effect on deer. Or hogs. Recently, seemingly, the ticks have
started adapting. Or, perhaps, statewide fire ant control programs are
doing some good. We now see several ticks each year; one every few
months. Anyone want a shipment of fire ants?

--
Willie, ONWARD! Through the fog!
http://counter.li.org Linux registered user #228836 since 1995
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