Lyme Disease, Deer Tick Nurseries, Stop It

[FishLocker]

My sister sent this article to me about how we are helping the Deer Tick propagate, and assist the spread of Lyme Disease.

http://jessecology.com/2013/10/please-stop-with-the-lyme-tick-nurseries/

I hope posting a link is ok. If not, I will copy and paste the parts we all need to see later.

Thank you,

FishLocker

[delcecchi]

Deer browsing controls ticks? Who knew?

[leech~~]

Please re-plant all your pulled out yard shrubs by my Deer stand. I could you some Lyme Disease up there!

Maybe just fench a zone around the cities to keep deer out.

[FishLocker]

Deer browsing controls ticks? Who knew?

Ya, I agree, that makes no sense that the deer are not eating the ticks. What I did find interesting was...

"Japanese Barberry, an invasive non-native species, spreads rapidly and widely in the woods surrounding the properties they’ve been landscaped into, and many studies indicate that reproduction of the ticks that carry Lyme disease is facilitated by several physical conditions the shrubs produce."

and,

"Several colleges in Connecticut studied the link between the presence of Japanese Barberry in a given wooded area and the resulting increase in numbers of ticks that live there. This happens after birds spread the Barberry seeds into the woods, with a virile 90% germination rate of the seeds."

and,

"which allows ticks to reproduce in exponential numbers, creating “tick nurseries” all over the woods. Completing the picture, the white footed mouse also enjoys the humid climate under the Barberry thickets, and when the mice pass through, the tick larvae pile onto them, using the mice as a vehicle to move around, usually closer to our living spaces."

I also think bloggers should cite the studies (footnote like the olden days :-) ) so we know they are not throwing alarm like the email forwards that are falsified to get peoples attention.

This indeed may be one of them . But I do agree as a non-native and invasive, that the powers that be should look into it so we do not end up with a Purple Loose Strife like problem in our deer woods.