Why Mosquitoes, Flies, and Ticks Are So Bad in Indiana and Kentucky Right Now
Ever since the weather turned from blazing hot to nice and mild, my family and I have been eaten alive (literally) by mosquitoes, flies, ticks, and a whole host of creepy critters. I’m sitting here itching just thinking about it.
Out at the horse barn, the flies seem to have multiplied exponentially overnight. Sure, you always expect flies, but lately it’s like walking through a wall of them whenever the sun hits. The barn owners put up an array of fly catchers and within days they were full. Gross.
Why Late Summer Brings a Surge of Pests
I looked it up, and late August into early September is peak breeding season for pests in Indiana and Kentucky. Cooler temperatures mixed with bouts of rain create ideal conditions for eggs to hatch and grow into healthy adults – adults that just happen to love biting and sucking blood.
Pets Can Be Affected Too
I also noticed my dog and cat have been super itchy lately. My dog is on flea prevention, and my cat naturally doesn’t get fleas, so I knew it wasn’t that. In the past, their itching has come from unknowingly walking through a tick nest. The ticks are so tiny you can’t see them until they’ve grown larger.
When we bought our property years ago, I remember walking through the woods and later discovering hundreds of tiny ticks crawling all over me. We always called them “turkey ticks” or “turkey mites,” but Indiana DNR has another name.
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What Are Seed Ticks?
Ticks in Indiana and Kentucky Can Be Dangerous (Even Tiny Ones)
According to the National Library of Medicine, seed ticks can be the baby version of any tick, but around here, they’re often the Lone Star tick. These are the ones linked to alpha-gal syndrome, which causes a red meat allergy…