Are ticks really that bad in Florida?

[RustyPine17]

I always hear about the dangers of ticks, but I'm not sure how serious it is here. Can anyone share their experiences? Should I be worried while hiking with my dog (besides keeping them away from the shores of water)?

 

[Alan]

Depends on where your hiking (you didnt mention what part of FL)
Stay away from dense shurbs obviously tall grass. Is your dog on flea tick medicine? I know mine is on a monthly, but that won't kill the tick right away, as it takes 6 hours after bite. Remain vigilant and check especially if your dog likes to roll in the grass like mine does.

 

[Keith.303]

I will say that over the last 10/11 years of running around the woods in Florida, I have only seen 4 ticks.
Fleas seem to be a much bigger problem, particularly after a heavy rain.

I moved here from Pennsylvania, and the ticks there were TERRIBLE. After one two-hour walk I got 70 (yes, seventy!) ticks off my dog. That was a record for me.

As Alan mentioned, It will depend a lot on what part of the state you live in, I'm mostly East-Central.

 

[Alan]

They are bad when I go to visit some family in Maine - so we always wear the long pants etc when visiting there...but the temps are usually moderate there not like they can get here, especially in the warmer months.

 

[Fodderwing]

It only takes one tick to disrupt your life.

I have 2 relatives that have had to deal with alpha gal syndrome, makes you allergic to red meat, acquired from tick bites here in FL.

I had two tick encounters this past spring, one crawling on and one stuck to me.