My travelling adventures and the TAMU tick app

I recently returned from a trip to Ohio.  The trip was a bit of an adventure...well, at least the getting there part.  We left here around 7:30AM and were supposed to get to Ohio at 12:35PM with a brief stop in St. Louis.  That did NOT happen.  On our way to St. Louis, there was an announcement about a mechanical issue with the plane, so they decided to land in Dallas to have things checked out.  I am totally fine with that as I would rather be on a plane that they are 100% sure is working properly.  After landing in Dallas, they decided to get us a new plane which meant that we had to wait for a new plane, we had to all get off the plane, and then to reboard the new plane.  Fortunately, this all went off without a hitch and we were soon back on our way to St. Louis.  Unfortunately, it was now about 10:45AM, so there was no way we were going to make our connecting flight.

Once we got to St. Louis, we got off the plane knowing that we had missed our flight to Ohio.  Since numerous other people were also having to figure out new ways to get to where they were going, we headed a couple of gates down to a counter that didn't have a huge line waiting to talk to someone about their flight information.  Ironically, the woman in front of us at the counter was going to the same place we were, so we kind-of heard through her as to what our options were.  The next flight to Ohio left at 2:30PM THE NEXT DAY.  The woman in front of us decided to rent a car and drive the rest of the way, but I wasn't in the mood to jump into a car for 8 hours with a kid who was already grumpy from plane issues.  We opted for the flight the following day and decided to make a mini vacation out of our time in St. Louis and went downtown to see the Arch.  The boy also wanted to visit a military museum that was nearby so we schlepped 15 blocks there, but it ended up being closed for renovations (a fact that their website DID NOT disclose).  We had a mini picnic dinner in the hotel room while watching Spongebob, went swimming the next morning, and headed back to the airport.

So why this long convoluted story?  I'm getting there, I promise.

We FINALLY make it to Ohio the following day.  We hit baggage claim and grab my hubby & the boy's luggage.  We wait for mine.  We still wait for mine.  We start to look around for mine as there is no more luggage coming around the baggage carousel.  I go to the office for lost luggage to check if they grabbed it. Nope.  No luggage for me.  I fill out paperwork with them a
nd they let me know that they will deliver my luggage the following day once it is located.

We drive to my parent's house to crash.  Fortunately, I had a set of comfy clothes in my carry on, so I had something to sleep in.  I get an email from the airline saying they had located my luggage (YAY!), but where I was staying was out of their delivery area, so they would FedEx my luggage instead of deliver it (BOO!).  To provide a timeline, we left Austin on Sunday, it is now Monday night and I was being informed that I would get my luggage on Wednesday "sometime between 10:30AM- 1:30PM".  I'm just rolling with the punches at this point because there really isn't anything I can do other than wait until Wednesday or drive 3 hour round trip the next day to get my luggage. 

The next morning I get up and looking really scruffy head to Wallyworld to get some necessities, you know, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, and yeah....clothes.  As I'm trying to decide which Ohio State t-shirt to buy I feel something tickling my skin on my stomach.  I look and find a tick attached to me under the waistband of my jeans.  I had not even been there for 24 hours and I already had a TICK!  I hate ticks!  They are disgustingly gross.  I put down my basket of toiletries, pluck the tick from my skin, and head to the bathroom to flush it.  Of course, I had to take some photos first. (If you see any photos on a "People of Walmart" site of some strange woman taking photos of a tick in the ladies section it may be me.)

So the tick I found was an American dog tick.  I wasn't really surprised to find it because I usually see a tick or two each time I visit my parents, but how quickly it had found me was surprising.  If you want to know more about ticks, then you should check out the TAMU Tick App.  Also, there is a new tick that we are watching for in Texas, you can read more about that HERE.

2017 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series: Ticks

When: Friday, May 5th, 1:00PM CDT
Where: online
https://extension.zoom.us/j/332261879

In this webinar, Dr. Thomas Mather, Professor, University of Rhode Island,  (aka "the tick guy") will talk about an important arachnid, ticks.  Ticks that you do and don't see as well as how to protect yourself, your family, and your pets will be discussed.  Moderated by Ellen Huckabay and Bethany O'Rear, Regional Extension Agents, Alabama Extension. Click here to login as a guest and participate in the live event.   Note: on May 5th, the link to the live webinar opens about 15 minutes before the webinar. If you try to log in earlier, you will get an error message.

For more webinars in this series, see 2017 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series. The webinars are brought to you by the following eXtension Communities of Practice: Ant Pests, and Urban IPM; and by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Clemson Cooperative Extension and University of Georgia Extension.

Alfalfa weevils

Alfalfa weevil adults are about 3/16 of an inch in length, brown with a dark brown stripe down the back.  Weevils are a group of beetles that often have a long snout.  Larvae are legless, plump and yellow to green in color with a dark head. Both adults and larvae have chewing mouthparts.

Females lay eggs in the stems of alfalfa where the larvae develop throughout the spring.  Pupation takes place in the soil. There is one generation per year and the adults can survive 10-14 months.

Host plants include alfalfa, vetch and various clover.

So why am I, an urban agent, writing about what seems to be a field crop pest?  Well, these little guys and gals have been emerging from overwintering sites and making their way into homes and other structures.  I spoke with a Master Naturalist in Williamson county who said that someone brought in a bag full that was collected from the inside of a home.

If you are dealing with alfalfa weevils invading your house, work on exclusion techniques.  Some ideas include:

1. reduce outdoor lighting at night or use yellow bug bulbs
2. make sure weather stripping is in good repair around doors & windows
3. make sure screens are in good repair
4. seal any crack & crevices with sealant that will expand with temperature change we get throughout the year
5. seal any pipe/ wire penetrations

If you want, you can do an outdoor treatment with pesticide around the foundation to create a barrier.  Indoor pesticide treatments are unnecessary.  Clean up any weevils found indoors with a dustpan and broom or a vacuum.

On another note....WEBINAR INFORMATION:

If you missed the webinar on ticks from the All Bugs Good and Bad series, you can find the recording here:
https://learn.extension.org/events/1381

Next month, on the first Friday....May 2nd there will be a new webinar.  This webinar will be titled "Are Those Itsy Bitsy Spiders Good or Bad?"  The 45 minute webinar will be presented at 1PM CDT and given by Dr. Nancy Hinkle and moderated by Charles Pinkston.  The webinar will highlight good qualities of spiders and their usefulness.

FREE Webinar Friday, April 4, 2014 1PM CDT: Get TickSmart: 10 Things to Know, 5 Things to Do

All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series: Get TickSmart: 10 Things to Know, 5 Things to Do

With more ticks in more places than ever before, there's never been a more appropriate time to raise your tick literacy.  Tick encounter rates aren't creeping up... they're soaring.  Just one species, the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), transmits Lyme disease and at least 4 additional dangerous infections across a wide swath of the United States.  This tick is not your "regular" tick, although it may be the most common. 

To stay TickSafe and disease-free, there are 10 things you must know about ticks these days.  Once you know about those things, there are 5 top TickSmart actions you can and should take.  No more "hmmms," "uhhhhs," or "I'm not sure."  The Get TickSmart campaign hopes to fast-track your access to knowledge and resources that empower you to be proactive and protected. 

This webinar will be presented by Dr. Thomas N. Mather, Professor & Director, Center for Vector-Borne Disease and TickEncounter Resource Center, University of Rhode Island and moderated by Shawn Banks, Extension Agent Agriculture-Horticulture, NC State University Cooperative Extension. 

Click here to login as a guest and participate in the live event. 

For more webinars in this series, see All Bugs Good and Bad 2014 Webinar Series. The webinars are brought to you by the following eXtension Communities of Practice: Imported Fire Ants, Urban IPM, Bee Health, and Invasive Species; and by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. 

To recap....

What: FREE Webinar on Ticks
When: Friday, April 4, 2014 at 1PM CDT
Where: here

This webinar will be taped, so if you have pressing commitments you can watch later.  If you participate in the live session, you will be able to ask questions.

The Webinar from last month "Straight Talk about Termites" can still be watched....just click HERE!