5 Common Tick Myths Debunked: How to Stay Protected from Ticks 

UPDATE: Dr. Thomas Mather further discusses the common myth that ticks fall out of trees. Watch his update here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-er1XzR7xC0U.html

One other tip, don't wear dark clothing. Light colored clothing won't scare ticks away, but makes it easier to see them so they can be removed from clothing.

About ticks in trees, I have walked under oak trees and had a tick land on my arm. Squirrels get ticks and fleas so they do sometimes fall from above they may not live there but they DO fall from trees.

As a birder, I have worn gaiters for many years. This is very useful for avoiding ticks, chiggers and fire ants. It is an easy and cheap solution for a common problem. Gaiters also keep burrs off of your shoe laces and prevent your shoes from becoming untied.

I have worked in the woods, for over 40 years. I have come home with 200 plus ticks 2 days a week, for several months every year. I have 4 kinds of tick borne illness. I have SAT on the ground, and watched ticks fall out of trees, TRYING to land on me. I have WATCHED them. They usually don't climb very high, but out on limbs, and try to launch onto me. So, you are simply wrong about Number one. I have HEARD them falling, and watched them falling. If they fall from 6 feet up, and land on dry leaves, you can actually hear them hit the forest floor. They then begin to WALK toward you. I'm a land surveyor. Tick food Nate

I have found ticks on my roof while painting eaves and trim. They are definitely in the trees.

I have to comment about ticks not dropping out of trees. I am a lifelong wide traveling hiker camper and by far the most ticks I've ever had on me in one short walk involved sitting up on a branch 12' above the ground in a Willow tree. Minutes after sitting I noticed a tick drop on my arm. After doing a self check to see if I had more I found 5. The Woman I was with had a similar number. I'm just adding my two cents.✌🏼

I was the first person in the UK to be diagnosed with Lyme Disease (1985) and was bitten on the front of my thigh. I never ever saw the tick, indicating that it did not stay attached for very long. I did get the bullseye rash, but not having seen the tick I cannot say how long after the bite it appeared. I will also say that I HAVE seen ticks on the leaves of bushes six feet from the ground!

In 1971 I almost died and was in a coma for 2 weeks due to a tick bite, there was an outbreak of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the southeast and I was unfortunate enough to get it but fortunate enough to survive.

They absolutely do drop from trees. As a bald man I can confirm this. I've had then drop on my head and immediately captured it.. I have found them on caps and head wraps often. I have ten acres of woods and field. Ticks climb trees. Bought some expensive gaiters and I've found ticks climbing right up them. They were a huge waste of money. Permethrin doesn't work and is extremely expensive. I just go home and do a full body check after a day in the woods. I use a tick twister to remove them and I have stopped worrying about getting a tick bite. I have had dozens of tick bites, I'm located in one of the largest deer populations in Michigan. Plenty of ticks and plenty of neighbors who only use chickens in their yards to eat the little buggers.

I would be interested to see what research you have conducted to conclude that ticks don't drop from trees, considering I have personally seen ticks drop out of low-hanging branches onto me. And I highly doubt that ticks are thinking about "the type of host they want to get on". I doubt a tick knows the difference between a coon, a dog, or a deer. They're all just targets of opportunity.

Ticks absolutely fall out of trees. I watched one fall and land on my girlfriend's shoulder. The kids in the elementary school in my town stood under the only tree in an open softball field. The tree was by itself, away from any bushes or any other trees. Many of the kids had ticks on thier heads minutes after standing under that tree. The grass was so short it was almost like carpet.

My wife and I were at Chappaquiddick "Marthas Vineyard, the island is infested with ticks. Wherever we walked the ticks were attacking from the bushes and they fell like rain from the trees above us.

Got a warning in my email. It said "if someone comes to your door and offers to check for ticks if you undress and turn with your arms up, DO NOT DO IT. IT IS A SCAM. They just want to see you naked. I wish I got this email yesterday. I am so embarrassed!"

I have to correct something here...17 years ago I was bitten by a black legged tick I had NO rash and after the tick was gone had a small spot maybe the size of a sesame seed and I never thought more of it...well about 6 months later I got sick and was diagnosed with lyme and damn near died... I was treated for 11 1/2 months with several antibiotics that finally pulled me out of that hell...my point is don't go by any rash if the tick bore into you and it was infected there's a high chance you will get lyme and trust me it ain't no picnic so go to your Dr tell them you were bit and get a week of antibiotic just in case...it's a cheap and safe way of making sure you don't contract lyme had I have done that I would have saved that year of hell and I was lucky because many never totally recover from this dreaded disease.

I love being outdoors and I have found ticks on me that came from vegetation of all heights. Walking through short and tall grasses (ankle biters), bushes and shrubs, and trees. The most ticks I've experienced on me was camping in a small clearing with tree branches overhead and the little bastards dropped down onto me and my camping party like they were paratroopers invading Normandy. We counted 53 on my dad that had climbed onto his body that evening and we knew there were more but it was dark and we could only see so much with flashlights. I've also found a couple on me when I took a lunch break in the office parking lot and stood under a relatively small ornamental pear tree, so they can and will try to get to a host any way they can.

Oh baloney, ticks in trees isn’t a myth. Ticks ANYWHERE isn’t a myth. I’ve seen them on clothes line posts high above my head, on the tops of plastic garbage cans, on a hanging bird feeder. Whether their little tick brain said “Imma hang on that bird feeder and drop on that lady’s head when she comes to fill it”…or the bird brought it when it came for the seed DOESN’T MATTER. Ticks can be anywhere.

I am 75 and lived in the country for many years. I too, have experienced ticks from trees. They can get in a tree from animals that climb trees. The tick doesn't have to climb the tree itself.

Tick's do fall from trees, I've witnessed it, almost sounded like it was raining , most were hitting the ground but a few where landing on us. And yes I've seen them sitting on the tip of a grass seed head with their legs outstretched waiting for you to come in contact with them and that's I'm sure more typical.

I’m from central Massachusetts; my parents live on 4 acres of land. My dad was bit a week before father’s day and was in hospital for the last week with Anaplasmosis. Thankfully he is now home and resting…but he was so so sick. Poor thing. So please be careful, everyone!

I grew up in Northeast Kansas. Lots of elm, maple, oak, and black walnut trees. I was talking to my nephew once under a tree and a wood tick dropped right on his shoulder. They drop from trees for sure. Piggyback off raccoons, possums, squirrels and other tree climbers as well as any birds they can attach to.

Having lived in the middle of the woods in Arkansas, and cutting firewood, I was very familiar with ticks, and worse yet, chiggers. To work all day in the woods, I first put Avon Skin So Soft with a few drops of patchouli oil on my body. Long pants, long-sleeved shirt tucked in, work boots, and pant legs duct taped around the ankles. Then the DEET or permethrin sprayed on shirt and pants. You only stand on a chigger nest one time before you learn to prepare.

Have literally been down a trail that was “raining” ticks. It doesn’t happen often but it does happen.

You might have a doctorate in a college, but you have obviously not been to Manatee State Park in Florida. The tick are definitely falling from the trees because they were falling on us many many times. We had to stay under our awning because of the ticks falling. And yes, they were absolutely ticks

Permethrin is your friend. I treat all my clothing with it and keep it treated throughout the year.

Thank you for posting this video! Just wanted to add a couple things from my experience with ticks in trees, and new research that came out in 2021 that found deer tick larvae can hatch already infected with babesia. I have personally seen ticks fall from trees like drops of rain. It was in the forest surrounding the Yorktown VA battlefields… a national park overrun with deer due to no hunting permitted. The deer literally ate all vegetation from the ground to the height they could reach, so there wasn’t much left in the forests at ground level for the massive abundance of ticks to climb. It was a sunny day, but sounded like rain drops hitting the dry leaves. We would stop walking and soon the drops would also stop, then take a few more steps and the rain drop sounds would start again… the sky was blue and we were very confused. Then I felt a “drop” hit my head, and simultaneously noticed my friends shirt covered in ticks. We brushed them off and sprinted out of there, but I had 5 ticks already embedded by the time I got back to the room. They were definitely deer ticks, and falling on us from above head level… and they were obviously able to detect our presence from up above, because they would wait for us to walk below them to fall. And it appears their aim was pretty accurate. This was a unique situation, so perhaps they don’t climb trees when there is plenty of ground vegetation, but wanted to share that ticks can and do fall from trees in at least some situations. The second point I wanted to mention… it turns out larva are not always uninflected or “clean” ticks. It was recently discovered that babesia odocoilei (white tail deer strain) is a human pathogen, and the PA Tick Lab is finding it in 20% of deer ticks. When an infected female lays eggs, some of the nearly invisible larva can hatch already infected/infective. There’s no test for odocoilei yet, but it sometimes cross reacts with the babesia duncani antibody test.

I had a tick fall on me from above in a tree while I was mowing grass. Landed right on my arm. Only time that ever happened to me.

Many people have said they have direct experience with ticks raining down from a tree. I will add mine that ticks love to perch on the tip of long grass blades or bushes and wait for you to brush past. I think they are pretty opportunistic in their hunting spots.

I had 2 ticks drop down directly on me from the tree I was sitting under. Ticks do indeed fall from trees on to their perspective hosts. I witnessed it twice just this weekend.

Ticks can fall out of trees. Yes, they don’t climb up the trees, but they get up by being on an animal like a squirrel or raccoon. It’s not as common as ticks being in the grass, but it does happen.

I was standing in a bus shelter on the NSCU Veterinary Medicine campus when a tick landed on my hair, which I immediately brushed off. If they can jump from the roof of a bus shelter, they can jump from a tree.

But they DO! I had NEVER heard of ticks falling from the trees. Then I discovered ticks floating down from above all on my own from personal experience. Many times over the past two decades.. And yes, I know the difference between a tick and any other arthropods.

I have been sitting on a blanket by the river, under a tree, and had a tick fall into my hair. Thankfully I felt it hit and I reached up and got it out. It was 100% a tick. I know because I've had many. I love the outdoors, or I used to when I was healthy enough to be athletic. See, I never got tested when I got bit because I never developed a bullseye rash that "science" used to say would be present if I contracted Lyme. "Science" also used to say that there was no Lyme in Georgia so I didn't worry about it. Now, years down the road, I am diagnosed with chronic late-stage Lyme from one of the tick bites I received in Georgia. See, here's the thing, deer don't know state lines. Ticks don't know to get on only deer that will stay within certain boundaries. Back when I was diagnosed with a positive test result, I was treated with antibiotics. It didn't work because I was well outside that critical treatment period. I was told I had Lyme disease. After conferring with her fellow doctors though it was determined that "there is no Lyme in Georgia" so I had "Fibromyalgia." Now the science has finally caught up with the facts and doctors now acknowledge that yes, we do in fact have Lyme in Georgia. Too late for me. Science is ever-changing. And yes, ticks do indeed fall out of trees.

This is the problem with experts. They know so much that they think they know everything. Ticks most CERTAINLY climb trees and drop onto mammals. In southern Ohio one time, we thought it was raining out of a clear sky until we realized we were being covered in ticks falling from the trees above. It might be rare compared to brush-off attachments in grass, but it 100% absolutely does happen. Also, it would make sense that they would develop that ability. Instead of only waiting for an animal to come by at the right height, they could drop on anything below them such as a mouse. It greatly increases their chance of a successful “hunt”.

I'm 79 and been in the woods most of my life. I like to wear a wide brimmed hat ( Stetson ) when out and about. I am also very familiar with Ticks. On occasion I have found Ticks on the top part of the brim of my hat.. No , they were not there before the hike but sure were after the hike. My hat was on my head all the time so they had to be up higher then my 6,1 to get there. Must be a rare breed of a Florida , high climbing , tick. Sure look like a run of the mill brown dog tick.

A tick fell on my hat from a tree above. it felt like a tiny raindrop until it crawled under my ball cap brim. I've had ticks on me all my life; It was most certainly a tick and not something else. I know it's probably not common but it happened to me.

Re: Ticks from trees: I was a Marine stationed at Camp LeJeune in the early/mid sixties. In the spring and summers there were portions of our training areas that were so heavily tick-infested that engineer tape was used to mark the areas off, and we were not supposed to go in them. However, I had a Sgt Jones as a squad leader who sent me into one such area to serve as an "outpost." I found a spot that was relatively clear of vegetation with a shade tree above it, and spread my poncho on the ground. Then I laid on my poncho, took a magazine from a pouch, and pulled my bayonet. Every once in awhile, I heard a light tap. Usually it was a medium-sized tick. I flipped said tick into a nearby colony of ants, expecting them to fall upon it, but they didn't. If, however, I flipped the tick onto the magazine, and injured it with the bayonet before flipping it into the midst of the ants, they would seize the tick and drag it down into their colony. Once in awhile, I would spot a tick crawling toward me over the poncho, and I assumed that it had come from nearby herbage. I injured or killed them with the magazine/bayonet and gave them to the ants. In the end, I cannot state unequivocally that some of the ticks dropped from the tree overhead, but some DID suddenly appear, and they made a faint sound when they landed on the ponch. Later, after my duty as outpost, I found four ticks on me.

I do know that ticks love my pine trees and when I ride around them on my mower I get ticks on me.

Glad you're an expert, but ticks do actually fall from trees. Like many other commenters, I have personally seen it happen. I had never even heard this "myth" actually and it surprised the heck out of me when one fell on me as I went under a low branch. As others have pointed out - the animals that ticks ride on climb trees.

My husband, dogs and I were hiking near Minnewaska outside of New Paltz, we were dressed much like you are, I had a light colored baseball cap on, my husband a light colored Tilley hat, we ended our hike early because we kept finding ticks all over our clothes, hats and dogs, we stopped for a water break and realized they were falling off the trees on us like rain drops. They were definitely ticks and definitely raining down on us from above. No, I don’t think we were being targeted, they were falling all around the area, we could even hear them like rain drops, our assumption was they were in the trees because their other hosts live in trees, squirells etc. Why were they falling like that? IDK, we guessed the sun was warming up the leaves and/or branches they were on triggering a response to move, leading them to fll. We always had light colored trash bags in the car to put our outer clothes in, even though we seemed to get them all off, I laid out a white sheet away from the house, put the clothes on the sheet and found more ticks, we just rolled everything up, doubled bagged the mess and threw it all away. Not long after we moved out of tick country and hope to never see another tick, we haven’t needed to apply any more chemicals on us since.

Hi. I am from Southwestern Ontario, Canada. My dog had an engorged tick fall off of her. I imagine it had been in her fur for a couple weeks. A week after it fell off, she had chills and was in the vet being treated for UTI, 8 days later of little recovery, she was diagnosed with Pyometra. She underwent emergency surgery and came back strong for about one week. 7 days later she was having momentary nervous reactions consisting of sudden stiff body, collapse, then get up like nothing happened. She was then admitted only to discover with an ultrasound that she had a splenic mass and a high chance of being malignant with less than 50% chance of survival. She underwent her second immediate emergency surgery. She did well and it was not cancerous. She was at that time diagnosed with IMHA (immune mediated hemolytic anemia) Her RBC were at 5%. First thing they said was they will not be transfusing her. I did not know my IMHA research at the time so did not ask why, or know how critically ill she truly was. I was given a secondary support suppressant while they ordered the primary prednisone, which she did not get to begin. She passed within 9 days after the surgery while only handling it well for the first 2 or 3 days. I ask myself every day for 1.5 years if this was all from a tick.

I've had a tick fall on me from the tree's above. Maybe that tick had just stepped on a squirrel, a chipmunk, a racoon or a bird and Maybe that tick hadn't bit into its host yet and Maybe that tick & me experienced a one in a million or billion or trillion event. Never the less, a tick fell on my head from a tree, And I killed it!

I was sitting under a tree, and had a tick fall out of the tree and landed on my leg? Guess I imagined it

I had a tick drop on me from a tree just two weeks ago. I didn't know they would climb that high.

I live in a wooded area and often have deer walk right up to the windows in my house. I can see the deer closely and have seen what looked like grapes covering the ears of the deer. They would shake their head and large ticks would go flying in all directions. If you have deer around your property you will have many ticks. It has been proven that most of the tests for tick diseases will show negative even when there is an infection present. If your doctor is not knowledgeable about ticks, find another doctor, your life could depend on it.

I got a tick on my head while walking my dog. I was no where near anything like tall bushes. But I did walk under some trees

We need a follow up video here- plenty of people here saying that they have experienced ticks dropping from trees. What actual studies have been done?

I never really knew about ticks until my family lived in Kenya. We used to come back from hikes and find them on our legs quite often. None of them ever made us sick.

Very informative and helpful. Thank you.

The smaller ticks I have encountered in tall grass, but larger ones definitely fell off tree branches.

I have a hypothesis about ticks occasionally falling from trees. No they don't normally quest for a host far up from the ground, but they do attach to birds and squirrels, and crawl off them. Letting go and dropping is a quick way to get back to the ground, and the moisture they need to survive. I have had one drop on me while under trees, but that was the only time. Normally they seem to get on my legs at about calf height. They do attach and feed much more quickly than we are told. They can be feeding in 10 minutes, and be done in 12 hours. Check yourself regularly when out in brushy areas. My bird feeders attract squirrels, making the area nearby the best area on my land to get ticks.

Thanks for sharing this invaluable advice and info!

I live in a rural area of New Jersey. Frequently there are many deer on my property. I rarely go outside, always with shoes and socks, long pants, and short sleeve shirts. One day in 2014 I found a tick on my arm, removed it and went immediately to my doctor. She prescribed 4 pills of Cipro, one every 12 hours. I took them, had no symptoms and forgot about it. Last year 2022 I had and extensive lab blood workup. I tested positive for Lyme disease antibodies.

I heard what you had to say about ticks falling out of trees. What I have witnessed is that the ticks will climb to between 6 to 9 feet into bushes and branches overhanging trails. If they’re only sensory organs are for pheromone and sent particles, stands to reason that they can sense where the trails are located, they position themselves over the trail, wait for scent, or CO2 particles wafting through the air and then launch them selves. I have witnessed this happening on the deer trails near where I live in Michigan. I believe you have misconstrued people, saying ticks falling out of trees as meaning from the canopy far overhead. What people are saying is that ticks fall out of low, hanging branches over trails.

I’ve had multiple ticks fall on me from the trees. And far too many while I’m sitting at the kitchen table or working that I must have brought in previously. By far the biggest numbers from working out mowing or working in our woods. Hate them but luckily most are found crawling on me not actually biting me.

I have operated heavy equipment for almost 50 years and have had many ticks fall on me from the trees that I was pushing down. Come South and I will show you sometime!

I could never understand ticks falling out of trees, that was what my training said so I went with it. Thank you for the correction. :)

I found one on edge of my Jeep door where the window rolls into it after going through a tight, overgrown section of a forest road. Limbs had been flapping against the window edge as I drove. I had always been skeptical of ticks being above say waist-high until then. Based on that I would assume that you can likely expect them up to shoulder height.

I live in the Ozark Mountains and use coconut oil for a tick repellent and it really seems to work good for me at least. A few years ago I went on a long hike with my grandson and forgot to rub on the coconut oil and when I got home I had 63 ticks all over my body. I'm a Backpacker hiker and a hammock camper and spend almost all of my free time out in the woods.

thank you for the very well explained information, subscribed

As a kid, I had one fall out of a tree (first base) as I played school baseball. No grass, gravel playing field. Concrete sidewalk to playing field, no grass. Attached to outside of my ear. Didnt know what it was and scratched it out. Left granuloma for years!

Really valuable information with the exception of them dropping from trees.(That is where squirrels and raccoons live.) I have purchased Permethrin to spray on my clothing & hat. Lyme's disease from ticks is very high in New England.

Thank you for the very detailed explanation.😊😊😊

0:48 When I "think about it" I remember the time I was walking through the woods and felt something drop onto my forearm. I looked and it was a tick. Applying your "science" by presuming you know the mind of a tick seems like some weak "science".

Thank you sir, for explaining that , I appreciate your knowledge.

Ticks dropping from trees is no myth. I have seen it happen multiple times. I once helped on a steam train that had open cars for tourists to ride as an excursion. In the mornings we had to take the train up the track for a couple of miles, then we would return. The smoke and heat from the train would go up into the trees and leaves above the train, and it would rain ticks on those open cars. Dozens of them would fall, and then they would start crawling around looking for a host. We would have to de-tick the train cars. It is most certainly not a myth, though I agree most ticks do stage themselves near the ground in grasses and weeds.

If you walk through a park and stay on an asphalt path say a short quarter-mile path. How would you explain finding a tick on your shoulder halfway into the park? It certainly seems like they can fall out of trees.

Thank you Insect Shield and Dr. Mather.

I know there's some low level hysteria surrounding ticks but when they're all over your property, hanging out on the door of your greenhouse, and wait 6 hours to show themselves after you've been carrying it around without knowing, it just becomes another part of life out here. I've pulled so many off myself, some pretty well attached, and have yet to catch any disease. Ticks don't bother me, but I lose my mind when mosquitoes just will not leave me alone despite repellents.

I live rural and daily I open/close a driveway gate by hand. We had one waiting on top of the gate today by the hand latch... To me I think that could also climb trees. DOZENS of ticks wait for me at the gate... Nowhere else on my property can I just stare at the ground and watch multiple crawling around. They're big lone star ticks! I hate them

What you said about ticks falling out of trees makes sense to me Doc. And the idea of them being up in a tree to begin with has to be crazy talk. Nevertheless, i had three land on me while standing under an oak overhanging a street. After all my years hiking and camping i know a tick when I see one.

I agree with almost everything said. However, I have had numerous experiences finding ticks crawling on me / my clothing. Unless a tick can make it from my sneaker to my neck in 90 seconds. I maintain they can fall from trees. In science, NEVER is a bad word.

Very helpful. Thank you.

I walked a logging Road 100yards no brush or undergrowth and found more than 25 ticks on my head shoulders and upper body.I know they dropped on me from above as it took less than 5 minutes and there were none below my waist.

A serious issue with Permethrin is how dangerous it is to cats. If your clothing is impregnated with permethrin and your cats come into contact, they can have serious, possibly life-threatening reactions.

This was great! Thank you so much 🥰

Pennsylvania is a great place to find ticks. Minnesota, too. Ten seconds in roadside brush and you'd better check for ticks. I keep pants tucked under knee-high socks and that eliminates bare skin. Ticks will still be clinging to pants but are easily seen and brushed off.

Sorry to debunk your debunking, but I have literally experienced ticks falling from a tree. I was with friends on a day trip to a winery in the nearby CA foothills. It was a hot summer day, and we found a shady tree (likely an oak), spread a blanket under and sat. After a bit we noticed something small fall onto the blanket. Then another. Then another. The blanket had a pattern, so we had to look closely and it was 3 fat ticks! Yes, I know what ticks look like, I grew up in the foothils and my mom pulled several off us as kids. We couldn't scramble from under that tree fast enough. We kept checking each others' scalps and our socks and had the heebie jeebies all day. We were laughing, and creeped out. My guess? They hop onto squirrels or raccoons, who go into the trees. Ticks drop off. Then they drop to the ground, or maybe wait to hop a ride on deer below. Who knows, but I saw this happen.

My father's repellant for ticks and chiggers was "flowers of sulfur," a finely powdered sulfur available in drug stores. This is sprinkled in socks and waistband. I like to mix it half-and-half with talcum powder. The size you get in a hospital is handy to carry.

I've never seen a tick "fall" from a tree. But I've definitely observed them on lower limbs of understory trees. What I've learned over the years is that ticks are worst on my property near my pond and it's run off.

Wonderful information! Well done!

This guy hasn't been to Florida! Ticks can float on the air and change direction at will as they glide and land on targets! One sunny afternoon I was at an outdoor dinner party beneath a Live Oak tree. After I finished eating I leaned back for a stretch and saw the sun glinting off of someting that seemed to leave the end of one of the branches above. The branch was about 25 feet above and not directly over my head. The tiny object changed direction about three times with a bit of a wobble here and there and it seemed to be gliding in my general direction. It landed on my head. I caught it immediately after I felt it land in my hair and that little spot of reflected sunlight was a tick! ... I had heard stories but never experienced it before. I'd accidently kicked a clump of grass and had to scrape what seemed like a hundred tiny ticks off my ankle after taking off my sock just a few steps down the lane. I've had them climb my leg and bite me in my drawers! After plucking the tick when the swelling got really bad I tried Castor Oil and it seemed to reduce the inflamation. I've been very careful about hanging out under the trees when the weather starts getting warm enough for them to start moving. I think that they hatch and keep on moving until they find what they're huntin' for!

I owned 100 acres in the country and was walking in tall grass. We could see ticks hanging on at the stalk with arms extended to grab onto anything that passed through. Chiggers were awful there too.

Thank you very much for the information.

I have a severe phobia of ticks that stems from a childhood incident. Because of my phobia,, I missed my aunt's funeral because the cemetery was in a wooded area. I don't go hiking. I sometimes even freeze up thinking they could be in the lawn. While the video didn't exactly give me any peace of mind, I do thank you for the video.

My wife and I have a farm in northwest New Jersey and we are overrun with ticks all over it. Eyewear dog and flea collars are ankles seems to help substantially. Put on a cotton sock cotton sock I put the flea collar on over top of it Works fairly well thank you for the info God bless you sir😊

I put a circle of deet around a tick and it crawled right through it, so it is definitely not a deterrent.

I know you know more than I do, but I was fishing a pond full of deer paths in NJ, and watched ticks falling onto by shoulders. I promise you that they were not weavils or small insects. Without that experience, I would otherwise agree with you, it doesnt seem to make sense. As an avid fisherman, I get ticks a lot, and so I thought this experience was very odd.

I live in Kentucky, (USA, for those of you in other countries) we probably have every kind of tick here. I have had 2 tick-borne illnesses. About 15 years ago, I got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I was extremely ill, high fever, hurt all over, and I was a little delerious from the fever. I went to an urgent care facility. I tested positive for mononucleosis, which you just have to ride out. The next day, the called me and said I also had RMSF. They called in an RX for an antibiotic, so I got that as soon as possible. I started feeling better within 24 hours, and diligently finished the course of antibiotics. I was still weakened by the mono, but the RMSF had been what made me so terribly ill. Then about 6 years ago, I got Alphagal. That's the one that makes you allergic to mammalian meats. After strictly avoiding mammalian meat, including many hidden sources like additive in medications and supplements, I still wasn't over it. I finally found out there's acupuncture treatment for Alphagal. I got that done, and I'm fine now, I can eat all kinds of meat again. Tick bites are no joke. I know someone who got seriously frome Lyme disease, and one of my neighbors is being treated now. He showed us the bull's-eye rash on his leg. His looked like someone used a red Sharpie to draw a target on his leg. Very distinct and vivid. But they aren't always that clear and obvious. If you suspect your bite might be Lyme disease, it's worth getting tested to be safe. I've been using repellent with Picaridine (sp?) instead of DEET. It's pretty effective, so far. It only lasts about 4 or 5 hours, though, so it does have to be reapplied if you're going to be out longer than that. Permetherin on your clothes definitely works great.

I remember clearly that one time while I was looking for mushrooms in a forest I saw a tick fall right onto my shoulder. It was a middle of the day and I had a white t-shirt on me. I saw it clearly as it landed on my right shoulder and it wasn’t a small one. There’s no doubt in my mind that if you move slowly underneath a tick in the forest and they sense you somehow.. I guess thermally or olfactory they don’t need to put much effort into it, just to let go and land onto the target.

Thank you for posting the video 😊

Good video, thanks for the insights. I once parked my convertible with the roof down, under the tree canopy in my driveway, just for an hour or so. When I got in the car, there was a tick crawling on the inside of the door right next to me. Fortunately, my car had a white interior so I saw it immediately and dispatched it. I wonder if ticks may "fall from above" when they hitch a ride on a squirrel or bird ? I do use permethrin to soak any pants and shoes I will be wearing when working in the yard, seems to work great. No issues since I started using it about 5 years ago.

I've gotten a couple of ticks growing up in the country when I was a kid, but haven't had any since. And I've spent a LOT of time in the woods camping and hiking without any ticks on my person.

Blue Mountains of Washington, large numbers of elk. We were standing in a clearing with no low brush near us. My friend took off his shirt on a hot sunny day. Ticks landed on his shoulders. Never saw this before but there were two witnesses.

Great information thank you sir

They definitely get into trees. Still watching.

I still remember my last trip to Florida had to refresh my memory on everything bugs , snake's , ant's , etc . One old local family hardware/feed store was the kindest most helpful in everyway possible. At one time federal , state, local education/teaching/civil defense/summer park's and recreation programs connected everyone for a more informed community. United we stand divided we fall .

Thank you

I had one on my nadbag once. It was huge! The tick was pretty big too.

I have never in my life heard of ticks falling from trees. I have, however, been well educated to be aware of walking through knee high brush. As I have always understood it, ticks feel the presence of an animal or person by the heat given off of the person.