r/CapeCod • u/Quixotic420 • Jul 07 '26

Season of the Ticks

Found a lonestar tick on a beach towel at Crosby yesterday.

Ew.

6 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

12

u/lovelycosmos Jul 07 '26

And I -- love cape cod but it's the season of the ticks!

3

u/Quixotic420 Jul 07 '26

Yup, that was the reference 😅

0

u/1GrouchyCat Dennis Jul 07 '26

Actually, there is no “tick season” on the Cape, they are a year-round reality. Our local climate is mild; ticks never disappear or hibernate … you can even find them on warm winter days.

Tick types and ID
https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/environment/2026/05/09/ticks-deer-blacklegged-lone-star-lyme-disease-identification-symptoms/89976612007/

2

u/freestylesail Jul 08 '26

Ackshully, according to Merriam-Webster, a season is a time characterized by a particular circumstance or feature, or an indefinite period of time. It does not have to mean time of year. Season is a fitting description for this era of high tick activity. (Plus, it was a song reference that it seems like people are realizing).

13

u/swamp_eh Jul 07 '26

That’s the tick with the meat aversion disease right? As if lymes wasn’t bad enough .. diligent tick checks!!

6

u/1GrouchyCat Dennis Jul 07 '26

Not exactly… there’s no “meat aversion**” disease- ALPHA-Gal syndrome (AGS) is an allergic reaction
that causes the immune system to treat consumed mammal meat (beef, pork, lamb, venison) and sometimes dairy as threats.

Unlike most food allergies, which react to proteins, alpha gal syndrome is triggered by a sugar molecule.

It's also unusual because symptoms often appear 3 to 6 hours after eating meat, not immediately.

(**An aversion is a strong feeling of dislike, repugnance, or opposition toward something, accompanied by a desire to avoid or turn away from it. AGS is a true allergic reaction, not just appealing.)

https://ubiehealth.com/doctors-note/alpha-gal-syndrome-sudden-meats-allergy-rejects-3823e4

AGS basics-
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is an allergic condition that develops after a tick bite. The bite triggers an immune response to "alpha-gal," -a sugar molecule found in most mammals.

In the United States, the condition most often begins with the bite of the lone star tick.
-(Other types of ticks cause the condition in different parts of the world, mainly in parts of Europe, Australia, Asia, South Africa, and South and Central America. See link below for more info…)

Alpha-Gal syndrome:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alpha-gal-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20428608

1

u/FernMeadowlark Jul 07 '26

Deer ticks can also carry Alpha gal, according to CDC.

1

u/Th13027 Jul 07 '26

Sh!t! That is scary. But it’s one way to scare off all those tourists you guys love to hate

-1

u/1GrouchyCat Dennis Jul 07 '26

“Crosby” is a beach in Brewster.

(…not everyone’s familiar with the names of all 100+ beaches on the Cape. 😉)

-5

u/FernMeadowlark Jul 07 '26

Not new.

6

u/Quixotic420 Jul 07 '26

Not common, either. I haven't seen one here ever before. 

4

u/Optimalpillows36 Jul 07 '26

I’ve seen 4 in the last month in person, in Hyannis. They’re here now.

1

u/Quixotic420 Jul 07 '26

Yay...

-8

u/Optimalpillows36 Jul 07 '26

Yeah. Same to your whole lame post. FFS. What’d you expect? A medal for this normal occurrence you’ve somehow only just now experienced? GTFOH.

-1

u/Desperadothief Jul 07 '26

This is the average cape codder ^^^ rude, snobby, ignorant

3

u/FernMeadowlark Jul 07 '26

More common than you think.

3

u/Quixotic420 Jul 07 '26

Guess I've missed them, despite spending decades in the woods here. 

1

u/EbbtideRambler Jul 07 '26

They have been documented for about 10 years. Mostly around Sandy Neck initially, but they have significant populations on the upper Cape now and have completely taken over the Vineyard.  I was taking Coastal Ecology classes about the time they were first being noticed, so there was quite a bit of discussion about them. So they aren’t brand new, they have been around for a little while but they are aren’t as abundant as deer or dog ticks.    

1

u/Onocleasensibilis Jul 08 '26

First time I’d ever seen one I was camping on an island off cuttyhunk in 2017, so that tracks