Ticks Part I

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Ticks! Everyone knows what a tick is right? They are small parasites that feed on blood as their main food source. We all have heard the horror stories of a friend of a friend that caught Lyme Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or worse from a tick bite. The thought of ticks crawling around makes me itch.

Most people think that ticks are insects. They look bug-like. They are small and due to their blood thirstiness one would think they are a cousin of the Mosquito; Maybe once or twice removed. Ticks are not insects! They are actually arachnids like scorpions, spiders and mites. All members of this group have four pairs of legs as adults and have no antennae. That makes sense if you think about it.

Growing up Tick: Ticks go through 4 life stages just like Mosquitoes do. They start out as an egg then go into the six-legged larva stage. These tiny larva are often called “seed ticks”. Once they reach “seed” stage they begin to feed on blood from a host. Seed Ticks are often found in a cracks and other small places where they hatched from. Seed ticks will feed in groups, one study involving dogs and their pens showed seed ticks can attack in numbers up to 3,000. If you have one seed tick on you it is highly likely you have more.

They molt (shedding of their skin, like a snake does) after feeding in seed tick phase they grow into an even larger nymph. As nymphs they continue to seek out hosts and feed until they can molt again. After this final molt they are adults! Both Female and Male ticks feed off of hosts. The female can lay eggs after feeding.

Ticks feed on everything. They are not too picky about who or what their host is as long as they can get the blood that they need. Ticks can be found on livestock (goats, chickens, cows, sheep), humans, dogs, cats, lizards, birds, deer and even snakes. The main reason why deer season is in the cooler months of the year is because it is in the hopes that the deer will not be infested with ticks and mites. Many ticks are dormant in the cooler months of the year. Even though that is the norm that does not mean exceptions can’t happen.

Ticks cannot fly or jump. They wait. They prefer tall grasses and shrubs. They will hang out on a blade of grass until a host passes by then they will hitch on. They have been known to fall off of their waiting place and fall onto their host (ever wondered how you got that tick on your head?). Ticks can also be found in abundance on animal trails and around water sources where they find their prey most often at.

Ticks track or stalk their prey. Teenie tiny stalkers, creepy huh? They track their hosts by carbon dioxide output. Some professional pest control companies actually use dry ice (The foggy effect it has when exposed to air is actually it melting and releasing carbon dioxide)to lure the ticks into a trap so they can be exterminated. This is a safe way to clear pet pens, barns and other animal related areas of ticks.

Ticks start coming out once the weather is a steady 45 degrees Fahrenheit. That means as early as March ticks can start coming out. Did you know that some ticks can live up to years, and many of them can do that without food. They go into a hibernation state until they are given the signal by Mother Nature that it is a good year to be active.

Ticks! Is such a long topic I've made two different posts so I can include all the info I can. Knowledge is power. Keep reading for Ticks! Part TWO!

(Click on the photo to enlarge)

Ticks

A Tick on a pet Lizard


Ticks! Part TWO

Have you ever wondered how a tick can stay lodged on a host when while the host is trying to remove it? The mouthparts of a tick is a thing of wonder. The mouthpart or hypostome is needle like. It can puncture through skin. The mouthpart has backward facing barbs (like an anaconda’s teeth) called denticles. These barbs secrete a bonding substance like concrete to help the tick remain in place while it feeds. Once in place it releases it saliva. The tick’s saliva has proteins in it that keeps the blood from clotting and also agents in it to battle our defense systems. (This saliva is close to the mosquito’s)

Ticks are carriers of diseases. They are known to carry Lyme Disease, Human asbestosis, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Tularemia. Pets can die from anemia from ticks if they are left on.

*Lyme disease was first identified in 1975, and since then the disease has continued to increase, both in the number of people afflicted and in the geographic distribution. National surveillance for Lyme disease began in 1982, when 491 cases were reported. In 2004, the latest year for which statistics are available, there were 19,804 human cases verified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 60,000 cases are reported each year in Europe.

Symptoms and signs of Lyme disease
Early Lyme Disease
The early stages of Lyme disease is usually marked by one or more of the following symptoms:
fatigue
chills and fever
headache
muscle and joint pain
swollen lymph nodes
a characteristic skin rash, called erythema migrans (EM) (Has a dark red center and red outter ring. Looks almost like a spread out bulls-eye)

Currently,Lyme disease is the most frequently reported arthropod-borne disease in the United States, however, far fewer cases of human babesiosis have been reported than those of Lyme disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA, more than 13,000 cases of Lyme disease were reported in 1994 from 43 states, nearly a sixty percent increase over the number reported in 1993 and approximately a 26-fold increase from the 491 cases reported from 11 states in 1982. Contrarily, only a few hundred cases of human babesiosis have been reported nation wide in the last two decades.


If you are bitten the quicker you remove the tick the better. Lyme Disease can be transferred to a host in as little as 24 hours from a tick. When removing a tick always sterilize the area with alcohol and be sure to use CLEAN sharp tipped tweezers. Blunt tipped tweezers can leave the tick’s mouth parts still attached. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. DO NOT remove it by pulling on the bottom. This can result in the tick bursting and the tick’s fluid bursting. This can lead to infection. After the tick is removed place it in a plastic zip lock bag then sterilize the area again. Be sure to clean your tweezers also. Keep the tick in case the bite becomes inflamed and infected. Doctor’s can often identify the tick to help narrow down the cause for the infection. Most tick bites are treated with antibiotics. You can use anti-itch and anti-inflammatory creams and medicines. A Tylenol will often help with inflammation. If the mouth part breaks off when removing treat it as you would a splinter.

To keep tick populations down in your yard keep the grass trimmed and you can spray the shrubs and other tall grasses with a pesticide. Always wear white socks so that ticks can be easily spotted. If in known tick rich area used repellents. Some are clothing only spray so read the label and follow the directions. Wear a hat and long sleeves and make sure to check yourself over properly as soon as possible.

If you have a tick and would like to I.D it I recommend this website. They also have tons of information about ticks.

http://www.tickencounter.org/education/tick_identification/

I think I covered the basics of ticks. If you are bitten and are not sure about the bite area always seek medical help. If you go to the ER or doctor mention the tick bite, even if it was in a "sensitive" area. A aunt of mine refused to seek medical help because it was in a "sensitive" location. They are doctor's I'm sure they have have much, much worse.

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A tick and it's eggs. These eggs can hatch in two days in pefect conditions.