Ticks

Resource Tags:

Ticks 
Insects, Spiders, & More 

About the Resource:

Ticks are small, parasitic arachnids that feed on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. They are known for their ability to transmit various diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and others, making them a serious concern for humans, pets, and livestock.

Identification 

Images of Ticks: https://entomology.unl.edu/images/ticks 

  • Appearance: Ticks are small, flat, and oval-shaped, typically brown or black. Their size ranges from about 1-5 mm when unfed, but they can swell up significantly after feeding.
  • Types of Ticks:
    • Common Ticks in Nebraska: https://vbms.unl.edu/researchers-map-ticks-across-cornhusker-state 
    • Deer Tick (Blacklegged Tick): Known for transmitting Lyme disease. Adults are about the size of a sesame seed, with black legs and a reddish body.
    • American Dog Tick: Larger than deer ticks, they are brown with white or yellow markings and are known to transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
    • Lone Star Tick: Recognized by the white spot on the back of adult females, these ticks can transmit several diseases, including ehrlichiosis.

Tick Behavior

  • Habitat: Ticks are commonly found in wooded areas, tall grasses, brush, and leaf litter. They can also be present in gardens and yards, anywhere hosts such as wildlife are present.
  • Questing: Ticks find hosts by crawling up vegetation and extending their legs, which have tiny hooks to grasp onto wildlife that brush by.
  • Feeding: Ticks attach to their hosts by inserting their mouthparts into the skin and feeding on blood. They can remain attached for several days, during which they can transmit diseases.
  • Lifecycle: Ticks go through four life stages: egg, larva (seed tick), nymph, and adult. Most tick-borne diseases are transmitted by nymphs and adult ticks.

Health Risks

  • Lyme Disease: Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted primarily by deer ticks. Symptoms include a characteristic "bull's-eye" rash, fever, headache, and fatigue.
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: Transmitted by the American dog tick and other species, it causes fever, rash, and other serious symptoms.
  • Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, and Babesiosis: These are other tick-borne diseases with varying symptoms that can be severe if left untreated.

Prevention and Control Methods

https://grobigred.com/2020/04/23/tick-time-check-yourself/ 

  1. Personal Protection
    • Clothing: Wear long sleeves, long pants tucked into socks, and light-colored clothing to easily spot ticks. Consider wearing permethrin-treated clothing to repel and kill ticks that come into contact with treated clothes.  After coming in from outdoor activity, put outdoor clothing into a clothes dryer for 20-30 minutes on high heat to kill any hitchhiking ticks.
    • Repellents: Apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin.
    • Tick Checks: After spending time outdoors, thoroughly check your body, children, and pets for ticks. Pay attention to areas like the scalp, behind the ears, underarms, and groin.
    • Showering: Showering within two hours of coming indoors can help find and remove ticks that you may have missed. 
    • Tick Treatments for Pets: Regularly use tick prevention products on pets, such as spot-on treatments, tick collars, or oral medications. Consult your vet for the best option.
  2. Environmental Management
    • Yard Maintenance: Keep grass short, remove leaf litter, and clear tall grasses and brush around homes and edges of lawns. This reduces tick habitat.
    • Tick-Free Zones: Create a barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas. This discourages ticks from migrating into your yard.
    • Wildlife Control: Consider using fencing or other methods to keep deer and other wildlife (which can carry ticks) away from your yard.
  3. Tick Removal
    • Tools: Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.
    • Removal Technique: Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Avoid twisting or jerking the tick, as this can cause mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin.
    • Aftercare: Clean and disinfect the bite area, and save the tick in a sealed container or bag for identification if you develop symptoms later.
  4. Monitoring for Symptoms
    • Watch for Symptoms: After a tick bite, monitor for signs of tick-borne illnesses, such as rash, fever, fatigue, and muscle or joint pain. Seek medical attention if any symptoms develop and let the medical professional know the tick species.

More Info: https://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/NebraskaTicks345.shtml 

Tick-Tack-Go: https://nebraskaonehealth.unl.edu/tick-tag-go