Ticks

Spring is around the corner and nationwide we've had a fairly mild winter. Generally, this can mean a fierce bug hatch. In areas where black fly is a problem, really there's nothing you can do to keep them at bay, after all, they've been waiting for you all winter. The most serious bug threat to humans comes from the diseases carried by ticks. There are several facts about ticks that most of us need to be aware of so that we can avoid disease and/or infection.

First of all, ticks belong to the Arachnid family, related to spiders. They begin life as an egg, then molt into a 6 legged larva. After shedding the larva outer skin they become a nymph and don 8 legs. During the life cycle of ticks, from larvae to adult, they grow in size. A larva is about the size of the dot on this 'i'. A tick nymph is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. An adult male is the size of a small 'o' and an adult female is the size of a large 'O'. (Of course there are ticks of different sizes and shapes, but these sizes are generally the average). For a tick to mature, each and every stage of its life cycle requires a host.

Ticks are divided into two families, 'soft' and 'hard'. Soft ticks look like little raisins and expand while feeding. They generally live in sheltered places such as burrows or nests. There are over 150 types of soft ticks. Hard ticks are generally found outdoors. When not feeding on hosts, most 'hard' ticks live on the ground in grassy meadows, brush and weeds. They are also found in leaf litter and duff (decomposing organic material). The female shell covers only the front one third of the body so that the rest of the body can expand during feeding. The male hard tick's shell covers most of the body and can expand less during feeding than the female. There are over 650 types of 'hard' ticks.

How do they find their hosts? Ticks possess a unique ability to find warm blooded hosts. They have sensory organs in their front legs that detect carbon dioxide, host odors and the heat given off by warm blooded animals. (Researchers will often use a block of dry ice to capture ticks since they're drawn to carbon dioxide! They may climb 10 to 15 feet or more to find the source of the CO2.) To allay your fears, they do not jump or fly onto their hosts. They crawl.

The head of a tick consists of complex mouthparts. The sharp outer parts of the mouth cuts the skin of the host and pushes the 'hypostome' (which looks a bit like a harpoon) into the hole. The tick then anchors itself with a cement like substance that makes it difficult to remove. Teeth cut into small blood vessels and, in order to stop normal coagulation, the tick secrets a substance to keep the blood in liquid form. It is through this secretion that the tick can transfer a number of diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease, Tick Paralysis and Tularemia (Rabbit Fever) which is why it is important to remove a tick as soon as you discover it.

How do you remove a tick? Surprisingly enough, it's not the way you might think. One of several 'folk' remedies is what most of us have come to rely upon. These methods include covering the tick with petroleum jelly or fingernail polish or rubbing alcohol, or touching it with a hot match. According to current research these methods are not going to remove the tick as quickly as it needs to be removed. Since the most important part of the tick to remove is the mouth, researchers say that blunt, curved forceps or tweezers, placed as close to the skin as possible with a steady 'pull-away' action is the most expedient and safest way to remove a tick. (If the mouthparts break off as a result of not grabbing the tick close enough to the skin, they could become infected.) If all you have are your fingers, cover them with rubber gloves, plastic or paper towels. Take great care not to puncture or crush the tick or get any of the fluids from it on you. If you suspect the tick of being disease carrying type, keep it in a sealed container until you can give it to a physician for examination. After removing the tick, disinfect the area with alcohol or povidone iodine then thoroughly wash your hands.

The following information will give you an idea of where some of the more common ticks are found and what diseases they may carry:

Tick: Lonestar

Area: Southeastern 1/3 USA

Disease: Tularemia, Tick Paralysis, Q-fever (Query Fever)

Tick: Rocky Mountain Wood Tick

Area: Western Mountains USA

Disease: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Colorado Fever, Q-fever

Tick: Pacific Coast

Area: West Coast USA

Disease: Tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, CO Fever

Tick: American Dog Tick

Area: Eastern 1/2 and West Coast USA

Disease: Tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tick Paralysis

Tick: Blacklegged

Area: East, South, Upper Midwest USA

Disease: Lyme Disease, Tick Paralysis, Human Babesiosis

Tick: Western Blacklegged

Area: West Coast USA

Disease: Lyme Disease, Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis

Tick: Brown Dog

Area: Everywhere

Disease: Nuisance

Tick: Relapsing Fever

Area: Scattered in West USA and Florida

Disease: Relapsing fever

Tick: Pajahuello

Area: California

Disease: Painful bite and severe reactions

Find out more about ticks in this handy little book called:

"Ticks and What You Can Do About Them"

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