(TickTexas.org)
(TickTexas.org)
(TickTexas.org)
(University of Florida)
The year 2001 has been marked by an increase in the numbers of ticks being encountered in local lawns as well as in local cattle pastures. Although there is not one set reason for the increase in tick populations, some of the resurgence can be attributed to the decrease in fire ant populations over the area. Fire ants are tremendous predators on ticks and are a primary reason for the decline of the eight-legged bloodsuckers over the years. Ticks are related to spiders and scorpions rather than insects (which only have six legs). Ticks must suck blood from a host to survive and in order to produce eggs that will become the next generation. Locally, the ticks in the area require 3 hosts to develop to the adult stage. A female tick will lay eggs in the late spring and early summer that hatch into what are called "seed ticks" because they are so small in size. Seed ticks feed on a host for 4 to 6 days and drop off to shed to the nymphal stage. Nymph ticks attach to a host and feed for 4 to 6 days and drop off to shed to the adult stage. Adults also feed on a host. Adult females engorge with blood and become large and purplish in color. After a week of feeding, the female drops off, lays anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 eggs depending on the species of tick, and dies. Male ticks do not engorge and become fat. If enough ticks infest a dog, severe anemia or even death could occur from blood lost to the hungry ticks. Be sure to take care of your dogs if they become infested with ticks. In San Antonio over the past year, at least 3 dogs have either died or been euthanized as a result of severe tick infestations. One untreated, infested dog is enough to infest an entire neighborhood over time.
In South Texas, the most common ticks are the Lone Star Tick (Ambylomma americanum), the American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis), the Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) and the Deer Tick (Ixodes scapularis). Dogs are most commonly infested by the Brown Dog Tick in South Texas. The Lone Star Tick is identified by a white spot on its back (the females carry the white mark). The American Dog Tick has white lacy markings on its back and the Deer Tick is very small and usually found on deer or field mice.
| Black-legged
Tick Female (TickTexas.org) |
American
Dog Tick Female (TickTexas.org) |
Lone
Star Tick Female (TickTexas.org) |
Brown Dog Tick Male (University of Florida) |
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Ticks have long been carriers of disease and occasionally will transmit diseases to dogs and humans. One of the most famous (infamous) tick-borne diseases is lyme disease. Commonly carried by deer ticks, lyme disease causes symptoms similar to arthritis and flu and many times is accompanied by a bulls eye rash at the bite site. In Texas, an ailment similar to lyme disease can be carried by Lone Star ticks. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is another common tick-borne ailment that sometimes finds its way into humans and dogs. One thing to remember about tick-borne diseases: ticks must be attached for several hours before any disease-causing agents are injected into its host, so if you have been in a tick-infested area, be sure to check yourself for ticks after you leave it. If you find a tick attached to you or your pet, remove the tick by grasping the tick firmly with tweezers at the point of attachment and pull upward with constant pressure until the tick pulls loose. Do not jerk to pull the tick because its head or mouthparts may remain in the skin and lead to an infection. Burning a tick on its rear-end with a match or similar object may irritate the tick or even kill it, but it cannot release itself for a few hours because of its attachment to the skin. The same holds true for alcohol swabbed on the tick.
With all of this in mind, you're probably wondering what kinds of things can be done to provide protection from ticks. The ticks we are talking about today need a warm-blooded host on which to feed. Ticks find their hosts by body warmth, breath being exhaled and vibrations. If you are going into an area known to have ticks, be sure to tuck your pant legs into your socks and apply a repellent to your clothing that contains DEET. Do not apply DEET directly to exposed skin.
Around the home, ticks can have many places to hide while they are waiting for a host or developing to the next stage of their development. One thing that makes areas less attractive to ticks is mown grass. Short grass is hotter and holds less humidity than tall grass. Ticks require an optimum temperature of 80F to 90F and a relative humidity of 80% in their surroundings. Pay special attention to treating the cracks and crevices around the foundation of the home, bedding places for the pets in question, and along fences, especially wooden privacy fences. Ticks can hide between the pickets of the fence very easily. They can also hide the crevices of bricks, under the edges of siding and along concrete walkways or paving stones. Insecticides approved for ticks come in granular and liquid forms, but liquid concentrates are much more effective at getting into the ticks' hiding places. Consider a liquid insecticide product containing permethrin or chlorpyrifos (Dursban) that is approved against ticks. Read the product label to verify its approval to treat ticks. Ticks are extremely hard to control and treating them requires persistence and at least two treatments four weeks apart. For more information on ticks check the Tick Texas website at www.TickTexas.org or the Field Guide to Common Texas Insects website at http://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/fieldguide/index.html.