Everything you wanted to know about ticks
I was out hiking with the Bullthistle Hiking Club a few weeks ago and the subject of ticks came up. Seems like everyone this year is finding them on their skin or clothing. Anyhow, there's a lot of talk out there about ticks. So I thought I would devote this week’s column to expounding on the current information out there.
Ticks are relatives of the spider, mite, scorpion, and chigger, and are members in the arachnid family. They have eight legs when they are adults. I never looked that close, have you? There are three different families of ticks, two transmit disease: the hard tick and soft tick. Throughout the world there are about 800 different species of ticks and they have been around about 90 million years. Not as long as the cockroach, but a lot longer than humans.
Ticks feast only on blood, and most are not very particular as to whose blood they dine on. They will attach to mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds. So even snakes are in danger of the dreaded tick! It seems like only fish are not on the tick’s menu as ticks are not aquatic by nature.
From my research, it is the hard ticks that we outdoorspeople encounter most. The hard ticks live part of their lives on the ends of shrubs, tall grasses and other plant life, holding on to the stalk with a leg or two and reaching out to grasp onto whatever brushes up against them. This is called "questing.” Certain biochemicals such as carbon dioxide as well as heat and movement serve to stimulate the questing behavior. Subsequently, these ticks climb onto a potential host which brushes against their extended front legs. The vast majority of soft ticks are nest parasites, residing in sheltered environments such as burrows, caves, or nests.
They tell me that the hard ticks are called that because they have a hard part on their dorsal called a scutum. The soft ticks do not have this. Good to know, but who has a microscope handy? What you can see, on the hard ticks, is the mouth parts. There are three – two claspers on each side of the feeding tube. On the soft shell ticks, you cannot see the mouth parts, they are underneath the body...the dead giveaway. Does it matter? Maybe not, unless you are bitten.
Other differences in the hard and soft ticks are that hard ticks usually hang on to their host anywhere from a few hours to a few days, even weeks. They expand 200-600 times their body weight when they fill up on blood. The diseases they carry is transmitted at the end of their "feast.” Their attachment is usually painless, and you don't know one has attached to you until you feel it by touch as when you are showering or changing clothes. They fall off or let go of their host when they've had their fill. As for soft ticks, they feed for less than an hour, and they only expand five to 10 times their body weight when they fill up on blood. Their feeding behavior can be compared to that of fleas as once established, they reside very near the host, feeding rapidly when the host returns and disturbs the nest (this is generally with birds and small ground nesting mammals). They transmit diseases instantly when they attach. Their attachment can sometimes cause excruciating pain, most likely you will know when one is on you.
Hard ticks can go several months without feeding, while the soft ticks can go for several years. Truly amazing! As for their lifespan, I hear it said that we have more ticks this year because we had a mild winter. Partly true, as in cold winters ticks will go into diapause. This is a sort of hibernation between one stage and another (egg-larval-nymph-adult). Ticks will go under the leaf litter to escape the cold. Here in our county, many places are snow-covered from December to April, so our contact with ticks is minimal. This year, with hardly any snow and record warm temperatures, ticks stayed active most of the winter, and so did we. Hiking, hunting, harvesting firewood, all activities we engaged in, in the ticks domain while they were still active. Studies show a correlation with tick activity and temperature. I don't think that there are more ticks, I think that there are more active ticks, and their activity has developed earlier this year with the unseasonably mild temperatures.
Probably the two most common diseases that we associate ticks with are Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease. However, they carry more diseases than any of the blood-sucking critters we are associated with. Here in our area the most common are mosquitoes and black flies. As the diseases are many, I will leave it up to you to research others. A quick Google search of "tick diseases" yielded over seven million results.
Some listed symptoms after the tick bite are the site may develop itching, burning, redness, and rarely, localized intense pain in some individuals. A few folks may be sensitive or allergic to tick bites and develop rash, shortness of breath, swelling, numbness, or paralysis. However, the majority of individuals with tick bites develop no symptoms, and many do not remember getting bitten. Although most tick bites do not transmit disease, some bites do. It is not possible to determine if a tick is carrying pathogens visually. This takes me back to identifying the tick. It is probably a good idea to save the offending tick in a plastic medicine capsule or small container for a few days. In the event that you develop any tick bite related symptoms, you can take the tick to the doctors with you and the laboratory can check into what is making you sick. I am guilty of just pulling the tick off and crushing it underfoot. Not any more.
Speaking of pulling the tick off. I received an e-mail that is going around the other day about how to remove a tick. It stated that spraying WD-40 on a cotton ball and then putting it on the tick would cause the tick to back out of its hold on you and grab the cotton ball. I did the research, EVERY article from any well known institution, including the Center for Disease Control professes NOT to use gasoline, Vaseline, nail polish, or other chemicals to cover the tick. Do NOT burn the tick off. These methods could cause the tick to regurgitate and put pathogens into your blood stream. The recommended method of removal from the CDC is as follows:
1. Use a small pair of curved forceps or tweezers. Wear some sort of hand protection such as gloves so you don't spread pathogens from the tick to your hands.
2. Using the tweezers, carefully flip the tick over onto its back. Grasp the tick firmly with the tweezers as close to the skin as possible. Apply gentle pulling until the tick comes free. Twisting or turning the tick does not make removal easier because the mouthparts are barbed; in fact, such actions may break off the head and mouthparts, thereby increasing the chances for infection.
3. Once the tick is removed, don't crush the tick because it may release pathogens. Rinse it down a sink or flush it down a toilet. Consider keeping it in a tightly closed jar or taped to a piece of paper. Show the tick to the doctor if the person bitten become ill after the tick bite.
4. The area of the bite should leave a small crater or indentation where the head and mouthparts were embedded. If portions of the head or mouthparts remain, they should be removed by a doctor.
5. After removing the tick, thoroughly cleanse the bite area with soap and water or a mild disinfectant. Observe the area for several days for development of a reaction to the bite, such as a rash or signs of infection. Apply antibiotic cream to the area. Application of an antibiotic to the area may help prevent a local infection but usually does not affect the chance of developing diseases transmitted by the tick.
6. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly after handling any tick or instruments that touched a tick. Clean and disinfect any instruments that were used.
So, are you going to get a disease if you are bitten by a tick? Probably not. But the likelihood increases if your immune system is compromised, as in chemotherapy patients. The way the tick is removed (as noted above) has a great deal to do with pathogen transfer and the faster the tick is removed the better chance that no pathogen is transferred.
Now, how can we protect ourselves from ticks? There are several recommendations. First consider your clothing when outdoors. They say wear light colored clothing so you can see if ticks get on you. OK, but not for turkey hunters in full camo. Also, tuck your pants into your socks and shirts into pants to prevent any ticks from attaching to your skin. I have duct taped my cuffs when hunting spring bear and turkey to keep the critters out. You should tie hair up or wear a hat while entering a tick habitat. Wear gloves while gardening because ticks generally live under the soil and in leaf litter. Ticks on clothes can be killed by tumbling clothes in a dryer on the highest heat for at least one hour (turkey hunters should consider this when they come in and change).
As for repellents, use bug spray containing DEET (except on children). Consult your pediatrician about what to use on your kids. Repellents containing picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are also known to be effective. Permethrin products can be applied to clothing/boots (not to skin), actually kill ticks that come in contact with the treated clothing, and usually stay effective through several washings and use flea and tick repellents on your pet. I would suggest talking to your vet before going about it willy-nilly.
For additional information regarding ticks, please check out the following websites:
www.cdc.gov/ticks/transmission.html
www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html
www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/tick-borne/
www.emedicine.medscape.com/article/786652-overview
www.entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/rbkimsey/tickbio.html
For questions or comments on this article, please contact Franke at george_franke@yahoo.com
Ticks are relatives of the spider, mite, scorpion, and chigger, and are members in the arachnid family. They have eight legs when they are adults. I never looked that close, have you? There are three different families of ticks, two transmit disease: the hard tick and soft tick. Throughout the world there are about 800 different species of ticks and they have been around about 90 million years. Not as long as the cockroach, but a lot longer than humans.
Ticks feast only on blood, and most are not very particular as to whose blood they dine on. They will attach to mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds. So even snakes are in danger of the dreaded tick! It seems like only fish are not on the tick’s menu as ticks are not aquatic by nature.
From my research, it is the hard ticks that we outdoorspeople encounter most. The hard ticks live part of their lives on the ends of shrubs, tall grasses and other plant life, holding on to the stalk with a leg or two and reaching out to grasp onto whatever brushes up against them. This is called "questing.” Certain biochemicals such as carbon dioxide as well as heat and movement serve to stimulate the questing behavior. Subsequently, these ticks climb onto a potential host which brushes against their extended front legs. The vast majority of soft ticks are nest parasites, residing in sheltered environments such as burrows, caves, or nests.
They tell me that the hard ticks are called that because they have a hard part on their dorsal called a scutum. The soft ticks do not have this. Good to know, but who has a microscope handy? What you can see, on the hard ticks, is the mouth parts. There are three – two claspers on each side of the feeding tube. On the soft shell ticks, you cannot see the mouth parts, they are underneath the body...the dead giveaway. Does it matter? Maybe not, unless you are bitten.
Other differences in the hard and soft ticks are that hard ticks usually hang on to their host anywhere from a few hours to a few days, even weeks. They expand 200-600 times their body weight when they fill up on blood. The diseases they carry is transmitted at the end of their "feast.” Their attachment is usually painless, and you don't know one has attached to you until you feel it by touch as when you are showering or changing clothes. They fall off or let go of their host when they've had their fill. As for soft ticks, they feed for less than an hour, and they only expand five to 10 times their body weight when they fill up on blood. Their feeding behavior can be compared to that of fleas as once established, they reside very near the host, feeding rapidly when the host returns and disturbs the nest (this is generally with birds and small ground nesting mammals). They transmit diseases instantly when they attach. Their attachment can sometimes cause excruciating pain, most likely you will know when one is on you.
Hard ticks can go several months without feeding, while the soft ticks can go for several years. Truly amazing! As for their lifespan, I hear it said that we have more ticks this year because we had a mild winter. Partly true, as in cold winters ticks will go into diapause. This is a sort of hibernation between one stage and another (egg-larval-nymph-adult). Ticks will go under the leaf litter to escape the cold. Here in our county, many places are snow-covered from December to April, so our contact with ticks is minimal. This year, with hardly any snow and record warm temperatures, ticks stayed active most of the winter, and so did we. Hiking, hunting, harvesting firewood, all activities we engaged in, in the ticks domain while they were still active. Studies show a correlation with tick activity and temperature. I don't think that there are more ticks, I think that there are more active ticks, and their activity has developed earlier this year with the unseasonably mild temperatures.
Probably the two most common diseases that we associate ticks with are Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease. However, they carry more diseases than any of the blood-sucking critters we are associated with. Here in our area the most common are mosquitoes and black flies. As the diseases are many, I will leave it up to you to research others. A quick Google search of "tick diseases" yielded over seven million results.
Some listed symptoms after the tick bite are the site may develop itching, burning, redness, and rarely, localized intense pain in some individuals. A few folks may be sensitive or allergic to tick bites and develop rash, shortness of breath, swelling, numbness, or paralysis. However, the majority of individuals with tick bites develop no symptoms, and many do not remember getting bitten. Although most tick bites do not transmit disease, some bites do. It is not possible to determine if a tick is carrying pathogens visually. This takes me back to identifying the tick. It is probably a good idea to save the offending tick in a plastic medicine capsule or small container for a few days. In the event that you develop any tick bite related symptoms, you can take the tick to the doctors with you and the laboratory can check into what is making you sick. I am guilty of just pulling the tick off and crushing it underfoot. Not any more.
Speaking of pulling the tick off. I received an e-mail that is going around the other day about how to remove a tick. It stated that spraying WD-40 on a cotton ball and then putting it on the tick would cause the tick to back out of its hold on you and grab the cotton ball. I did the research, EVERY article from any well known institution, including the Center for Disease Control professes NOT to use gasoline, Vaseline, nail polish, or other chemicals to cover the tick. Do NOT burn the tick off. These methods could cause the tick to regurgitate and put pathogens into your blood stream. The recommended method of removal from the CDC is as follows:
1. Use a small pair of curved forceps or tweezers. Wear some sort of hand protection such as gloves so you don't spread pathogens from the tick to your hands.
2. Using the tweezers, carefully flip the tick over onto its back. Grasp the tick firmly with the tweezers as close to the skin as possible. Apply gentle pulling until the tick comes free. Twisting or turning the tick does not make removal easier because the mouthparts are barbed; in fact, such actions may break off the head and mouthparts, thereby increasing the chances for infection.
3. Once the tick is removed, don't crush the tick because it may release pathogens. Rinse it down a sink or flush it down a toilet. Consider keeping it in a tightly closed jar or taped to a piece of paper. Show the tick to the doctor if the person bitten become ill after the tick bite.
4. The area of the bite should leave a small crater or indentation where the head and mouthparts were embedded. If portions of the head or mouthparts remain, they should be removed by a doctor.
5. After removing the tick, thoroughly cleanse the bite area with soap and water or a mild disinfectant. Observe the area for several days for development of a reaction to the bite, such as a rash or signs of infection. Apply antibiotic cream to the area. Application of an antibiotic to the area may help prevent a local infection but usually does not affect the chance of developing diseases transmitted by the tick.
6. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly after handling any tick or instruments that touched a tick. Clean and disinfect any instruments that were used.
So, are you going to get a disease if you are bitten by a tick? Probably not. But the likelihood increases if your immune system is compromised, as in chemotherapy patients. The way the tick is removed (as noted above) has a great deal to do with pathogen transfer and the faster the tick is removed the better chance that no pathogen is transferred.
Now, how can we protect ourselves from ticks? There are several recommendations. First consider your clothing when outdoors. They say wear light colored clothing so you can see if ticks get on you. OK, but not for turkey hunters in full camo. Also, tuck your pants into your socks and shirts into pants to prevent any ticks from attaching to your skin. I have duct taped my cuffs when hunting spring bear and turkey to keep the critters out. You should tie hair up or wear a hat while entering a tick habitat. Wear gloves while gardening because ticks generally live under the soil and in leaf litter. Ticks on clothes can be killed by tumbling clothes in a dryer on the highest heat for at least one hour (turkey hunters should consider this when they come in and change).
As for repellents, use bug spray containing DEET (except on children). Consult your pediatrician about what to use on your kids. Repellents containing picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are also known to be effective. Permethrin products can be applied to clothing/boots (not to skin), actually kill ticks that come in contact with the treated clothing, and usually stay effective through several washings and use flea and tick repellents on your pet. I would suggest talking to your vet before going about it willy-nilly.
For additional information regarding ticks, please check out the following websites:
www.cdc.gov/ticks/transmission.html
www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html
www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/tick-borne/
www.emedicine.medscape.com/article/786652-overview
www.entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/rbkimsey/tickbio.html
For questions or comments on this article, please contact Franke at george_franke@yahoo.com
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