Watch Out for These Two Specific Ticks This Spring and Summer

As spring progresses into summer, one of nature’s tiniest terrors becomes active: the tick. They are small, almost unnoticeable—until they bite. No matter where you live, you probably have ticks as neighbors, hiding where trees meet lawns or beneath leaf litter. The origin of ticks is uncertain, but fossil records suggest they’ve existed for 100 million years. Since then, they’ve survived by doing what they do best: wreaking quiet havoc and feeding on the blood of mammals, birds, and even reptiles.

It would be one thing if ticks simply bit and moved on. Unfortunately, they transmit a heap of pathogens in the process, whether they are protozoa, bacteria, or viruses. Some tick-transmitted pathogens can have long-lasting, even fatal, effects on humans. With the weather warming up and ticks venturing out for blood, let’s learn more about these little parasites, their locations, and the havoc they bring to human populations.

All About Ticks

There are many varieties of ticks, but all ticks are parasitic arachnids of the superorder Parasitiformes. They belong to three major families: Ixodidae (hard-shelled ticks), Argasidae (soft-shelled ticks), and Nuttalliellidae. Adult ticks are typically 3-5 mm long, but can grow considerably larger when engorged with blood. Though they thrive in warm, humid climates, ticks are widely distributed around the world.

Physically, ticks have pear-shaped bodies with a reddish-brown color and eight legs. They progress through a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Whereas ticks in the Ixodidae family require up to three hosts to progress through their life cycles, ticks in the Argasidae family have up to seven nymphal stages, with each stage requiring blood from a host.

Their blood-only diet makes ticks potent vectors for disease. Ticks are known to transmit a wide variety of diseases. Typhus, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, African tick bite fever, Bourbon virus, and tick-borne encephalitis are all known to be transmitted by these creatures. In the United States, ticks live practically everywhere, wreak havoc, and cause serious problems with disease. Let’s learn more about some of the most common ticks found in the United States and what to do if you find yourself an unexpected host.

Black Legged Tick

Also known as deer ticks, black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) live throughout the Eastern United States. They have a two-year life cycle, with each stage requiring blood from a host. Males and females are both 2-4 mm long, but only female deer ticks can grow larger when feeding on blood. Males may take little sips, but female deer ticks can feed continuously for up to five days.

They are a robust variety; black-legged ticks are among the first invertebrates to become active in the springtime and can find hosts even on days with hard frost (once daytime temperatures warm up). Exact population numbers are hard to come by for such a small creature, but black-legged ticks have been documented in “1,420 (45.7%) of the 3,110 continental United States counties.“

Their size varies depending on the life cycle stage, but all stages—including larvae—require blood meals. Thanks to their small size, nymphal black-legged ticks (about the size of a poppy seed) can wreak havoc and are implicated in the “majority of Lyme Disease transmission.” These ticks also transmit Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease, and Powassan virus disease. Most Lyme disease transmissions happen in the summer when nymphs are still small but quite active.

Lone Star Tick

The Lone Star tick may sound like a Texas-based creature, but its name comes from a white spot on the tick’s shell. Also known as the northeastern water tick or the turkey tick, the Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum) lives across the Eastern United States in similar locations to its relative, the black-legged tick.

While other tick species wait passively for a meal, Lone Star ticks are aggressive parasites attracted to hosts by carbon dioxide emissions or movement. Typically, they attach to passing animals as they move through grass or other foliage. They often feed on white-tailed deer, but Lone Star ticks are not picky.
They will feed on any animal’s blood, including birds and rodents.

For a long time, Lone Star ticks were not considered significant disease transmitters. Modern research, however, suggests that these ticks can wreak havoc. They are now recognized as important vectors for several diseases, though black-legged ticks remain the primary vector for Lyme disease. Lone Star ticks transmit several pathogens, which can lead to diseases including Ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness, Tularemia, and even Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Avoiding Ticks

Although ticks are widespread and can cause problems, there are several steps you can take to avoid them. They prefer grassy, bushy, or wooded areas, especially where forests meet low-level grass, but many people also find them in their yards. In the Eastern United States, however, most outdoor activities, such as camping or gardening, put you in their path.

Before venturing outside, treat your clothing with products containing 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin is a synthetic neurotoxic pyrethroid that specifically targets eggs, lice, and mites. Once applied, it can protect clothing and camping gear through several washes. Many retailers also sell permethrin-treated items. Other EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone can repel ticks.

Once outdoors, avoid areas with heavy woods and brush. Ticks also live in tall grass and under leaf litter. If you’re walking or hiking, stick to the center of trails to avoid ticks waiting in tall grass or foliage.

Treating Tick Bites

Tick bites can be dangerous, even though they are often painless. If you suspect a tick bite, follow these important steps to prevent disease transmission:

• Remove the tick: Use fine-tipped tweezers to grab the tick close to the skin and pull up with steady pressure. Once removed, clean the area with rubbing alcohol and wash your hands with soap and water. Flush the tick down the toilet or keep it in a sealed container to show to your healthcare provider.
• Call your healthcare provider: A single dose of antibiotics, such as doxycycline, after a tick bite can lower your risk of Lyme disease. The CDC does not generally recommend taking antibiotics after a tick bite, except in specific circumstances, such as when a black-legged tick has been attached for at least 36 hours and prophylaxis can be started within 72 hours of removal. In these cases, a single dose of doxycycline can lower the risk of Lyme disease. Ultimately, it’s best to play it safe and contact your local healthcare provider if you’ve been bitten, especially in areas with high Lyme disease rates.
• Watch for symptoms: For the 30 days following a tick bite, monitor yourself for any health changes. If you begin experiencing a rash, fever, fatigue, headaches, or swelling, call your healthcare provider.

The Bottom Line

Ticks are widespread, but most are not highly dangerous. Typically, a tick must be attached to a host for several hours or even days to transmit pathogens. For example, Lyme disease transmission usually requires a tick to be attached for more than 24 hours. While ticks can cause problems, most individual encounters are harmless. Nevertheless, always check your skin and clothing for these parasites when outdoors.