The Blacklegged Tick, also commonly known\nas a Deer Tick, is an external parasite which gets its nutrients from animal\nblood and can carry tick-borne diseases including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis,\nBartonellosis, Borrelia miyamotoi<\/em> (a tickborne relapsing-like fever) and\nLyme disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although it is one of North America\u2019s most\ncommon ticks, the Blacklegged (Deer) Tick is hard to spot thanks to its small\nsize (it\u2019s about the same size as a sesame seed). To identify a female Blacklegged\n(Deer) Tick, look for a reddish-brown body and a black shield on its back. Its\nmouth parts are long and thin, and there are no festoons present along the\nabdomen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Blacklegged Ticks are present throughout\nthe contiguous 48 states and Alaska and thrive in areas with shade and\nmoisture. The greatest risk of being bitten exists in the spring, summer and\nfall. However, adult ticks may be out searching for a host any time winter\ntemperatures are above freezing. All life stages bite humans, but nymphs and\nadult females are most commonly found on people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo Credit | Turf Care Supply Corp. | https:\/\/www.turfcaresupply.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/01\/tick-alert<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The American Dog Tick makes its home\nprimarily between the East Coast and the Rocky Mountains and prefers wooded,\ngrassy or brushy areas including open pathways in forests and open areas where\ntree cover is limited. The greatest risk of being bitten occurs during spring\nand summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The biggest of North America\u2019s common\nticks, the American Dog Tick is brown with pointed mouth parts and can be\ndistinguished by its decorated dorsal shield. The abdomen also features\nfestoons around its edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Research has shown the dog tick to initiate\nquesting behavior in high light intensity environments with low relative\nhumidity. Their questing behavior is similar to the blacklegged tick, as they\nwill typically climb up grass or vegetation and outstretch their legs waiting\nfor an animal to pass by. The American Dog Tick feeds on small animals such as\nrats and mice in its early stages, but adults are attracted to larger animals.\nDespite its name, the American Dog Tick is also a threat to humans because of\nthe pathogens it carries. Adult females are most likely to bite humans. This\ntick can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Ehrlichiosis and Tularemia to\nits human hosts, causing serious illness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Until recently, the Lone Star Tick was more\ncommonly found in the southern United States. However, they have spread into\nnorthern regions of the country and can be found as far north as Maine. The\ngreatest risk of being bitten exists in early spring through late fall. The Lone\nStar Tick is commonly found in forested areas and is known to be more aggressive\nthan other species of tick. They will actively seek a host by sensing vibrations\nand carbon dioxide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Visually, Lone Star Ticks are easily\nidentifiable due to the trademark white dot found on the dorsal shield of the\nadult females. Both adult males and females are reddish brown in color, round,\nand have prominent festoons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two of the most common diseases transmitted\nby Lone Star Ticks are Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis and Tularemia. Although the\nLone Star Tick carries the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, research has\nshown that it is unable to transmit this disease to a host. The bite of a Lone Star\nTick has also been linked to the transmissions of Southern Tick Associated Rash\nIllness or STARI. The cause of STARI have not been officially determined\nalthough it is possible Borrelia lonestari<\/em>, a genetic relative to Borrelia\nburgdorferi<\/em>, is responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scientists have also confirmed multiple\ncases in which bites from a Lone Star Tick have resulted in allergic reactions\nto red meat, known as Alpha-Gal syndrome. This is because the carbohydrate in a\nlone star tick\u2019s saliva is similar to the structure of a carbohydrate in red\nmeat, so when your immune system creates antibodies to the former, it may\nsimultaneously release them upon interacting with the latter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A Blacklegged Tick, for example, can live up to two years where their life generally begins in the spring when adult ticks lay their eggs. In the last weeks of spring or the first weeks of summer, the eggs hatch. Tick larvae feed on birds or other small animals during the summer and then wait out (go dormant) through the winter. During the winter months, the larvae ticks use their blood meal to undergo a transition into their next life stage as a nymph. In the spring, the nymph ticks emerge and begin their quest for a blood meal. Following a blood meal during the nymph life cycle, between spring and fall, they transition or grow into adults where they seek larger hosts such as deer, moose and bears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Adult ticks are highly active during the fall months, and if they survive the winter, they can emerge during warmer temperatures to seek a host. In the adult life stage, the female tick seeks a full blood meal while the male ticks seek out engorged females to mate. After becoming engorged, the adult female tick will fall off its host, and remain under the leaf litter where she will lay her eggs the following spring season. After laying eggs and mating, the adult ticks will die. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo Credit | CDC | https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ticks\/life_cycle_and_hosts.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several misconceptions about ticks. For one, despite the common name Deer (Blacklegged) Tick, deer are not actually capable of spreading Lyme disease. Rather, the white-footed mouse is the reservoir host transmitting Lyme disease to ticks. Additionally, while all tick species may carry Lyme disease, only the Blacklegged Tick can transmit it to a human host. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, the best way to remove a tick is by grasping its head with thin tweezers and pulling straight up away from the skin \u2013 contradicting the suggestion that ticks can be removed by burning them, suffocating them with Vaseline or swabbing them with liquid soap. In reality, these methods will only aggravate the tick, which can cause it to release infected saliva into the host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about different types of ticks\nand tick myths at the sources below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.ticklab.org\/tick-identification<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.tickipedia.org\/tick-myths\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.turfcaresupply.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/01\/tick-alert<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ticklab.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Picture-11.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ticklab.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Picture-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis<\/em>)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ticklab.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Picture-31.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nLone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum<\/em>)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ticklab.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Picture-41.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nA Tick\u2019s Lifecycle<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.ticklab.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Picture-21.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTick Myths<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n