Pest Videos

Transcript

Ticks are parasitic arachnids known for transmitting dangerous diseases to humans through their bites. Black legged ticks are responsible for the transmission of Lyme disease, the most common tick borne disease in the United States. Lone Star ticks are capable of transmitting tularemia and red meat allergies to humans, while the American Dog Tick, Brown Dog Tick and Rocky Mountain wood tick are all known to transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Therefore reducing tick exposure and prompt removal of ticks are necessary measures to prevent disease transmission.

To properly identify a tick, it's important to know what they look like in each of their four life stages, egg, larvae, nymph and adult, engorged female ticks will lay their eggs in late spring, and those eggs will hatch into six legged larvae in the summer. Ticks require a blood meal at each stage in order to survive, the larvae must find a host, often a small mammal or bird, to feed on before winter.

After molting, the larvae will emerge again in spring, in their nymphal stage and remain active through July, feeding on nearby hosts. Ticks in the nymphal stage are more likely to successfully transmit pathogens to humans due to their small size, making it hard to identify and remove them. 

Come fall, nymphs will molt again into adult ticks and will start to feed on larger hosts, such as deer, until it's time to lay their eggs. Female ticks need a blood meal in order to lay eggs. If they don't successfully feed in the fall, they will try to find a host come spring, where they will feed, mate, lay eggs and die, starting a two-year cycle over again. 

If you or a loved one experience adverse reactions after being bitten by a tick, seek medical attention immediately.