Lone Star Ticks. Ticks can be encountered throughout the year, but Virginia tick season is generally in spring and summer. According to the Virginia Department of Health, the northern counties in the state report the highest density of ticks. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-borne disease in the state, but residents are also at risk of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis. One of the most frequently asked questions related to ticks is how to remove one in the process of biting the skin.
Here are the proper steps to follow:. Have you found ticks in or around your home? Contact a pest control professional near you by entering your zip code in the search bar below. Eighty-percent of all bites to humans comes from this ravenous pinhead-sized nymph. Mine did. Famished nymphs do not jump, run, fly, or leap; they simply climb to the top of a blade of grass or bit of leaf-litter and transfer themselves to any host even an unsuspecting nature-photographer that brushes by their waiting place.
A cement-like substance enables attachment long enough hours for it to suck all the sustenance it needs for the coming year. A final molt occurs as fall weather arrives. The new adult waits for another passer-by, perhaps a migrating bird that becomes an unknowing source of dispersal for this vector with its infected cargo.
Whitetail deer are the preferred final host, providing ticks a warm and comfortable venue to spend their second winter, sup a final blood-feast, mate, drop to the ground, lay eggs and die. Hikers, hunters, birdwatchers, bikers, fishermen, picnickers, gardeners, pets and children can all become inadvertent hosts for infected ticks. Richard Goode, a Northern Virginia veterinarian and avid turkey hunter, describes seriously elevated although all do not show clinical symptoms.
The incidence of Lyme infection in our domesticated pets is a portent of the major health risk of Bb to humans. Goode feels spring is the most dangerous time for outdoor enthusiasts because of nymph activity. Goode adds; he finds active ticks on turkey carcasses during warm winter days.
Two additional tick vector species are common in Virginia: the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum , and the brown dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis. In Virginia, their associated diseases, Ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, occur with less frequency than Lyme disease. At this time, there is no conclusive evidence that either of these ticks are carriers carriers of Lyme bacteria. Ticks have existed for million years, and have a decidedly nasty reputation.
Ecologists Dr. Richard Ostfeld and Dr. Clive Jones of the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY, using the Mountain Lake Biological Station here in Virginia as one of their study-sites, looked closely at the web of ecological connections among hosts, habitat, disease and oak mast-acorns. They found that when acorn crops are highest, mice and deer populations explode; soon after, the number of ticks and incidence of Lyme infection also soar.
Wear long, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Check your clothes for ticks.
Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes are damp, additional time may be needed. If the clothes require washing first, hot water is recommended. Cold and medium temperature water will not kill ticks. Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine animals, coats and backpacks.
Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and may be effective in reducing the risk of other tickborne diseases. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and it is a good opportunity to do a tick check. Check your body for ticks after being outdoors. Conduct a full body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, including your own backyard.
Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Practice tick-safe landscaping. Ticks that transmit Lyme disease need higher humidity levels to survive; they die quickly in drier environments.
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