More ways to get TickSmart this summer!

Late Summer 2016

TickSmart Newsletter

In this issue:

Learn what ticks you need to be on the lookout for RIGHT NOW and COMING SOON in our detailed TickForecast.
Get the TickSmart inside scoop on managing tick bites – what to do, what to expect, and when it’s thankfully NOT Lyme disease.
Running out of TickSmart tools? We've got you covered!

Tick Forecast

The hot, lazy days of summer are here, but ticks are anything but lazy when it comes to seeking out their next blood meal! Make sure you’re taking the right precautions to prevent tick bites as you’re soaking up the remainder of the warm, summer weather.

Happening right now

Nymphal blacklegged tick

Photo credit: Brian Mullen, TickEncounter Resource Center

Despite drought bringing a welcomed reduction in the number of ticks over the past few months across many regions, we’re still seeing some nymphal tick activity around the country. Throughout the Northeastern, upper Midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions, tiny blacklegged (deer) ticks are still out and ready to latch on to you or your pet. This is the time year when most human Lyme disease cases occur, 1) because about 1 in 4 of these ticks (25%) is carrying a disease like Lyme, babesia, or anaplasma, and 2) because they are quite small and easy to miss until it’s too late! While nymphs will be heading off the scene in the next month, be sure to combat them by performing tick checks (on humans AND pets), treating clothing with effective permethrin spray, and avoiding trail edges where they prefer to hangout, waiting for a ride. While not as small as blacklegged ticks, nymphal Lone Star ticks are also difficult to see before they have engorged, and are still active mainly in southern, southeastern, Midwest, or mid-Atlantic regions where they are carrying the germs causing ehrlichiosis, and an unknown agent of southern tick rash-associated illness (STARI). Out west, nymphal western blacklegged ticks have emerged and unlike their eastern counterparts, only 2-5% of these ticks are carrying the germ that causes Lyme disease, or other germs including babesia, anaplasma, and the non-Lyme borrelia that causes relapsing fever.

We’re also still getting LOTS of reports of adult American dog ticks throughout the country, and Rocky Mountain wood ticks and Pacific Coast ticks in the west. Remember that none of these ticks transmit the Lyme disease bacteria, but they do carry the germs that cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and tularemia depending on where you live. These diseases are rare in the Northeastern United States but more common in southeastern and especially south-central states. Rocky Mountain wood ticks look similar to American dog ticks but the bite of all life stages can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever virus, and occasionally adult females can cause a tick saliva-induced ascending paralysis that goes away after 24-72 hrs. of the tick’s removal.

Larval blacklegged ticks

Photo credit: Brian Mullen, TickEncounter Resource Center

But the main tick encounter at this time of year is with the smallest of all tick stages: larvae. Reports of these tiny six-legged ticks are already beginning to trickle in from TickSpotters, but within the next week or so they’ll certainly be swarming. Generally, bites from larval ticks are nothing to worry about because most larval ticks hatch from eggs germ-free. However, blacklegged larvae have been shown in studies to be infected with Borrelia miyamotoi – bacteria than can cause a relapsing fever – generally estimated to be between 2-5%, depending on where you live. However, it is important to note that we don’t know whether they are capable of transmitting the germ when biting. Another common encounter – larval Lone Star ticks – hatch pathogen-free, but their bite is still capable of potentially triggering an allergy to red meat, as well as a pretty itchy localized rash response.

Encounters with larval ticks can be messy situations – people often describe them as having stepped directly into a “tick nest.” This is a fair description since these egg masses can contain more than 1,500 newly hatched ticks that are looking for their first bloodmeal. Don’t let it be from you! Given that you’ll probably not just encounter one larval tick, but rather a whole lot at once, it’s important to know how to protect yourself. Because larval ticks are so small that they can crawl right through socks, it is a TickSmart move to wear clothing treated with permethrin to stop them in their tracks. You can purchase socks, pants, and shirts and other garments at local sporting good stores, treat your own clothing at home, or even send your own clothes away to be treated professionally – lasting up to 70 washes! Another way you can tackle a swarm of larval ticks before they attach is with duct tape, patience, and a keen eye. A thorough tick check to find any that have escaped the duct tape, and a pair of pointy tweezers to remove any that have may have attached are essential.

Above: Larval blacklegged ticks

Below: Adult female blacklegged tick

Photo credits: Brian Mullen, TickEncounter Resource Center

Coming Soon

While it seems like they just left, adult blacklegged ticks will be returning again starting at the end of September and continuing through the fall, and into the winter. It’s hard to imagine now with heatwaves engulfing so much of the country, but it’s important to remember that dry weather kills blacklegged ticks, but cold weather certainly does not. One particular TickSmart idea to keep in mind as the weather starts to get cooler is to continue to protect your pets with a quick-knockdown tick preventative year round, and not just in the spring and summer. Even if a tick doesn’t bite your pet, it could be carried into your home and become a risk to you and your family. Tick checks for pets is just as important as for people.

Bitten: now what?

You’ve been vigilant. You’ve taken precautions. You tucked your pants into your socks, wore light-colored clothing and sprayed yourself with bug spray. A lot of bug spray. You’ve even performed the kinds of tick checks that would impress a contortionist. But somehow, one tick evaded your careful planning and watchful eye. It’s bitten you - now what do you do?

First things first (to quote the wise Douglas Adams): Don’t panic.

1. If the tick is still attached, use a fine-pointed tweezer to remove it.

When a tick is attached and feeding, it secretes a cement-like substance in its saliva to hold itself in place while its needle-like hypostome (mouthparts) feeds. It’s important to grab the tick as close to the site of skin attachment as possible because if you squeeze its body, you could increase the chance that the tick transmits a germ to you. Pointy tweezers, like TickEase, are better at getting that than blunt cosmetic tweezers for this reason. It’s also helpful to disinfect the area around the tick bite with rubbing alcohol before and after you’ve removed the tick. Check out more information on safe tick removal, and how NOT to remove a tick.

2. Take a clear photo of the tick on a light-colored background, focusing on the top side of its body and its mouthparts.

It’s important to document the tick you found biting because different ticks carry different diseases, and have to be attached for different lengths of time in order to transmit infection. You may want to use this photo to keep record in case of a future trip to a physician. We also recommend that you also place the tick in a plastic bag in case you want to submit it for disease testing. A dead tick, or even part of a tick, can still be tested.

3. Identify the tick and how long it’s been feeding

Were you bitten by a male or female or nymph-stage tick? Was it a blacklegged (deer) tick or Lone Star tick? Each tick is host to different diseases and various levels of risk. For example, only blacklegged ticks will give you Lyme disease if feeding for long enough - usually it has to be attached for more than 24 hours to transmit an infectious dose of bacteria. In contrast, it’s estimated that Lone Star ticks can transmit ehrlichia in as little as six hours. It all has to do with the different biological interactions between tick guts and diseases that use ticks to survive. We have extensive identification references to help you figure out what bit you, and how long it was attached. If you’re unsure of what you’ve encountered, (and even if you are sure!) submit your photo to our TickSpotters program for an identification, feeding duration, and detailed risk assessment.

4. Determine whether it’s a rash or just a bite reaction

Maybe you never saw a tick at all, but you certainly see a bright red round mark where the tick had bitten you. If it’s the size of a quarter or smaller, you’re probably seeing what amounts to a localized allergic reaction (this is common with Lone Star tick bites). When ticks use their saliva to lock in, they introduce a number of proteins into your system that, with repeated exposure, can mount an immune response that looks angry and can be rather itchy. However, keep an eye on the mark. If it begins to expand to the size of a half-dollar or larger, it’s a good indication that it could be a Lyme disease rash (erythema migrans), and you should see a physician. This generally would happen between 3-10 days after the bite, but it can take longer. It’s often a good idea to take pictures of the rash as well, and document estimated dates of the bite and appearance of the rash.

This is a localized skin reaction to proteins in the tick saliva.

Photo credit:

Brian Mullen, TickEncounter Resource Center

A classic Lyme rash (e rythema migrans ). The rash can also appear more uniform, abnormally shaped, darker in color, and multiple rashes can form across the body in more severe cases.

Image produced by Brian Mullen, TERC

Have more questions about tick bites? Check out our frequently asked questions, and if you have a question we haven’t yet answered, send us an email at: and ask away!

TickSmart Tools

Looking for a creative and informative way to help continue the fight against tickborne disease? Like a good slather of sunscreen, we’ve got you covered! Stock up on materials and tools to help support your community’s TickSmart effort. We have helpful, eye-catching “I Just Found a Tick” handouts that include how to report a tick encounter to our TickSpotters program for a quick risk assessment report (usually in 24-36hrs.). If that tick IS risky, instructions are given on how to submit that tick for disease testing at our partnering UMass lab. We also have magnets, shower cards, educational kits, and other products available for purchase. Leave some magnets or cards at the library, the community pool, or have your kids give them out at camp.

The time to get TickSmart is now.