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A little
WEIRD…
That’s the only way to describe this winter’s weather, so far. Record numbers of participants at New Year’s polar plunges enjoying mild temperatures, mid-Atlantic states with record snowfalls only to be followed by a week of shorts weather, coastal snows in the east but not much elsewhere, more warm temps, and now more snow forecast. I'd say Mother Nature being just a little finicky!
In this issue, we offer our own end-of-winter/early spring
tick forecast (for what it’s worth) along with introducing you to what we like to call
“
tick look-alikes." Don't forget to check out our TickSmart™ tools, too! Since there generally is a little less tick-picking at this time of year, it’s a great time to get a little TickSmart-er. Enjoy!
-Heather
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Photo
credit: Brian Mullen, TickEncounter Resource Center
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Current
The good news is that when ticks are covered by 18-24 inches of snow, they probably aren’t going to be much of a problem for you. But when 60 degree temps follow in close step, melting edges and thawing open ground, blacklegged ticks are back on low hanging sticks and tall weeds looking to latch on. You’d better believe it,
blacklegged ticks ARE active in the winter, but only when the temperatures are above freezing and there isn’t a layer of snow on the ground, covering them. Don’t forget – frigid temperatures simply incapacitate these ticks. It does not kill them (at least not many). Check out our
Polar Vorticks experiment video link here to see what we mean!
Blacklegged ticks in the east and western blacklegged ticks on the other coast are the most common ticks encountered during winter but they aren’t the only ones to watch out for.
Brown dog ticks are active all year round (typically in warmer climates) and can pose a major problem. In addition to quickly infesting homes, they can be carriers of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever germ and are capable of infecting dogs and (more rarely) humans. Finding brown dog ticks is usually difficult and costly, and is worth taking the extra time to check your dog after it has been at a shelter or any facility where dogs are kept in close quarters.
The point is you should remain vigilant for ticks even throughout the colder months. We’ve been receiving many
TickSpotters reports of several day-fed blacklegged ticks found on people and pets from both east and west coasts – an indication that ticks are still active and prevention measures are not being taken. By the way, on the west coast, you’re seeing BOTH nymphs and adult
western blacklegged ticks right now (Jan-Apr.), while elsewhere in the country there are only adult deer ticks. Keep on performing tick checks -- people and pets -- after time outdoors, and definitely continue treating your pet with
tick preventative each month!
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Looking Ahead
While warmer days seem far off, spring will be here before you know it. The official Ground Hog, Phil didn’t see his shadow this year, so look forward to an earlier Spring…and return of ticks. Now’s the time to begin preparing for how you will protect you and your family against ticks as they begin to emerge when temperature rise. Adult Lone Star ticks, and adult and nymphal American dog ticks start to become active across their distribution even in March and certainly in April, and adult blacklegged ticks remain on the scene through May. Do you know how to tell these different types of ticks apart? What about an adult from a nymph or larva?
Tick identification is important because each type of tick carries its own risk of disease. Take the time now to make sure you
know your ticks and
know when they’re active.
In addition to daily tick checks, consider stepping your TickSmart™ actions by looking into treating outdoor clothing and shoes with
permethrin. This is a safe way to effectively ward off ticks and diseases they’re carrying by simply getting dressed. Learn more
here. You can also prevent tick encounters at home by making a plan for a
TickSafe yard. Consider tactics like perimeter spray treatments, placing mouse-targeted devices, or simply keeping shrubs and grasses trimmed, deer fences in place, and wood piles cleared to make your yard unattractive to ticks and the wildlife that carry them. Check out our diagram for a
TickSmart™ backyard.
Click
here for more TickSmart™ ideas to stay tick safe. If you do have a tick encounter, make sure to save the tick, snap a picture, and send it to our
TickSpotters program for identification and risk assessment.
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Incognito!
Common TickSpotters Tick Look-alikes
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Our
TickSpotters program has fielded over 20,000 reports since it began late in 2013. While the majority of what we see are in fact ticks, we do receive reports of other things that are definitively NOT ticks. Below are a few of the more common “tick look-alikes” that we receive. Check out this
identification guide to see what makes a tick a tick to compare against the following organisms.
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1. Spider – While spiders and ticks are related (both in the class Arachnida), they are very different! Generally spiders have a large rounded abdomen that extends behind eight bunched legs, while ticks have mouthparts attached to a flat body with legs distributed (if not engorged).
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2. Roach – While its body shape may be similar to a tick, roaches are insects and have only six legs. It could be that the antennae appear to be another set of legs, but under close examination, it is most definitely not a tick. Notice the distinct head, thorax (middle section) and abdomen (rear section).
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3. Bedbug – A classic good news/bad news scenario. Bedbugs are parasites that feed on blood like ticks, but are insects. They can infest bedding and be spread easily through contact with bedding. We seemed to get a lot of these reports right after the holidays…
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4. Spider beetle – A bit of a combo as far as looks go, hence the name. The antennae look like a pair of legs, but no need to worry, because this is an insect and won’t hurt you.
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5.
Aphid – Another insect (six legs and antennae). We received several TickSpotters reports around the holidays from people who found these little bugs all over their houses after having brought in a Christmas tree. They are common pests in these trees and nurseries will often spray to kill them off before the trees are sold, but sometimes there are survivors. Nothing’s perfect. Despite reports about “ticks in Christmas trees,” you needn’t worry. Ticks have been active well into the winter months due to warm temperatures but
ticks do not climb trees (they can’t find hosts that way). If you found lots of little bugs in your house around the holidays, you had aphids, not ticks.
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Be sure to stock up on materials and tools to help support your community’s TickSmart™ effort! We have informative and eye-catching “I Just Found a Tick” rack cards that include how to report a tick encounter to our TickSpotters program for a quick risk assessment report in (usually in 24-36hrs.). If that tick IS risky, instructions are given on how to submit that tick for disease testing at our lab partners at UMass. We also have magnets, shower cards, educational kits, and other
products available for purchase. Start getting
TickSmart™ now for spring tick emergence!
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In what ways are you using these products to educate and empower your community to be tick safe? Let us know! Post to our
Facebook
or
tweet at us
with a picture and post with the hashtag #weareticksmart. Let’s get a trend going – online and in real life!
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Newsletter Editor - Heather Kopsco
TickEncounter New Media Director – Brian Mullen
© 2016 University of Rhode Island TickEncounter Resource Center
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