What Are Ticks?

Ticks are blood-sucking pests that rely on blood meals to molt into the next phase of life - larvae, nymphs, and adults. Female ticks are more likely to become adults and continue biting animals and humans. Often, males die after mating.

These animals in their adult form, have eight legs and are a reddish-brown to black color. Depending on how old they are, they can be anywhere from the size of a pin-head to a pea. When they gorge themselves on a blood meal, they swell into a circular marble-looking shape. They are part of the arachnid family so they are closely related to spiders, scorpions, and mites. Although hundreds of tick species exist, only two tick family classifications are known to transmit illness and disease to humans.

• Hard-bodied (Ixodidae family): As the name suggests, these ticks have a hard plate or scutum on their backs. Examples of these are the American dog tick, wood tick, lone star tick, and deer tick. They live in tall grasses where there are many feeding opportunities.
• Soft-bodied (Argasidae family): These raisin-shaped ticks live near animal nests and burrows or in simple human dwellings like cabins or sheds.

Ticks do not jump or fly. Ticks climb to the top of grass blades or shrubs to wait for a host to come by. Once an animal or human crosses paths with the grass, the tick will crawl onto the host and find open skin to bite. Fortunately, most ticks are harmless. But some transmit serious illnesses and diseases. Common diseases carried by hard ticks include:

• Lyme disease
• Colorado tick fever
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• Tularemia
• Anaplasmosis
• Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI)
• Human tick-borne ehrlichiosis
• American babesiosis
• Tick paralysis

If you or a loved one is bit by a tick, immediately remove it using tweezers. Ticks can cause rashes and flu-like symptoms in humans and animals. Any sign of these symptoms should be taken seriously and treated by healthcare professionals immediately. Developing a “bullseye” rash around the bite wound is a sign of Lyme disease. The quicker a person gets professional care, the less extreme their symptoms will be.

Always wear long pants and sleeves when walking through woody tall grasses. Once you leave these areas, be sure to check yourself, your kids, and your pet’s bodies and clothing for ticks before entering your home.

Professional pest control services like Asset Pest Management are the most effective way to deal with a tick problem. For questions, or to book a consultation, call today!