With the weather heats up and more folks spending time outside, the risk of encountering a number of undesirable pests increases. Nothing makes me feel quite as squirmy and uncomfortable as the idea of a tick crawling on, or worse, biting me. While most tick bites are relatively harmless, some types of ticks can carry diseases and illnesses.
First off, ticks are technically arachnids, not insects. An insect has body parts and six legs, while arachnids only have two body parts and eight legs. In Georgia, we have three species of tick that may bite humans. The Black-legged Tick, also called the deer tick, is the smallest of the three and a dark color throughout. These ticks are usually found on deer, dogs, humans, rodents, and other mammals, and can transmit illnesses like Lyme disease and human granulocytic anaplasmosis if attached for more than 24 hours. The American Dog Tick is the second most common tick in Georgia, and when attached for more than 4 hours, can cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. This tick has diffuse white markings on their back and is most commonly found on dogs, though it will bite humans and other large animals. The final, and most common type of tick in Georgia is the Lone Star Tick. Females have a white spot on their back while males have white diffuse markings on their back. Lone Star Ticks commonly bite large animals including livestock, dogs, humans, and other smaller animals. This tick transmits bacteria that cause human monocytic ehrlichiosis and southern tick-associated rash illness. Given their ability to transmit diseases, doing your best to avoid ticks in general is a good practice.
The tick life cycle is fairly simple and takes 2-3 years to complete. In the spring, female ticks will lay their eggs after feeding on a host. The eggs hatch into larvae in the summer and will seek out smaller mammals as their first host, with peak larval growth in August. Over the winter, ticks become nymphs, and may go through periods of dormancy if the temperatures drop below 45 degrees F. In the second spring and summer, nymphs will seek out hosts and feed for several days. Then in fall, the nymph matures into an adult tick, finds a third and final host, and reproduces to re-start the cycle.
Ticks are most commonly found in shady areas with tall grass, brush, low tree branches, and adequate ground litter and moisture. Essentially- anywhere you might have vegetation brush against the body is a location ticks may be found. The best way to avoid ticks is to stay in areas with open, well-maintained vegetation. You should also wear long pants and tuck clothing in to keep ticks out. A combination of a repellent containing DEET used on the skin (per label instructions) and Permanone on clothing is also an effective way of repelling and killing ticks. Finally, be sure to check yourself for ticks twice a day when you’ve been in an environment they may be in. Most diseases only occur after the tick has been attached for a number of hours, so the sooner you can remove it, the better. If you do wind up with an embedded tick, remove it using forceps, cloth, or paper as close to the attachment as possible using steady pressure. Do not jerk or twist the tick and remember to wash the area and your hands after removal.
Should you need more resources for tick prevention, please contact us at uge3181@uga.edu.
