![]() Ehrlichiosis is spread by the Lone Star tick, and like Lyme is transmitted after 24 hours of feeding. Infections are thought to occur after 24-36 hours of feeding. Lyme disease takes longer to be transmitted. When you come in, change clothing, examine yourself and/or shower. It is unlikely that Rocky Mountain spotted fever can be transmitted if the tick is attached for less than 20 hours. Be sure to clean the bite area with an antiseptic, like alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Pull slowly and tire them out until they release their mouth parts, or you may pull the head off, which can still transmit disease. If you are trying to identify a tick it is best to take it to the Extension office for identification under a microscope. Well, deer ticks are smaller than others, but all ticks have a small nymph stage and we call the small ticks of any species a “seed” tick. There are some permethrin sprays labeled for use on your clothing, not your skin.Ī common misconception is that all small ticks are deer ticks. If you are going into areas more favorable for ticks, you must do a more thorough spraying to get adequate protection. Also, do daily tick checks in front of a mirror to find any that might have attached. This gives you some protection while allowing you to not have to take a virtual bath in DEET day after day. If possible, tuck your pants into your socks and wear light colored clothing, this forces the tick to the outside of pants and makes them easier to see. Because of this questing habit, at a minimum you should spray your shoes and bottoms of your pant-legs when going outside, even in your own back yard. They “quest” by perching on low vegetation waving their legs in hopes of snagging a passing animal or human. By marginal I mean they are less likely to be in the middle of the manicured lawn or a trail in deep woods with little low vegetation, but are most common in the margins that interface between groomed areas and low vegetation. While it is true that most tick encounters occur in “marginal” vegetation areas, you may very well pick them up in other places. Your first defense is always to protect yourself with repellants and stay out of tick-prone areas. Ticks have been really bad this year and I have seen an increased number of deer ticks, so I want to caution folks, without raising unreasonable fears. The Deer Tick, also called Black Legged Tick is the one of most concern because it can carry Lyme disease. The less common Brown Dog tick is not known to carry diseases in Virginia. ![]() The American Dog tick, like the Lone Star can transmit diseases to humans. Dog ticks are the second most common, and there are two dog ticks in Virginia. They are most common east of the Blue Ridge. Traditionally, we have seen more Lone Star ticks than any other. Hence, as the front line clinic I see the trends in insects around the Roanoke area. Here at the Master Gardener Help Desk one of my jobs is to examine and diagnose as many insects as I can to reduce the number of insects going to our laboratory at Virginia Tech. By Barbara Leach, Horticulture Techniciation, VCE-Roanoke
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