Ticks Flashcards
Identification: scutum, mouthparts visible from above
Lifecycle: egg, larva (6 legs), nymph (8 legs), adult
Habitat: deep woods, shrubbery areas, tall grasses/weeds, vegetation along animal trails
Hard ticks
can lay up to 4000 eggs
females only reproduce ONCE
persistent feeder
Hard ticks
Identification: no scutum, mouthparts located underneath the body (not visible from above)
Lifecycle: egg, larva (six-legged), nymph (eight-legged), adult
Habitat: nests, roosts, dens, caves, lairs
Soft ticks
females reproduce many times
can lay hundreds of eggs at once
mate off host
attacked loosely and feed rapidly on host
Soft ticks
all life stages are
obligate blood feeders
soft ticks feed for
short durations (less than 24 hrs)
hard ticks feed for
long durations (up to 10 days)
larvae feed on
small animals
nymphs molt into adults and
seek out larger animals for a blood meal
behavior where ticks crawl to the top of grasses and wait for a potential host to pass
questing
(T/F) Ticks transmit a greater variety of pathogenic microorganisms
True
(T/F) Both soft and hard ticks are able to pass pathogens from females to embryonic eggs
True
inflammation/reddening of the skin
dermatitis
scratching bites
secondary infections
caused by neurotoxin excreted in the saliva of some ticks
ticks usually attached > 3 days
tick paralysis
using a piece of cloth attached to a rod and dragging it around to collect ticks on ground or low vegetation like grasses
performed in the morning hours not the heat of the day
tick drag method
using the same cloth, as tick drag, move the cloth in a waving motion over and through taller vegetation
tick flagging method
place a cloth or plywood tick trap along transitional grasses with a container of dry ice on it to attract ticks
should not be placed in direct sunlight
conducted in early morning or evening hours
sheet or plywood and dry ice
landscape management by cutting back or totally removing habitats
cultural control
host exclusion by constructing physical barriers to keep tick-infested hosts out of areas where personnel are
mechanical control
general area application for hard ticks is impractical across larger areas of concern
treatment is only temporary
chemical control
Person Protection Measures
Avoidance
Proper wear of clothing
Repellents
Self/buddy checks
Tick removal
steps for tick removal
Use Fine-Pointed Forceps:
-grasp tick as close to skin as possible
-pull upward with steady, even pressure, do not twist or quick pull tick
-wash attachment site and hands with soap and water or alcohol
-never crush tick with fingers
