Another year has come and gone, and even though a pandemic is here some things never change. One of those things is the sheer number of parasites that infest Florida’s soil. That’s why today, we’ll be talking about Tampa ticks and the forecast regarding them for this year.
Tampa Ticks: The Suspects
To start with, we’ll go over a brief description of the state’s most common species of tick.
Deer Ticks
It’s hard to describe this blood sucker as anything less severe than loathsome. More than any physical characteristic, it’s known as a disease spreader. Deer ticks are one of the principal spreaders of Lyme, as we learned back in the mid 1970s. Lyme disease is a debilitating ordeal, but thankfully it’s rarely fatal. This infection is often misdiagnosed because the early symptoms read like the common flu. Victims then usually have a slowly spreading rash where the tick attached, but not every time. If untreated, you can develop a variety of health problems that run the gambit of severity. This can include facial paralysis, heart palpitations, arthritis, and neurological disorders.
These ticks are smaller than the more commonly encountered dog tick. Adults are about as big as a sesame seed and heave reddish hind bodies with black markings. Males are slightly smaller and are a solid dark brown.
Deer ticks live for about two years and go through four life phases: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. They feed exclusively on animal blood and eat only three times during their lives: once to molt from larva to nymph; once from nymph to adult; and once as adults to lay eggs. They can contract the bacteria that causes Lyme disease from an infected host at any of these feedings but transmit it only during the second or third. They must remain attached for at least 24 hours for the bacteria to transmit.
Tampa Ticks: Dog Ticks
Also known as the wood tick, the dog tick gets its name from it’s most common prey. The adult ticks of this species prefer to feed on domestic dogs, coupled with the species being found only in North America. That’s why its name is…well, the American Dog Tick. This is a member of the hard tick family, which means it’s got a very tough and durable outer shell. While not as devastating vectors as deer ticks, the bites of this tick are rather dangerous as well. The American Dog Tick is known to harbor bacteria responsible for causing diseases in humans such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Exposure to these ticks is most likely to occur during spring and early summer.
These ticks are oval and flat in shape. They’re brown with whitish-grey markings. As larvae, they have six legs but adults have eight. It allows them to effectively crawl through your dog’s fur, as well as human hair. They range in size from five to 15 mm.
American dog tick bites can cause itching, fever and, in some cases, tick paralysis. Be on the lookout for the development of rashes near the tick bite, as this is the primary symptom of tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Ticks are not able to feed immediately after latching on to a host, as their mouthparts require several hours to imbed deeply enough to feed. This makes it very important to promptly remove a tick from the skin at first sight.
If an American dog tick has bitten either a household member or a pet, you may have cause for concern. Additionally, properties with tall grass and outdoor pets are more likely to attract American dog ticks. Sightings, in places such as gardens and potted plants, signal a potential infestation, as these are common areas for females to lay their eggs.
Gulf Coast Ticks
Gulf Coast ticks inhabit grassland prairies and the edges of woodlands, where the shade of canopy cover provides optimal micro-climate off-host survival. The range of this tick is roughly one hundred fifty miles inland along the Gulf of Mexico, hence the name, ranging from about Texas to the Carolinas.
A three-host tick, the Gulf Coast tick is an arthropod of veterinary and medical importance throughout its range. Adult ticks attach and concentrate feeding primarily in the ears of their hosts. This clustered feeding habit concentrates tissue damage and can cause “gotch ear” in young calves, a condition that negatively affects their sale value at the market. The seasonal activity of Gulf Coast ticks varies among life stages and population locality.
Tampa Ticks: Defend Your Home
If you ever suspect a tick infestation, don’t think it’s something you can handle on your own. You need to contact a professional as soon as possible. Preferably one that uses natural pest control methods, as chemical pesticides have long been proven to be dangerous to your health and the environment. But, there are a few steps that you can take to defend your home from ticks.
- Keep grass and weeds trimmed and under control. Always have a neat and tidy yard. Remove overgrown bushes as well as woodpiles and other debris. These areas attract mice and other rodents and hence are dream environments for ticks.
- Clean up leaf piles and clean dead branches from trees. Remove deadwood logs, litter and debris quickly. Rodents are attracted to these areas, and so tick.
- Stack woodpiles as far away from the house as possible.
- Stay out of wooded areas, and reduce movement of your pets here. Ticks are abundant in these areas, especially moist and humid areas. Generally, ticks are not found in open sunny spaces such as the middle of a sunny lawn.
And when it comes to your own body, make sure to take a few steps as well when you go outside. For one, avoiding tall grass and densely shrubbed areas will remove the platforms from which ticks usually grab onto you. Oh! Of course, don’t forget your bug spray either; one with DEET would work best. And finally, wearing long sleeves and long pants will help as well. Tuck your pants into your boots or shoes, and make sure to check yourself when you come back from inside if you had to go, say, out into some wooded areas for some reason.
