WOOD TICKS how to control them in infested places 



The term "wood ticks'" is applied to several species of 

 ticks so similar in appearance and habits that few persons 

 can tell one from another. 



\\ ood ticks feed on the blood of animals, and may bite 

 people. Their bites are painful, and some of them carry 

 diseases. They cause economic losses among (arm 

 animals and are serious pests of dogs. 



The ticks infest wooded or brushy areas and grassy 

 fields. Thev are often found in recreational areas and 

 lawns, and are sometimes found in homes in small num- 

 bers. When ticks are found in relatively large numbers 

 in homes, they are not wood ticks: see section "Ticks 

 in Homes" in this publication. Wood ticks are an annoy- 

 ance and a health hazard to farmers, woodsmen, and mili- 

 tary personnel: to campers, picnickers, vacationers, hunt- 

 ers, and hikers: and to persons who live in rural and 

 suburban areas. 



You can control wood ticks by applying insecticides. 

 You can protect yourself by applying a repellent to your 

 clothing before entering an infested area. 



Species . . . Nature of Injury 



The more common species of wood ticks are the Rocky 

 Mountain wood tick.' the American dog tick.- the lone 

 star tick/ and the black-legged tick.' 



The Rockv Mountain wood tick and the American dog 

 tick transmit Rockv Mountain spotted fever and tularemia 

 (rabbit fever), which are diseases of man, and anaplas- 

 mosis. a disease of cattle. 



Adults of these ticks can also cause a form of paralysis 

 in animals and people in rare instances when they attach 

 over the spinal cord or at the base of the skull. 



The lone star tick can transmit Rocky Mountain 

 spotted fever, tularemia, and Bullis fever. The black- 

 legged tick transmits piroplasmosis. a disease of dogs, and 

 anaplasmosis. 



Life Stages 



Appearance 



Wood ticks go through four stages of development 

 egg, larva, nymph, and adult. 



The eggs are usually laid in masses in thick clumps of 

 grass. Each female lavs only one mass, which contains 

 3,000 to 6,000 eggs. 



The eggs hatch into larvae, which attach themselves to 

 host animals. In a few davs the larvae fill themselves 

 with blood, drop to the ground, and shed their skins, or 

 molt. The larvae have become nymphs. 



The nymphs attach themselves to host animals, become 

 engorged with blood in a few days, and drop to the ground 

 and molt. The nvmphs have become adults. 



Adults of both sexes attach themselves to host animals. 

 Thev mate on the hosts. Thev become engorged with 



blood in 5 to 13 days. After engorgement, the females 

 drop to the ground, la}' their eggs, and die. 



The larvae are about Vio inch long when unfed. En- 

 gorged larvae and unfed nymphs are about '/its inch long. 

 Engorged nymphs and unfed adults are about 'k; inch 

 long, and erigorged females may be V< inch long. The 

 males do not enlarge as they feed. 



The adults of the Rockv .Mountain wood tick and the 

 American dog tick are indistinguishable. The hard 

 shields on their backs are liberally spotted or streaked 

 with white. The adult of the lone star tick is marked on 

 the back with a small white dot or two small crescents. 

 The adult of the black-legged tick has black legs, and has 

 a shiny black shield on the back. 



Where They Occur . . . Habits 



The Rocky Mountain wood tick occurs in most of 

 the Western States. It is most common in the Rocky 

 Mountain region. 



Only the adult ticks bite people. The larvae and 

 nvmphs feed on small animals, especially rodents. 



The life evele of this tick usually extends over a period 

 of 2 vears. All stages of the tick are abundant and active 

 during the summer. Nymphs and adults survive over 

 w inter. 



The American dog tick occurs throughout the 1 nited 

 States, except in the Rocky Mountain region. It is most 

 abundant in coastal areas and in the Mississippi Valley. 



The larvae and nymphs feed largely on rodents. The 

 adults feed on dogs, cattle, and other large animals. 

 They will bite people. 



In the northern part of the United States the adult ticks 

 are abundant in the spring and early summer: few arc 

 encountered after August 1. In the southern part of the 

 Tinted States their activity is less sharpl) influenced by 

 change of season. 



The lone star tick is most common in the coastal 

 States from North Carolina to Texas, and in the 

 Mississippi Valley. 



The ticks are usually well distributed over whatever 

 area they infest, but they occur in the greatest numbers 

 in habitual resting places of animals or in layers of leaves 

 or duff in wooded areas. 



The larvae and nymphs feed on most mammals and 

 ground-nesting birds. The adults feed on deer, cattle, 

 horses, hogs, and many small animals. Larvae, nymphs, 

 and adults will bite people. 



The larvae (often called seed licks i crawl up vege- 

 tation near the spot where the eggs hatched. They collect 

 in clusters. The number of larvae in a cluster ranges 

 from fewer than a hundred to more than a thousand. All 

 or most of the larvae in a cluster cling to a person or 



Manv of the lanae 



animal that brushes against them 



1 DcrnuK -en tor andersoni. 



I), variabilis. 



Amblxomma americantim. 



'Ixodes ricinus scapularis. 



