The most important rule discovered by Jessica is this. Always have one with you. A few quick swipes and they are captured.
Ticks & Chiggers--a study
- Thread starter bobpbx
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This is the best thing I've learned on this forum.
Over the past two days, I've been harassed by what I think are nymph stage lone star ticks that are starting to become adults. I judge this mainly by the more intense coloring than what would be seen in a normal nymph. Plus the size. These are about 1.5 mm long, the upper stage of the nymph life cycle. These are very fast and hard to see. They move immediately for cover, such as a seam in your pants.
I took this one and put him in a freezer for 20 minutes to photograph him under the zoom scope. I then doused him in alcohol and took a close detail shot (from the underside) of the piercing mouth-part. Disgusting. Looks like they have barbs that allow it to resist being removed until it is engorged with your blood. God how I hate these things!
I took this one and put him in a freezer for 20 minutes to photograph him under the zoom scope. I then doused him in alcohol and took a close detail shot (from the underside) of the piercing mouth-part. Disgusting. Looks like they have barbs that allow it to resist being removed until it is engorged with your blood. God how I hate these things!
Great shots! The mouthparts are impressive for sure.
You are correct. That is an A. americanum nymph. You can tell quickly by the lack of genital pore on the underside. Also, if it were a larva, it would have six legs.
You are correct. That is an A. americanum nymph. You can tell quickly by the lack of genital pore on the underside. Also, if it were a larva, it would have six legs.
Thanks for your input Sue! I always look forward to your comments.
This female lone star was questing this morning on a blade of Pennsylvania Sedge. She was trying to reach the camera at one point, to no avail. I understand that this species moves aggressively towards carbon dioxide emissions.She was likely not there when I walked in, but set herself up for the return trip. I've started changing my habits; if I have a different way out of the woods from the way I went in at this time of year, I take it.
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Maybe they used to be, but since there is other stuff mixed in with the exhaust, and they don't like a lot of breeze, it's bred out of them?
I'm not sure. What made me think of it was your statement plus a story shared by a friend recently who stopped on the side of a road near 95 in Bucks County. He ended up pulling many ticks off of him after stepping just to the edge of the grass. The bulk product of octane combustion should be CO2 and water vapor (plus some carbon monoxide if there's incomplete combustion). I have to wonder if the other crap from additives and etc. would make much of a difference (after seeing them use DEET as an appetizer).
I'll have to poke around and see if there have been any studies.
I poked around a bit and didn't see any formal studies supporting or refuting the auto emissions idea, but I did find this from TickEncounter Resource Center website. The example at the end made my skin crawl.
6. I read somewhere that a tick can follow you up to a mile and I've read other places that they can only follow you for a few feet. I'm curious to know how far your average tick can crawl for a host. Malinda, Iowa
TERC Answer: It depends on the species of tick. Some, like the blacklegged (aka. deer) tick are very passive host-seekers; even in the adult stage, they rarely move horizontally more than a few meters. Instead, they typically climb up onto vegetation to wait for a host to pass by, then when they start to dessicate, they move down into the more humid leaf litter to re-hydrate. They may incrementally be drawn towards a host-source, like the shady edge of a pasture or a regularly-used deer trail or parkland path, if there are strong enough host stimuli.
In your region, American dog ticks or possibly Lone Star ticks are a bit more aggressive and will travel towards host stimuli like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Sometimes this brings them to edges of roads or parking lots due to auto emissions. On several occasions we have seen American dog ticks follow a regular source of carbon dioxide (houses with a prevailing wind blowing mostly in one direction) which ended up attracting them for perhaps a few hundred meters to the house--the ticks were literally crawling up the outside walls towards the window screens and doors in one notable case. Typically, we would not characterize this movement in the scale of a mile, and certainly ticks don't accomplish this longer range movement in one directed "quest".
6. I read somewhere that a tick can follow you up to a mile and I've read other places that they can only follow you for a few feet. I'm curious to know how far your average tick can crawl for a host. Malinda, Iowa
TERC Answer: It depends on the species of tick. Some, like the blacklegged (aka. deer) tick are very passive host-seekers; even in the adult stage, they rarely move horizontally more than a few meters. Instead, they typically climb up onto vegetation to wait for a host to pass by, then when they start to dessicate, they move down into the more humid leaf litter to re-hydrate. They may incrementally be drawn towards a host-source, like the shady edge of a pasture or a regularly-used deer trail or parkland path, if there are strong enough host stimuli.
In your region, American dog ticks or possibly Lone Star ticks are a bit more aggressive and will travel towards host stimuli like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Sometimes this brings them to edges of roads or parking lots due to auto emissions. On several occasions we have seen American dog ticks follow a regular source of carbon dioxide (houses with a prevailing wind blowing mostly in one direction) which ended up attracting them for perhaps a few hundred meters to the house--the ticks were literally crawling up the outside walls towards the window screens and doors in one notable case. Typically, we would not characterize this movement in the scale of a mile, and certainly ticks don't accomplish this longer range movement in one directed "quest".
I have been sitting on the ground and observing a dog tick crawling towards me.I got up and changed position only to see the tick turn and head in my new direction. I doubt they can see that far.Must be the smell
Some ticks don't even have eyes (like black-legged ticks). The ones that do see shadow and light. It's all you and your CO2 and semiochemicals.
Sorry that I overlooked this, I agree that this is how they would get to the area, but I was particularly curious if the ones that were already there tended towards questing at road edges because of the emissions.
I have been sitting on the ground and observing a dog tick crawling towards me. I got up and changed position only to see the tick turn and head in my new direction. I doubt they can see that far. Must be the smell
I...hate....ticks....evenmorenow.
Another curiosity regarding ticks and their quest for CO2 (see attached photo). Over the course of doing a few herpetological surveys, I've often found ticks questing on grass that hangs over the boards. I've never seen this many ticks at field edges, I wonder if there is enough CO2 released by the decomposing boards to be a stimulus for this much questing? I originally thought that it was the moisture but reading about how sensitive they are to CO2 I wonder if that's it.
Sue, what are your thoughts?
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Great photo! Questing is multifactorial. CO2 is CO2 to a tick no matter where it comes from (they have these great little sensors in their legs), but there are other attractants that hosts give off. Every species has different attractant criteria. Vibrations, light and dark, movement, etc, can cause them to move toward a certain point. But they quest when they are at the right life stage and find suitable tall grass or other habitat in hopes that a host walks by, so they don't actually need CO2 or any other attractants to at least climb up the grass and set up shop. That's why they like road edges. They tend to climb down in the heat of the day as water management is a constant worry for ticks. That's why you find them in the mornings and evenings.
Good info Sue, you know your stuff! Coincidentally, my board checks were in mornings and evenings, and the area under the boards was pretty moist. I guess they ducked out the afternoons there and came up for dinner in time for the pics. Thanks for sharing!
You are probably seeing a lot of ticks because....there are a lot of ticks. There seems to be a glut in populations nationwide this spring. I bet we will see a spike in Lyme/B. Miyamotoi/ehrlichiosis/RMSF, etc.
Ticks are jerks.
Ticks are jerks.
Good article here sent to me by a friend.Seems not only are ticks attracted to Carbon Dioxide but to Butyric Acid as well. http://news.psu.edu/story/140846/1997/09/01/research/tick-talk
I was at Parvin SP last Wednesday and crossed paths with this not to shy doe.
She had a lot of Ticks on her ears.
She had a lot of Ticks on her ears.