Have any land, spend a good bit of time outside or have operate a farm/hobby farm, then be on the lookout for another invasive tick.
www.hobbyfarms.com
Found this article on Hobby Farms magazine website. I used to subscribe and always liked their articles. Having dogs, and woods, I have to deal with ticks, usually on the mutts, but occasionally on myself. Nasty creatures. Full story at the link above.
The Asian Longhorned Tick: An Update - Hobby Farms
The Asian longhorned tick is spreading fast across the U.S. due to a unique breeding capability. Here's what to watch for and best prevention techniques.
www.hobbyfarms.com
Found this article on Hobby Farms magazine website. I used to subscribe and always liked their articles. Having dogs, and woods, I have to deal with ticks, usually on the mutts, but occasionally on myself. Nasty creatures. Full story at the link above.
The Asian longhorned tick is spreading fast across the U.S. due to a unique breeding capability. Here's what to watch for and best prevention techniques.
The Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, is the newest tick species identified in the United States. Native to East Asia, this tick has spread globally and was officially identified in New Jersey in 2017. However, based on collected samples, it’s now thought this tick has been in the U.S. since 2010 or earlier.
Spreading Fast
This tick is an indiscriminate ectoparasite. It has been found on humans, pets, livestock and wildlife, and is rapidly spreading across the country. Reports mostly come out of southern New England, the mid-Atlantic and along the Appalachian corridor of West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina/Tennessee.
As of December 2021, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the USDA identified the tick in 17 states. The states with the most reports are Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina.
Reports in 2021 show that the tick has now crossed the Mississippi River and has spread to the western borders of Missouri and Arkansas.
Parthenogenesis Problem
One unique characteristic of this tick as compared to most other tick species: the female’s ability to reproduce without a male. This form of asexual reproduction, called parthenogenesis, means that it takes only one female tick to establish a new population in a given area.
This greatly increases the rate at which this tick spreads.
Potential for Disease
The Asian longhorned tick is a vector for numerous human diseases in countries where it’s been endemic for a long time. No human diseases have yet been reported as transmitted or carried by this tick in the U.S. . .
The most impactful livestock update regarding this tick is its confirmed ability to transmit the cattle disease theileriosis (pronounced TYE-LEER-EE-OSIS), caused by the protozoan blood parasite Theileriosis orientalis. Infected cattle become anemic, lethargic and weak, and there is no known cure. . .
Prevention Techniques
Preventative measures remain the best source of action to take against this tick, but effective implementation presents a challenge. Keeping pasture grasses mowed short may help prevent tick infestations to an extent, as can preventing your animals from grazing in or near wooded areas.
Inspecting cattle routinely for ticks and removing any that you find can be time and labor intensive but may be one of the best protective measures. . .
If you find any ticks on your cattle, closely inspect yourself, family members and pets as well.
APHIS-USDA continues to be the best resource for current updates on this tick and its developments across the country. . . .
