Ticks

The deer tick, also known as the “black legged tick,” Ixodes scapularis (formerly named Ixodes dammini) is the principal vector of Lyme disease in the northeastern and north central United States. Lyme disease is an illness caused by a spirochete (a corkscrew-shaped bacterium) infection. The Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted primarily by the deer tick, which normally feeds on mice, deer, and other
small and medium-sized mammals and birds. If a human is bitten by an infected tick and consequently infected with the spirochete, the individual may develop Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is the most common tickborne disease in the United States, and is an increasing national public health problem. In 1992 Lyme disease was known to occur in 45 states, but was most prevalent in eastern coastal areas from Massachusetts to Maryland. In humans and some animals, especially dogs, Borrelia burgdorferi infection can produce skin, arthritic, cardiac, and neurological symptoms. Research has shown that it usually takes 24 hours or more of feeding on a person for a nymphal-stage tick to
transmit the spirochete. Adult ticks need to feed for 36 or more hours before transmitting the spirochete. Larval-stage ticks are not infected with the spirochete until they take a blood meal from an infected host animal, and thus do not transmit Lyme disease to humans.

In New York State, Lyme disease is endemic in Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange,
Ulster, Dutchess, and Albany counties. The deer tick has been found in at least 42 counties across the state.
The deer tick does not appear to be a resident of New York City, although the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), which is the vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, does occur in coastal areas of the city and is common on Long Island and in downstate counties. In infested areas, the deer tick is common wherever deer and woodland mice frequent. White-tailed deer thrive where suburban lawns adjoin woodland or open fields. Open areas provide deer grazing areas, woods offer shelter and browse, and homeowners provide tasty ornamental plantings. People are increasingly establishing their homesites in wooded areas, raising the potential for wildlife/homeowner conflicts. In so doing, they create a habitat that attracts deer, mice, and ticks into their backyards. On Long Island, ticks are often found in beach grass near seashores, in addition to the above-mentioned areas.

Relative sizes of ticks in different life stages. The actual size of an unengorged adult (shown 2nd from the right) is about the size of a sesame seed.
The deer tick passes through four life stages (egg, larva, nymph, and adult) over a period of two years. It is known as a three-host tick, which means that it feeds on three different hosts during its life cycle. All life stages besides the egg must take a blood meal to develop, and the adult female must feed to mature the eggs. The adult deer tick is about the size of a sesame seed (2.5 mm), oval, with four pairs of legs and a flattened
body. Adult deer ticks are most active in October and November and again during April and May. They commonly attach to white-tailed deer, dogs, horses, and humans. During fall and spring the adults may be found “questing” — waiting in ambush on vegetation from ground level to about 18 inches high (deer belly height) for a suitable host to pass by. Unfed adult females are brick red with a small black shield on the back, and males are smaller and uniformly dark. Adults prefer to feed on deer, but will feed on other medium to large mammals including dogs, cats, and humans. Adult females feed on a host for seven to ten days, swelling to the size of a small pea, and becoming blue-black. Males feed intermittently but do not stay attached long enough to transmit infection. Female ticks may transmit Lyme disease to humans, but their larger size and longer feeding period make them easier to detect before they have an opportunity to do so.
After feeding and mating, females drop off their hosts and deposit eggs on the ground in the fall and early spring. Fall eggs overwinter, and eggs hatch into larvae in the summer.
The larval deer tick that hatches from the egg in late June or July is very tiny, 0.5mm (about the size of a period). The larva has only three pairs of legs. Larvae attach to white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and other small and medium-sized mammals and birds, and feed for about three to five days. After feeding they drop from the host, seek a protected site under leaves or in dense vegetation, and overwinter. Larvae pick up
the spirochete from infected animals (reservoir hosts). The larvae molt to the nymphal stage in the fall and remain inactive as nymphs until the following summer.
Nymphs are the most important vectors of Lyme disease to humans because they are difficult to detect (they are small and have a relatively short feeding period) and because humans are most active outdoors during the summer when nymphs are present. Nymphs occur from late May through July and are about the size of a poppy seed (1.5 mm). Nymphs may attach to humans, dogs, horses, cattle, rodents, and other small to medium-sized mammals and birds. When an infected nymph feeds on an animal, it may transmit the Lyme
disease spirochete. This animal then serves as a reservoir host, capable of transmitting the spirochetes to other deer ticks. The nymphal stage quests on vegetation and when a host brushes against vegetation, the tick clings to it and searches for a suitable feeding site. Ticks do not fly, jump, or actively pursue a host. Nymphs feed for three to five days, drop from the host, and again find shelter under leaves or other vegetation. They molt into adults in the fall. Birds frequenting the forest floor where ticks are present may also serve as hosts for larvae and nymphs. Migrating birds are believed to contribute to the spread of the tick and to the risk of Lyme disease in endemic areas. Deer are largely responsible for maintaining tick populations (but they are not the only animals). Deer are often present in large numbers in wooded sites and are the preferred host on which the adult ticks mate and the females acquire the necessary blood for egg development.

Life cycle of Ixodes scapularis
Stages of development of the tick and the most important hosts are illustrated. The deer tick has a two-year life cycle: the first year, eggs and larvae are present; the second year, nymphs and adults. Life cycles of individual ticks may overlap, meaning that all stages may occur on a particular property in one year.

Liberty Pest Control has experienced professionals and we understand the habits of each species and use that knowledge to find a program that best fits you and your families needs.
We strive for 100% customer satisfaction and we pride ourselves on fast, responsive service every day. We are available 24 hours a day for any emergency service. Contact us at 800-278-7778 or email us at customerservice@teamlem.com to schedule a free consultation.