Ticks and How to Avoid Them

Jolie Coates, West Nile Program Coordinator, BCCD
Alongside the BCCD mosquito surveillance program, we also conduct weekly tick surveillance throughout the county. The tick program runs longer than the mosquito program, primarily because ticks are active almost year round; the BCCD tick program runs from April through November.
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Ticks are not a foreign topic for residents of Bradford County. Out tick biologist, Jolie Coates, spoke at the Women in Ag event last week and she received multiple stories of people and their pets that have been bitten by ticks. 

One of the most common tick species in the county is the blacklegged tick, commonly called the deer tick. Deer ticks are the smallest tick in the area, and adult females can be identified by her reddish orange abdomen. Those larger, gray “marble like” ticks they are usually pulled off animals? They are fully engorged females that are full of blood and eggs. The concern around deer ticks, of course, is the diseases that they can give us; they can carry Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesia, and Deer Tick Virus, just to name a few. Deer ticks are the ONLY tick species that carries Lyme disease. Deer tick habitat is woody areas such as forests and at the edges of hiking trails.

In Bradford County collections last year, 42% of collected ticks carried ONLY Lyme disease. 27%, however, contained BOTH Lyme and Anaplasmosis. 55% of ticks were coinfected, which means that the ticks contained AT LEAST 2 diseases. There was a single tick that had four coinfections. 

Another common tick collected in the county are the American Dog ticks. This species is larger than the deer tick, and the females (when not engorged with blood) have a brown abdomen. Contrary to popular belief, dog ticks can and will bite people, however, the ones collected in Bradford County have not tested positive for any types of diseases. Dog ticks, unlike their deer tick counterpart, like to hang out in high grasses and meadows.

Whether you are hunting, farming, camping, or just spending time in your yard, ticks can pose a threat. No matter which activity you participate in, when you are outside AND when you come back inside, checking yourself for ticks is critical. To avoid being bitten by a tick or having ticks carried into your home, check yourself and your pets as soon as you come inside. After checking for ticks, throw your clothing in the dryer (on high heat) and take a shower. Taking a shower will help find those ticks that are in hard to see areas, and the dryer will kill whatever ticks may still be on clothing. The washing machine alone will not kill ticks.

To avoid ticks around the home, keep grass trimmed. Remember, some tick species prefer tall grasses. Consider creating a mulch barrier around your property- this creates a different terrain for ticks to cross. Ticks do not like direct sunlight; they prefer darker, moist areas. By increasing areas of direct sunlight, you can deter ticks from your yard.

The Bradford County Conservation District is committed to helping people manage resources wisely.  You can visit the Bradford County Conservation District at 200 Lake Rd in Wysox across from the Wysox Fire Hall. Contact us at (570) 485-3144 or visit our web page at www.bccdpa.com.