Deborah
Smith-Fiola
Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Lyme
Disease is spread by the tiny deer tick. Ticks feed on blood,
and infected ticks transmit the disease as they feed.
Although the deer tick prefers to feed on wild animals, especially
mice, birds, opossum, raccoon, and deer, they will also feed
on dogs, cats, livestock, and humans. When people visit or
live near deer tick habitats, they run a high risk of contracting
Lyme Disease. For your own safety, you should become familiar
with tick habits and habitats, and you should learn how to
prevent tick bites.
Deer
ticks prefer to live in the woods. Dense, mature woods with
a thick undergrowth of shrubs and small trees are their favorite
habitat (85%). They also are found, to a lesser degree, along
the edge of the woods, where the woods meet lawns or fields.
Very few (4-8%) are found in lawns, because lawns that are kept
mowed are too hot and dry to sustain the tiny deer tick. Ticks
prefer the cool, moist woodlands where they have a better chance
of finding an animal host.
Where
you live, your hobbies, and your habits may influence your
risk of a tick bite. Notice in particular these high-risk
factors:
- Yards
surrounded by dense woods.
- Birdbaths,
birdfeeders.
- Outdoor
pets that come indoors.
- Woodpiles,
brushpiles, stone or rock fences.
- Viewing
deer from a window.
- Swingsets,
treehouses in the woods.
- Outdoor
occupations: landscapers, utility line workers, farmers,
etc.
- Outdoor
recreation: fresh water fishing, camping, hiking, hunting,
etc.
Many
of these factors encourage wildlife near the home, and these
animals may carry ticks. Mice in particular are known hosts
of immature deer ticks and carriers of Lyme Disease. Reduce,
remove, or avoid these risk factors as much as possible.
Outdoor
pursuits need not be discontinued as long as precautions are
taken to prevent a tick bite:
- Wear
light-colored clothing (ticks are easier to see).
- Wear
long pants tucked into socks.
- Avoid
tall grass and shrubby areas.
- Widen
trails through woods (to 6 feet).
- Remove
brushpiles.
- Keep
turfgrass mowed.
- Thin
out low shrub vegetation in woods.
- Wear
a tick repellent.
Repellents
contain the active ingredient permethrin (Duranon,
Permethrin Tick Repellent, Permanone), or N,N-diethyl-meta-tolumide,
usually called DEET (Off, Cutters, Muskol, etc.)
Follow label directions. These products repel 82-100%
of ticks.
Seventy percent of all Lyme Disease cases occur from the bite
of the immature (nymph) deer tick (See Figure 1). Before feeding,
nymphs are the size of a poppy seed with a dark head and translucent
body. After feeding, they swell and appear dark gray and round,
about the size of a mustard seed.
Adult
deer ticks are the size of a sesame seed before feeding; females
have a black head and brick red abdomen. After feeding, they
turn gray and swell to the size of a sunflower seed kernel.
Deer
ticks are active all year round, as long as the temperature
is over 35°F. Peak activity months are May-June (nymphs),
and October-November (adults).
Ask
your county extension agent for a free copy of the bulletin
"Protect Yourself From Ticks and Lyme Disease" for specific
ways to identify different ticks. The Lone Star tick may have
a slight involvement in Lyme Disease transmission; the American
Dog Tick is not known to be involved in Lyme Disease transmission.
Ticks
don't fly, jump, or drop from trees. They inhabit shrubby vegetation
(nymphs: 4-6" vegetation; adults: waist-high vegetation) and
wait for an animal to brush by. They then grasp the animals fur
or skin, and typically crawl up the leg. Ticks will wander on
the body for 30-60 minutes before they insert their mouthparts
and begin to feed. Infected Deer Ticks must feed for at least
12 - 24 Hours before they can begin to transmit the Lyme
Disease bacteria. Therefore you should remove ticks as soon
as possible. Take a shower after outdoor activity and check
your body thoroughly, paying close attention to the armpits,
the groin, and neck. Use the buddy system! Look for ticks every
night, especially if you have young children.
Remove
ticks with tweezers only (bent, "needle-nose" tweezers are
best). Do not use alcohol, nail polish, hot matches, petroleum
jelly, or other methods to remove ticks. These methods may
actually traumatize ticks causing them to regurgitate gut
contents, which may include the Lyme Disease bacteria.
If
avoiding tick-infested areas is not possible, pesticide use
may be justified. Research has shown that granular insecticides
may provide longer lasting controls than liquid sprays. Read
and follow all directions on the label. Some insecticides
authorized for tick control include:
- SEVIN
- PERMETHRIN
- DURSBAN
- DIAZINON
Granular
insecticides should be applied once in low-risk areas (late
May/early June) and twice in high-risk sites (mid-May and
early June). An early October treatment is optional. Focus
treatment along the edge of the woods and 15 feet into the
woods. These treatments have resulted in over 90 percent control
in research trials.
Liquid
insecticides should be sprayed on vegetation until they run
off. Apply in mid-May, early June, and mid-June. Sprays targeting
adult deer ticks may be applied after leaves have dropped
from the trees, from November to April.
Damminix
is a product that provides insectide-laced nesting material
to mice. It kills immature ticks attached to mice in their
burrows. Place it only in areas where mice frequent. Damminix
may also be used in combination with the above insecticides.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent
NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This document
is
FS637
,
a series of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Rutgers, the
State University of New Jersey. Publication date: September
1992.
Deborah
Smith-Fiola, County Agricultural Agent, Ocean County, Rutgers,
The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903.
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