AISIAN LONGHORNED TICK IN CONNECTICUT?
The Asian Longhorned tick is an invasive species that has spread recently to several states in New England. I brought this up last year when it was first found on a sheep in New Jersey in 2017 and started to spread north. The Asian Longhorned Tick has the potential to transmit several serious diseases to people and thus should be on your radar.
The CDC reports the Asian Longhorned tick as “an important vector of human and animal disease agents,”. This tick is native to China, Japan, and Korea, and the Asian Longhorned tick had never been detected in the U.S. previously. This all changed in August 2017, when a sheep in New Jersey was found to be heavily infested with them.
Since the first siting on the sheep, there have been 53 reports of the Asian Longhorned tick and was confirmed in seven states since September 2018. These states include: Arkansas, Connecticut, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. According to the CDC report, The Asian Longhorned tick has been found on both people and animals.
So What Does This Mean For Connecticut Residents?
Currently The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with public health, agricultural, and academic experts to understand the possible threat posed by the spread of the Asian Longhorned tick, and states “The full public health and agricultural impact of this tick discovery and spread is unknown,” said Ben Beard, Ph.D., deputy director of CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. “In other parts of the world, the Asian Longhorned tick can transmit many types of pathogens common in the United States. We are concerned that this tick, which can cause massive infestations on animals, on people, and in the environment, is spreading in the United States.”
The potential for spreading of the Asian Longhorned tick is immense since in contrast to most tick species, a single Asian Longhorned female tick can reproduce offspring (1-2,000 eggs at a time) without mating. As a result of this, hundreds to thousands of ticks can be found on a single animal, person, or in the environment.
As more research is done there will be more reports released with better data to help support findings, as well as to help reduce or maintain the limits of the Asian Longhorned ticks reach, until then take precautions.
Precautions To Take To Help Keep You, Your Family, And Pets Safe
- While outdoors use insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. Always follow product instructions
- While outside wear light colored clothes to help identify ticks on your person more easily
- When returning from outdoor activities, always check your body and clothing for ticks upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, including your own backyard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Place tick-infested clothes in a dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors
- Soon after being outdoors, showering within an hour of coming inside has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and may be effective in reducing the risk of other tickborne diseases. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and is a good time to do a tick check
- If you remove a tick save it in a plastic bag in the freezer and mark the area on your body it was removed from. This will help if you start to come down with any symptoms and having the specimen means it can be tested for potential diseases
- For your furry family, talk to your veterinarian about tickborne diseases in your area and prevention products for your dogs & cats
- Have your yard professionally treated for ticks, by a seasoned professional
Guardian Pest Control, has been helping Residential & Commercial accounts help contain, minimize tick encounters, and reduce tick populations for over 15 years. We do whole yard treatments for both Tick & Mosquito, and we offer One-Time Treatments for special events. Call today for a free quote
