Posts Tagged: ticks

Ticked Off

Now here's something that will tick you off. 

You're taking photos of bumble bees and honey bees in tall grass near a wooded area, minding your own ISO, shutter speed and aperture. All's well with the world.

Not!

When you arrive home, there's an eight-legged visitor in your hair from the genus Dermacentor.  That's the bad news.

The good news:  You discovered the blood-sucking parasite, aka dog tick or wood tick, before it could embed or engorge.

This tick (below) is a reddish brown female dog tick I picked up in Marin County. It took a liking to my hair.  My first tick. My first tick photo.

It is not something to crave.

Dog ticks look like spiders when their belly isn't full. They are typically found in tall grasses and wooded areas. They lie in wait for an unsuspecting host, like a dog bouncing through, and then attach themselves.

Not only are dog ticks painful but some can transmit human diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. Dog ticks can also induce tick paralysis. Another tick, known as a blacklegged tick, can transmit Lyme disease.

At the Center for Vectorborne Diseases, headquartered at UC Davis, some of the scientists research tick-borne diseases. 

So, how do you remove a firmly embedded tick from your dog? Take your tweezers and firmly pull it out.   

Preventive measures? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers helpful tips.   People are encouraged to wear light-colored clothing, long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Wearing light-colored clothing can help you detect them. Covering your skin can help avoid attachment.  Some folks swear by insect repellent, too.

Key point: After a hike, check for ticks.

In your hair, too.

Dog tick

THIS DOG TICK, from the genus Dermacentor, is an adult female. When she's embedded and gorged with blood, she will swell to about half-an-inch long. Here she's crawling on a ruler. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)