Dr. Stafford Tick Management Handbook - Newtown, CT

StaffordThe Connecticut Agricultural Experimentation StationPhysical and enzymatic rupture of tissue creates a lesion or cavity under the skin from whichblood is imbibed. A variety of pharmacologically active compounds that aid the feeding processand possibly increase pathogen transmission are introduced in the tick’s saliva (e.g., blood plateletaggregation inhibitors, anticoagulants, anti-in. ammatory and immunosuppressive agents, enzymes,and vasodilators to increase blood . ow). Feeding is not continuous and most of the blood mealis taken up during the last 12-24 hours of feeding. The body weight of a feeding female tick canincrease 80-120 times. Male ticks are intermittent feeders, take smaller amounts of blood, and do notchange appreciably in size (male I. scapularis do not need to feed and are rarely found attached).Ticks may attach and feed anywhere on the body, but there are differences depending uponexposure and species of tick. The distribution of the blacklegged tick is relatively uniform. However,over a third of I. scapularis were from the legs and arms and another third were from the back upthrough the shoulders, neck and head. By contrast, most American dog ticks are removed from thehead and neck region.Proportion of Ixodes scapularis (A) and Dermacentor variabilis (B) submitted to TheConnecticut Agricultural Experiment Station recovered from various regions of the body.A. Ixodes scapularisTick SamplingB. Dermacentor variabilisA “tick drag” or “tick . ag” may be used to determine if ticks are present. To construct a tickdrag, attach one edge of a square yard piece of white, heavy . annel or corduroy material to a 3foot long wooden dowel and tie a rope to each end of the wooden dowel. Curtain weights can beattached to the opposite end to help hold the cloth to the ground. Drag the cloth over the lawn andleaves and check for ticks. A “tick . ag”, which is easier to use on vegetation, is similar to a tickdrag, but is built just like a . ag. Only a small proportion of the ticks present will be picked up thisway, so several drags should be done before concluding there are few or no ticks. Tick drags will notwork when the grass or vegetation is damp or wet. Precautions to avoid tick bites should be takenwhen sampling for ticks.8Bulletin No. 1010