4/29/2024 0 Comments Tick identification pa“Because they are so tiny, seed ticks are very difficult to spot on a person or pet,” Troyano says. All species of ticks have a seed tick stage. These baby ticks don’t tend to carry diseases or bite as much as their older counterparts, but they can, Williams says. The term “seed tick” is another way of referring to larval ticks. They’re commonly found in deciduous forests. Look for: This tick is easily identified by its dark black legs, red-orange body, and black scutum (present on the upper portion of its shield).ĭisease risk: Lyme disease, relapsing fever, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus Location: You’ll find this critter crawling around the eastern half of the U.S., stretching the coast from Maine to Florida, moving into parts of Texas, Colorado, and even the Dakotas. Also called the deer tick, the pest is primarily after white-tailed deer, though there are 30,000 cases of Lyme disease in people reported to the CDC annually (although the organization estimates the true number is much higher). These ticks can also cause other infections that cause symptoms like fever, chills, headaches, and muscle aches. mayonii, as well as the bacteria that causes babesiosis, Babesia microti. The most feared type of tick, the blacklegged tick transmits two bacteria that cause Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi and B. Think you’ve spotted a tick on your body? These are the different types of ticks out there and the diseases they can transmit, just in case you start feeling off after your latest outdoor adventure. “They are in the same class as spiders and scorpions.” And, she adds, their “body shape and movement are different than most insects or spiders.” Types of ticks “Ticks are not insects,” Lord points out. “Ticks have no antennae or wings,” Williams adds. baby ticks) will have six legs, but nymphal and adult ticks will have eight legs. In general, ticks only have two body segments-a fused head and abdomen, Williams says. Keep in mind, though, that other small insects can be confused for ticks. Of the 700 species of hard ticks and 200 species of soft ticks found throughout the world, only a few are known to bite and transmit disease to humans. Still, Mather says there are certain features that are unique to each type of tick that can help you sort them out.Īccording to, there are two families of ticks found in the United States: Ixodidae (hard ticks) and Argasidae (soft ticks). If you’re not an entomologist, it can be tricky to identify a tick species. “If a tick is attached, saving the tick can provide additional information to your doctor should you have symptoms,” she says. That’s why it’s a good idea to hold onto the tick, if you can, says Cynthia Lord, Ph.D., an entomologist and researcher at UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory. “You want to be able to identify what that tick is so that, if you were to get bitten and become sick, you’d have an idea of where to start,” says Ian Williams, technical services manager at Orkin. And, while Lyme disease is the big one many people automatically associate with ticks, there are plenty of other tick-borne diseases to have on your radar as well. “Different types of ticks transmit different types of germs,” says Thomas Mather, Ph.D., director of the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease. That’s why it’s so crucial to at least have some idea of how to spot the different types of ticks that live in your area. And, unfortunately, there is a range of diseases they can transmit. It’s easy to assume that a tick is a tick, but there are actually different species of ticks out there.
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