The small bug that nobody notices until it’s too late… the tick. Did you know that there are over 800 species of ticks throughout the world? Ticks are arthropods, like spiders. Some have a hard body and some are soft, the important difference being how and when they become a danger to humans and animals they attach to.  The hard body variety will start to attach to the host and draw out blood, feeding over hours or even days.  It’s at the end of the meal they release the toxin or disease they may carry.  The soft sided version of this little creature may only feed for a short time – less than one hour and infect their host in only one minute.  Taking the time to understand the nature of this tiny creature may help you to avoid them altogether, or if you do encounter one – what to do and how to remove it.

The life cycle of a tick is somewhat complicated, but from larvae to adult they need blood in their diet to survive. In the United States, April to September is the growth time for ticks, so beware of encountering them from August until the first snow falls. Ticks hide in low brush; this location makes it easy to attach to a host, either human or animal.  “A recent study suggested that leaning against a tree or sitting on an old log was the quickest way to acquire ticks (about 30 seconds) in tick-infested areas.” The brush you may walk through may be beautiful but may also contain the insects, so wearing long pants or socks that cover bare skin will help keep them from attaching.  Once the tick finds a host and a patch of open skin, it will begin to burrow with its mouth parts, which are barbed and help them to stay firmly attached.  Part of the saliva in a ticks mouth acts as a deadening agent, containing a neurotoxin which numbs the skin of the host and makes it hard to feel the insect bite.  Another part of the saliva has a blood thinner which makes it easier to extract the blood from the host. Some people notice an allergic reaction to the bite, and that’s what draws their attention.  Without that allergic reaction, however, the insect may go unnoticed for quite some time.

Checking adults and children after exposure to the woods is a sensible thing to do. Be sure to visually examine the skin and hairline, behind the ears and in all the warm spots that a tick might remain undiscovered.  Armpits, bellybuttons and under the hair on the neck seem to be favorite spots for ticks. Also, parting the hair and checking the scalp thoroughly is a good idea.  Brushing or combing out the hair may remove a tick that hasn’t had a chance to burrow yet.  If you do locate a tick and it has become attached, there are a few essential things to know. The danger of breaking a ticks head off under the skin is real, so don’t attempt to twist it off the skin. People have been known to try to remove ticks by holding burning objects near its rear; cigarettes or hot needles, for example.  In addition to running the risk of burning the host person or animal, the tick will more likely just burrow deeper rather than back up into that adventure. Wouldn’t you?  Carefully and firmly grasping the body of the tick with a pair of tweezers, pull straight out slowly and deliberately.  If the head is completely under the skin, then to avoid dislodging the head you may want to try encouraging the tick to back up. This can be done by covering the whole tick with something like lard, Crisco or another heavy, dense compound that in effect suffocates the tick. They will generally back up enough to then extract with the tweezers. Dispose of ticks carefully and disinfect the area they have attached to. If it’s a family pet that has the problem, make sure you carefully examine them before they get on furniture or bedding and share other ticks with your family members.

The concern over disease that ticks can generate is also real.  “Ticks can transmit disease to many hosts; some cause economic harm such as Texas fever (bovine babeiosis ) in cattle that can kill up to 90% of yearling cows.” Some of the diseases they pass on include Lyme disease , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever , Tularemia , Colorado Tick Fever and Q Fever , among others.  Clearly the best thing is to avoid them altogether, but watching closely and removing them promptly will certainly help.  If a person has been camping or outdoors and develops a rash or flu like symptoms even days after the outing, exhibits fever, numbness, shortness of breath, palpitations, etc. then seek medical attention and be sure to tell the doctor that you may have been exposed to ticks.  They will be able to test and determine if that is the cause of your illness. There may be occasions when a pet has a tick that has been attached for a prolonged time and is fully engorged. It no longer appears black and small, but large and translucent. These are much easier to remove but the damage they do is greater over time. The same style of removal applies here, carefully grasp the body of the tick and back out of the skin area and apply antiseptic to the wound. The most likely places to discover a tick on your dog or cat would be inside the ear, on the belly and thighs where the hair is sparse or under the collar where it’s warm and less likely to get scratched off by the animal.  Even large breeds with dense fur can be attacked in these vulnerable areas.  Taking the time to carefully search your pets for ticks will benefit the animal and your family. Flea and tick collars may aid in preventing ticks from bothering the pets in the first place, but humans still rely on the search and destroy method.  Have fun and be safe on your next Colorado Outing, and steer clear of the small but mighty Tick!