Tick Management in SD
Tick Management in SD
Mike Catangui, Ph.D. Associate Professor, South Dakota State University
Posted on April 19, 2000. Last updated on May 7, 2005.
Ticks are mainly found outdoors as parasites of small
rodents. It is when humans
and pets venture outdoors that they become incidental hosts of ticks. Obviously,
the only way to completely avoid ticks is for humans and pets to not venture into
natural tick habitats such as wooded areas or any place where small rodents are
naturally found.
Pets are also natural hosts of ticks. It is
therefore important that pets be protected
by using over-the-counter or veterinarian-prescribed tick treatments. These products
may be in the form of tick collars, dusts, lotions, shampoos, sprays, and pills.
Ticks are killed either by direct contact with the pesticide, or by feeding on blood
with trace amounts of the pesticide (systemic pesticide). Dog houses or kennels
must also be treated with pesticides formulated as sprays or powders. Since
pesticides are poisons, directions on the labeled product must be followed to avoid
accidental pet poisoning.
Humans must use common sense when venturing into tick
habitats. The more skin
is exposed, the more attractive humans will be to ticks. Repellents containing DEET
may be directly applied on the skin. Products containing permethrin (Permanone,
Coulston's Permethrin, Permethrin) may be sprayed on clothing (several hours before
being worn) to actually kill ticks on contact. Permethrin products cannot be sprayed
directly on human skin and must be sprayed on clothing before it is worn. Read the
label to know how long one should wait before the treated clothing could be worn.
Repellents that are used against mosquitoes will also work against ticks:
When using repellents or clothing-applied pesticide, be
aware that the
recommended
rates or amounts will be different for children and adults.
After any outdoor activity, examine the entire body,
clothing, shoes, and other
equipment that may harbor ticks. It usually takes several hours of feeding before
disease-causing microorganisms are transmitted to humans by ticks.
Ticks attached to human skin must be removed carefully
with forceps or tweezers.
The tick must be grasped as close to the skin as possible then removed slowly
straight away from the skin. Tick removal is not easy and must done with patience
to prevent leaving tick mouthparts in ones skin, or spilling tick-engorged blood that
may be infected. Tick bite wounds must be treated with antiseptics after tick removal.
Ticks removed from humans must be kept for accurate
identification by an
entomologist. Identification will greatly help in diagnosing a disease that may
develop as a result of the tick bite. Collected ticks may be placed in a ziploc
bag then killed in a freezer, or immersed in a vial of rubbing alcohol. Location and
collection date must be noted on the container. Specimens may be sent to your
nearest SDSU Extension office.
Yards, recreational areas, and indoor areas may be
sprayed with residual
insecticides. Some products may be for outdoor use only so reading the label on
the product is important. A few insecticides can be used indoors and outdoors.
Common general residual insecticides are various
brands containing cyfluthrin
(Tempo, Bayer Advanced Home Power Force), bifenthrin (Ortho home Defense
Perimeter and Indoor Insect Killer), deltamethrin (Enforcer BugMax 365 One Year
Home Pest Control), and permethrin (Spectracide Bug Stop Insect Killer).
Always read and follow label directions to avoid undue
harm to nontarget animals
and plants.
Ticks avoid direct sunlight so mowing the grass short,
eliminating shaded areas
by pruning shrubs and trees and collecting fallen leaves regularly may help reduce
tick infestation in the yard.
In summary, ticks are a part of nature that often
interfere with human outdoor and
recreational activities. Ticks are also capable of transmitting microorganisms that
may cause diseases in humans. Managing ticks can be made easier by knowing
basic tick biology and familiarizing ourselves with various tick control measures.