The first Asian Longhorned Tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) was confirmed in western New Jersey on a farm in Hunterdon County on November 9th. Since the initial find, it has been spotted in NY, NJ, PA, AK, NC, VA, and WV. This is the first time in nearly 50 years that a new species of #tick has been confirmed in the US.
As of now, it is not considered to be a threat to humans, but is to livestock and pets. The Asian Longhorned Tick is considered an invasive pest and is very unique as females can lay up to 2,000 fertilized eggs without mating.
Like the more common ticks in the US, the Asian Longhorned Tick is a blood-fed tick and has a three life stages - larva, nymph and adult. Each life stage, they climb up vegetation waiting patiently for their next host. They attach, feed, and drop off once feeding is complete. Larva molt over winter while nymphs molt mid-summer. After their third host and blood meal, females can reproduce.
The Asian Longhorn has been found mainly on cattle, horses, deer and sheep, but have recently been found on humans, cats, dogs, pigs, goats, bears, fox, raccoons, and rabbits.
Diseases/Viruses they transmit:
- Powassan
- Bourbon
The biggest threat is a pathogen related to Lyme Disease called phlebovirus that causes S.F.T.S., for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. (Thrombocytopenia means abnormally low levels of platelets, which help the blood clot; a severe drop triggers internal bleeding and organ failure.)
The syndrome has an overall fatality rate of about 15 percent, said Terry A. Klein, an entomologist working with the American military in South Korea. But S.F.T.S. is more lethal to people aged 60 or older, killing half of them.
Although experts said having a new invader is unsettling, they worry more about deer ticks, lone star ticks and other established species whose ranges are growing as winters get warmer.
Cases of the illnesses they transmit — everything from Lyme disease to alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat — are rapidly increasing. Even in Asia, only about 1 percent of long-horned ticks have the S.F.T.S. virus; in parts of this country, 25 percent of deer ticks carry Lyme disease.
“The jury’s still out on how big a threat this is,” Dr. Beard said. “But we think it’s a very important question to address.”
How to Prevent this and other ticks from infecting your family and pets:
- have your property protected by a professional spraying service
- make sure the product applied is non-toxic, kid safe, and pet-friendly
- make sure product is regularly applied (organic product should be ever 3-4 weeks; traditional should be every 6-7 weeks).
The great news is that Bugs & Blades hits all three of those parameters. We are fully compliant with CT to spray for ticks. All products are the most premium on the market. We also schedule applications via email/text messages with clients giving at least 3 days notice of application.
Contact Chris today for a free estimate! 203.434.3279 or cz@bugsandblades.com
Sources for this article include the #NYTimes and #PennStateExtension