Ticks are related to spiders and scorpions

By Al Lowe
Contributor

Here we are again. It's wood-tick season. I imagine that most folk think of ticks as insects. They aren't. They are related to spiders, scorpions, mites and so on, all of which are classified as Arachnids. Arachnids have either 8 or 10 legs, while insects get along with only 6.
Most ticks have a life cycle something like this. The female lays several thousand eggs, often in the grass. They hatch in a week or two into what are called larvae. These larvae do their best to attach themselves to a passing animal, dog, deer or whatever. They feed on blood, and then change to an 8 legged nymph. These feed again, then drop off, and change into the adult form.
At this stage, they much prefer the large animals, deer, cattle, moose. The adult female attaches herself firmly to her 'host', where she takes in enough blood to make her swell up a great deal. She may become 1/2 or 3/4 of an inch long, and look like a tiny blue garbage bag. Mating takes place while she is attached. Then she drops off, lays her 5000 or 6000 eggs, and the cycle begins again.
A common tick on moose is the Moose Tick (Dermacentor albipictus), which also lives on cattle, horses and deer. These are very large ticks, and can sometimes be found in very large numbers on animals in the fall.
A tick of the southern states is the Cattle Tick (Boophilus annulatus). In warm climates, it breeds most of the year. Not only does this animal harm cattle directly, but it spreads a disease called Texas Fever. Ranchers have to dip their cattle, and change pasture land, to keep this pest under control.
As far as I know, the most common tick in this part of the world is the Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis). As the name suggests, it attaches itself very easily to dogs, especially those with long hair. This tick is not yet known to transmit any violent disease, but its close relative in the west, the Rocky Mountain Tick, can carry spotted fever to humans.
There are no completely adequate ways to deal with ticks. Try to stay out of the long grass and low bushes, and keep your dog out, too, if you can. If a tick has dug in, various methods of removal have been suggested. Bring a match, or a heated nail or a pin up to the tick's exposed end. Some people say that a few drops of gasoline or turpentine will do. The aim is to get the tick to release his hold by himself. If you just yank him off, some of his mouth parts may stay under your skin.
You should always used some kind of antiseptic after you remove a tick. Very few really bad diseases are present here, Lyme disease has made an appearance from time to time. Anyway, some minor infections can get under your skin, along with the tick.
Remember, you should always try to get every little bit of that tick out from under your skin, if you can. And make sure that your dog is as clear as can be, as well.
Ticks are a real nuisance for sure. But they are with us only for a fairly short season, so you only need to be really careful about them for about a month or so.