by Dave DeMars
It’s the beginning of June and despite the fact this last week has been unseasonably chilly and wet, we all know the sun will eventually come shining through. And that means all true Minnesotans will want to get outdoors and go hiking, camping, gardening, picking pussy willows and lilacs, and all those other activities we do outdoors. But beware!
There are nasty little things that lie in wait for you. Why? Because you are human. Because you are warm-blooded and provide a tasty meal for these nasty little critters. They are ticks. Both brown dog ticks and – even worse – deer ticks. While the descriptors refer to dog and deer, make no mistake: ticks like a meal of human blood as much as other warm-blooded mammals. This article will focus primarily on deer ticks.
Here are a few things to know when having to deal with ticks and Lyme disease.
Habitat
Deer ticks used to be found mainly in the eastern United States, but they have steadily been expanding their areas of habitation. Now they are found with regularity in many states west of the Mississippi River.
Because they are small and can’t move from place to place quickly in search of a host, they wait for a host dog, deer, human or other tasty mammal to come to them. They lurk on the underside of leaves, grass, on pine needles and other places. Leaves and grass provide moisture and shelter from wind and the drying sun.
As the host brushes against the leaf or rolls in the grass, the tick attaches itself to the host. Thus, the host becomes both the uber-driver carrying the tick to another location and a three-course blood dinner. Ticks like areas that provide cover, so if you go for a walk, avoid the bushes and stay in the middle of the trail. When you get home, check yourself carefully, especially along the hairline and in the folds of the skin.
Life Cycle
According to the Orkin website, https://www.orkin.com/other/ticks/deer-ticks/, the life cycle of the deer tick lasts about two years during which the tick goes through three stages: larval, nymph and adult. Being a somewhat fussy diner, the deer tick feeds on different kinds of hosts during each of the three stages.
In the larval state, deer ticks prefer small hosts like mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels and the like. According to the Orkin site, this is the time when ticks contract most diseases they transmit, especially Lyme disease. Once engorged, the deer tick drops off its host and eventually finds another, larger host as it reaches greater size.
A male deer tick attaches itself to a host only twice during its lifetime – during the larval and nymph/adult stage. It dies after it mates. A female deer tick attaches itself three times to different kinds of hosts. The third time she attaches herself it’s to provide sustenance for the 3,000 or so eggs she will lay once she drops off the host. The eggs are laid in vegetation like bushes and grass. The larvae begin to feed almost immediately, looking for the mice and rodents on which to dine. The larval state lasts only about four days, and then they molt into the nymph stage with more feeding. They also develop two more legs during the nymph stage.
According to Orkin, the ticks will eventually molt and become a full-sized adult about the size of a sesame seed. At that time, the female becomes capable of mating and producing the 3,000 or so eggs.
The bite
Ticks are crafty little critters that put the bite on you without you being aware. And that’s the problem. Sometimes we are bitten and never feel it and so never detect the tick before it drops off. According to Orkin, the female deer tick feeds for extended periods of time. If you locate a deer tick that is embedded, it’s likely to have been there for some time.
Here is how to remove a deer tick: WebMD recommends using a tweezers and gently pulling the tick out by its head. Make sure to get all the parts of the tick. Sometimes the head breaks off and gets embedded. Make sure to extract it all. Then wipe the area clean with a tissue paper. A dab of alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to sterilize the area is a good idea. Save the tick in a plastic bag so you can show the doctor if and when you need to see one.
Symptoms of Lyme
WebMD says the symptoms of Lyme disease vary depending on what stage the disease has reached. The first stage includes the rash (often referred to as a bull’s-eye rash), headaches and a stiff neck. In the second stage, there is a general weakness in the arms and legs and some memory loss. The third stage is characterized by symptoms of swelling and pain in the joints and numbness in the hands, feet or back. If it’s a case of persistent Lyme disease, infection can cause damage to the nervous system, joints and brain, according to WebMD.
“Symptoms of late persistent Lyme disease may be a patient’s first sign of having an infection, especially if the patient did not experience an initial rash in the bite area,” according to WebMD. The usual way to confirm diagnosis is with blood tests, but even those are not entirely foolproof.
Treatment
The Center for Disease Control says the most common treatment for Lyme disease is a good dose of antibiotic such as doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil. Those meds are usually taken orally and most patients will recover within a few weeks.
There are those who suffer from what is referred to as chronic Lyme disease. For them, symptoms of the disease may last six months or longer. Those who cannot take the oral form of antibiotic can be given an intravenous antibiotic such as ceftriaxone or penicillin.
Prevention
Treatment of Lyme disease is after the fact. As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It’s easiest simply to avoid coming into contact with ticks by staying indoors. Of course, that wastes the best parts of spring and summer here in Minnesota. So here are some tips to help avoid ticks.
When walking outdoors on paths in parks and woodlands, keep to the middle of the path. Choose to walk where grass is short and brush is minimal. Wear light colors so you can detect ticks when they crawl on you. Wear shoes, tuck pants in socks, long sleeves, and a hat and gloves. Yes, it is unbearably hot in summer, but that’s what experts recommend.
If you are going to dismiss the aforementioned advice, at least use insect repellent. You can buy the spray or get a powder to dust your clothing. Make sure it has a 20-percent DEET concentration. That will keep the little buggers from finding you attractive despite your warm blood. It may also help with mosquitoes – Minnesota’s summertime “state bird.”