Identification and Treatment Methods for Tick Control

In my time as a board certified entomologist, I’ve noticed an interesting pattern: By and large, people don’t like to talk about ticks. They get uncomfortable when the topic is brought up and, if asked why, always seem to have the same handful of horror stories at the ready.

“They hide in trees and fall into your hair!” “They carry Lyme disease.” “I’m worried they’ll make my pet sick.” I’ve heard them a million times. While some of those worries are based in truth, I’ve learned that sometimes the line between fact and fear blurs where ticks are involved.

That’s why I believe it’s so important to talk about these pests — not only to better understand how we can protect ourselves from them and the health risks they may pose, but also to dispel some of the misinformation surrounding them. As pest management professionals (PMPs), it’s our job to educate customers just as much as it is to service their homes. So let’s start at square one and go from there.

BACK TO BASICS. Ticks are blood- feeding arachnids that find their meals through questing, or climbing onto vegetation, raising their hooked limbs and hitching a ride on any potential hosts that pass by. They are incredibly tiny as larvae, and thus mostly feed on small animals until they molt into nymphs. As adults, they have four pairs of legs and hard, flattened bodies (similar to bed bugs) that can make them particularly difficult to squish. This allows them to feed on — and thrive off of — larger hosts like humans, pets and wildlife.

However, the physical characteristic ticks are perhaps most known for is the shield (scutum) on their backs. For males, this shield covers the entirety of their body; females, on the other hand, have significantly smaller shields that allow their bodies to engorge after taking a blood meal. These shields can also boast festoons, the chitinous grooves and patterns unique to each species. When encountering ticks in the field, their shield markings and festoons, along with the length and shape of their mouth parts, are the quickest way to identify which species you’re dealing with — and you do want to be able to quickly identify them.

IMPORTANCE OF IDENTIFICATION. As with any good Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, identification is paramount when dealing with ticks. What follows are some of the species you’re most likely to encounter on the job and what sets them apart from one another.

American Dog Tick. Don’t be fooled by the name. The American dog tick doesn’t only feed on man’s best friend. If you’ve ever found a tick feeding off your beloved pet, it is the most likely suspect. Their shields have whitish or cream-colored markings and noticeable grooves, and their mouthparts are typically quite short. These ticks are most active from April to August, and are incredibly widespread across the eastern United States, the Midwest and California.

Lone Star Tick. Perhaps the most talked-about tick in recent years, the lone star tick gets its name from the single white spot present at the rear margin of the females’ shields. Males, however, do not have this spot, and instead have shields festooned with horseshoe-shaped markings (often gold in color). These ticks have long, narrow mouthparts. Though these ticks were once most commonly found in the southern U.S., today their population is exploding, rapidly spreading to densely forested areas in the northern and western states.

Blacklegged/Deer Tick. Known by both names, the blacklegged or deer tick is a smaller species recognized by its dark shield. Females have a distinctive orange body surrounding this dark shield. Both the male and female have black legs and lack festoons. Adults tend to be most active from October to May and are extremely prevalent throughout the eastern half of the United States.

Asian Longhorned Tick. This invasive species has been on the rise lately, so keep an eye out. Asian longhorned tick populations in the U.S. are almost all female (with one male found in 2023), and able to reproduce without males. These ticks are reddish-brown with shields lacking any ornate markings, and while they’ll happily take a blood meal from a human, they tend to be found feeding in massive numbers on livestock. The adults are most active from June to August, and while they’ve been identified in more than 20 states across the eastern U.S. and Midwest, their population appears to be expanding west.

RISING HEALTH CONCERNS. Of course, understanding each species’ unique biology and habits will help you address your customers’ concerns in a timely and effective manner, but when dealing with ticks, there is another — perhaps more impactful — reason to ensure you’re correctly identifying any specimens you encounter in the field: public health.

It’s no secret that ticks are a major source of vector-borne diseases; the list of illnesses their bites can cause is long and, it appears, still growing. Take, for example, alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). Until recently, it was a relatively obscure phenomenon; people developing a mysterious allergy to red meat and other animal products. Today we know its primary cause in the U.S. are bites from infected lone star ticks. I’ve noticed a major uptick (pardon the pun) in people’s worries about being bitten as popular and social media reports increase. AGS is now one of the top 10 food allergies, and its symptoms range from mild to severe to life threatening. Reactions vary among individuals and the only reliable treatment is avoiding the mammalian products that elicit responses — steak or pork chops or even milk and cheese. The first documented fatal case of AGS in the U.S. involved a man who died in 2024, who did not know his anaphylaxis had been the result of an allergy to red meat he had consumed hours earlier.

So why the emphasis on identification? It’s simple. Many of the illnesses caused by tick bites present with very similar flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, fatigue, muscle pain, etc.), and it can be extremely difficult for doctors to differentiate between them unless there has been a proper identification to help narrow the list. Unfortunately, time is of the essence with many of these illnesses, and the longer the process of diagnosis, the more likely it is that a patient’s symptoms will get worse, sometimes to the point of debilitation.

It is imperative, then, that any time a customer, colleague or loved one suspects that they have been bitten by a tick, it is safely removed and identified. If they begin to show symptoms of a tick-borne illness, knowing the tick species in question may greatly aid in diagnosis and treatment.

PROPER REMOVAL. What is the best way to remove a tick? This can be a tricky endeavor, especially if the tick is engorged, but I’ve found that the best method by far is to just keep it simple:

1. Using a pair of pointed tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin as is possible.
2. Firmly pull the tick straight up and out of the skin. Do not twist or attempt to “unscrew” its mouth.
3. Set tick aside for safe identification. (Ziploc-style plastic bags work well, but I have a small bottle of hand sanitizing gel where I like to display mine!)

TREATMENT. Now, this brings us to the big question: What’s the best way to treat for ticks? I’m sorry to say it’s a bit of a trick question, but that’s par for the course with such tricky pests.

Research has shown that a high- pressure application of tick-killing products in the fall can reduce blacklegged tick numbers the following season. Areas like woodland edges, decorative stone walls, or wherever there’s significant leaf litter or debris should be considered high-risk and should therefore be focused on.

A more long-term solution is to suggest changes to the customer’s landscaping. Removing attractants for wildlife, tick-questing areas and harborage is the best way to manage tick populations, so some helpful changes may include adding wood chips or mulch to form a barrier between the property and any wooded/brush areas, as well as regularly mowing or pruning vegetation. This method will, of course, require significant cooperation on your customer’s part, so you may need to make them aware of the benefits (not to mention peace of mind) that it may bring.

STAYING SAFE OUTDOORS. Given the pattern of population expansion we’re seeing with most species, it is inevitable that you will find yourself coming face-to-face with some sort of tick issue in the future. Here are some tips for keeping yourself, your technicians and your customers as safe and healthy as possible when you get that call. From my experience, people associate ticks with summer, but April and May in recent years have been high tick time.

Protect Yourself. When treating a property for ticks, consider investing in a permethrin-treated tick suit to keep yourself protected on the job; these are excellent at preventing ticks from reaching your skin to feed. Alternatively, long pants tucked into socks will keep ticks off the skin and increase chances of finding them before they find a place to feed. No matter what you’re wearing, though, you should make sure to perform a thorough check after getting undressed. It’s also a good idea to put any clothing exposed to ticks into the dryer for 10-20 minutes to ensure any stowaways have been eliminated.

Protect Customers. If and when your customers ask how they can protect themselves from being bitten, always be sure to stress showering after coming in from outdoors and thorough checks of themselves, their loved ones and their pets after being outside. Ticks can be tiny and very easy to miss, sometimes as small as a freckle. You can also suggest that they wear light- colored clothing when walking in wooded areas to make any ticks easier to spot, use insect repellents labeled for ticks and/or treat their clothing with permethrin spray for a little added security.

Protect Pets. Many outdoor pets, dogs especially, are just as susceptible to tick-borne illnesses as their humans. It’s important that pets (your own as well as your customers’) be checked for ticks when coming indoors or into the vehicle, and that owners consult with their vet for a preventative treatment. Remember, our pets can’t tell us when they’re feeling under the weather — it’s up to us to look out for them.

TICK TALK TAKEAWAYS.

The author is a board certified entomologist and extension educator with Nebraska Extension in Douglas-Sarpy Counties.