- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
So Joe Nazarius of Winters embarked on a Dec. 30th hike in the Knoxville Road area, west of Lake Berryessa, when the unexpected happened.
"What is this bug buried in Joe's skin?"
That's what his wife, Debra LoGuercio DeAngelo, messaged me. She attached a photo.
Before I could read and respond, a trip to a nearby hospital's urgent care center confirmed its identity: a tick.
Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, and a UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology, further identified it as a "black-legged tick nymph (Ixodes pacificus). He should pull it out immediately as their saliva is pretty potent."
Yes and yes.
"It's definitely tick season," Professor Kimsey added. "Black-legged ticks are really winter-early spring ticks, followed by the common dog tick, which is the late spring-summer tick.”
Kimsey, who fields scores of questions about ticks, wrote a fact sheet on ticks (see below), posted on the Bohart Museum website:
"The tick mouthparts are called the hypostome, which has many backward directed projections. The projections prevent easy removal of the attached tick. Most hard ticks also secrete a cement-like substance from the salivary glands that literally glues the feeding tick in place. The substance dissolves after feeding is complete. When a tick is removed, this is the material left behind, not the 'head.'
"Many ticks seek hosts by 'questing.' Questing ticks crawl up the stems of grass or perch on the edges of leaves in a typical posture with the front legs extended. Certain chemicals, such as CO2, as well as heat and movement cause questing behavior. Ticks climb onto a potential host that brushes against their extended front legs. Once on a host, hard ticks may feed for several days to several weeks."
Kimsey also covered ticks in her lead article, "California Ticks, Myths and Disease," of the winter 2018 Bohart Museum Society newsletter (see entire article at the end of this blog):
"Although we're still a few months away from spring this seems like a good time to write about ticks, since at least one species, the western deer tick will be active soon. There are nine commonly encountered species of tick found in California, classified in two different groups, the soft ticks, family Argasidae, and the hard ticks, family Ixodidae.
"Ticks generally go through four stages, egg, larva, nymph and adult. After the larva hatches from the egg, each successive stage requires a blood meal to develop to the next stage. The transition from one stage to the next, except for the egg to larva transition, requires a blood meal. Soft ticks may have two or more nymphal stages, each requiring a blood meal. As a result it may take up to 3 years to complete their life cycle. Larval ticks differ from nymphs and adults because they only have six legs while the other stages have eight.
"Tick bites can range from annoying to downright painful. When a tick attaches itself to a host, the first thing it does is insert its mouthparts into the skin. The tick then secretes saliva that anchors them in the skin and causes tissues in the vicinity to leak, and this plug is what's actually left behind when a tick is removed, not the head. The tick saliva causes the adjacent skin cells and lymphatic fluid to leak into the bite wound. When hard ticks feed it takes several days before blood begins leaking into the vicinity of the tick's mouthparts. Only then can transmission of blood borne pathogens like the ones that cause Lyme disease take place."
But back to "The Tick" that interrupted an end-of-the-year hike.
Most people might not pull out their cell phone to grab an image of a tick, but Debra LoGuercio DeAngelo is a journalist. She's a former editor of the Winters Express newspaper and author of two newly published books (The Elements of Horse Spirit: the Magical Bond Between Humans and Horses and Pagan Curious: A Beginner's Guide to Nature, Magic & Spirituality and a third one is pending publication in August, Sacred Massage--The Magic & Ritual of Soothing Touch)
With a click, Debra captured an extremely sharp image of "The Tick" that ticked them off.
No, her pending book on "soothing touch" has nothing to do with arachnids questing near Lake Berryessa and feasting on an unsuspecting hiker...but this talented writer may also have a future in tick photography...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Ticks can do that to you.
I never think about ticks during the holiday season, but a news release from the University of Cincinnati about how “Hungry Ticks Work Harder to Find You” piqued my interest--and memories of the day our family inadvertently “collected” a total of 14 ticks.
But first, the news release about this fascinating research...
UC writer Michael Miller described ticks as “hardy little brutes that can go as long as a year without a meal,” and that “the hungrier ticks are, the harder they try to find you or other hosts.”
Biologist Andrew Rosendale, lead author of the study and UC adjunct assistant professor of biology, said that starved ticks are more likely to look for a host and they're more likely to attach to the host longer “which provides a greater opportunity to transmit diseases.”
Ticks, as you know, feed on blood. They feed on blood as larvae, nymphs and adults. Ticks "spend most of their lives on the ground in tall grass, patiently biding their time for a victim and presumably ignoring their rumbling stomachs,” Miller wrote in his news story.
Fact is, ticks are very good at waiting, waiting to ambush you. They can reach near starvation because their metabolism slows. “In the absence of any host cues, they go into a dormant state where they don't move around a lot,” UC biology professor Joshua Benoit related.
Then there's "questing."
Miller explained that “In the wild, adult ticks explore the undergrowth and climb tall grass. They reach out with the claws on their forelegs, a behavior called questing, to snag an animal's fur or your denim jeans. Then they burrow into their hosts with mouthparts shaped like ratchets that keep them in place....In the lab, UC researchers stimulated the ticks' questing behavior by breathing into identical glass cylinders. (Ticks can sense carbon dioxide so they know when a possible meal is close at hand.) Biologists recorded differences in activity between just-fed ticks and starving ones. They found that starved ticks had higher activity levels and increased questing behavior than recently fed ones.”
Miller also pointed out that “after three months without food, a tick's metabolism actually increases significantly--by as much as 100 percent--and remains at this higher rate for weeks in association with its increased activity.”
“Likewise, UC biologists found that genes related to immunity were activated by starvation, which could be another survival mechanism," Miller wrote. "Animals that feed on blood must have a immune system capable of fighting bacteria and other microorganisms. By activating genes associated with immunity, ticks might be preparing for an imminent meal.”
Another discovery: the UC biologists found that genes associated with a starved tick's salivary glands activated those glands. “Saliva is known to help ticks drink more blood more quickly, a useful ability when you're clinging precariously to a moving animal in thick brush," Miller wrote. "The sticky saliva also helps cement the tick to the host."
Added Rosendale: “The more they were starved, the more they were priming themselves for that next blood meal.”
And about our family's “tick-collecting trip?”
It was April 14, and the two of us and two dogs were walking through a tall grassy area in Sonoma, enjoying the poppies, fresh vegetation and the springlike weather. When we returned home, we found a total of 14 ticks: 13 either in or on our hair, skin or clothing, and one attached to our Chihuahua mix.
Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology at UC Davis, identified them as Dermacentor occidentalis (Pacific Coast tick). Thankfully, this species does not transmit Lyme disease.
We never thought about wearing a repellent that day, but a spokesperson at the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District's booth at UC Davis Picnic Day last April said she sprays her clothing with "Off" before she dons the clothing and ventures out into tall grass or brushy areas--or where ticks are likely to be.
She handed out brochures, but you can also read more about ticks (and lyme disease) on the Sac-Yolo website at https://www.fightthebite.net/ticks-and-lyme-disease/ or download the brochure at https://www.fightthebite.net/download/brochures/Ticks.pdf
The brochure indicates that "Ticks do not fly, jump, or fall out of trees! They are usually found in grassy areas, in brush, or in a wooded area. They wait on the tips of vegetation for a human or other animal host to pass by. As the host brushes against it, the tick makes contact, looks for a suitable location, and begins the feeding process."
And "contrary to popular belief, ticks DO NOT embed their heads in skin. Ticks are equipped with mouthparts adapted to penetrate and hold fast in the skin of its host. Additionally, they secrete a cement-like material that helps them stay attached to their host."
Yes, they do. One tick embedded itself in my ear.
I think it must have been one of near-starvation ticks with ultra sticky saliva...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
How much do you know about nematodes?
What would you like to know?
You'll be able to learn more about both, plus fleas, mites, lice, bed bugs, botflies and other critters, when the Bohart Museum of Entomology of UC Davis hosts an open house on “Parasite Palooza: Botflies, Fleas and Mites, Oh, My” from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 22 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane.
It's free and open to the public. You can meet scientists one-on-one and ask questions.
Senior public health biologist Mike Niemala of the California Department of Public Health will participate in the three-hour open house, discussing ticks and other health issues, and handing out fliers and brochures. He received his master of science degree from UC Davis.
What are nematodes? That's a question often asked of nematologists.
"Nematodes are a large group (phylum) of roundworms," Camp said. "Most nematodes are not parasites, but people may be familiar with some of the parasitic species. Some well-known nematode parasites of humans are pinworm, Ascaris, hookworm, and guinea worm. Dogs and cats can also become infected with nematodes including heartworm, hookworm, or Toxocara."
Camp, who grew up in rural northern Indiana, received her bachelor's degree in biology in 2005 from the University of Chicago and her master's degree in biology in 2007 from Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C. As a UC Davis graduate student, she focused on the evolutionary relationships and genetic diversity of Baylisascaris procyonis, a nematode parasite of raccoons. Her career plans? Researcher in infectious diseases or genetics/genomics or a science communicator.
"I first became interested in parasites during my undergrad degree at the University of Chicago," Camp said. "My specific interest in nematode parasites developed when I read some of Dr. Nadler's work on the evolutionary relationships of nematodes for an invertebrate biology class. Nematodes are an amazing phylum of organisms- they exist in almost every known environment on the planet, and different species eat everything from bacteria and fungi to plant and animal tissue. I find parasites particularly fascinating, because they are dependent on another organism (or organisms) for part or all of their life cycle."
The Bohart Museum event is free and open to the public. For the family craft activity, attendees will attach stickers of parasites on origami paper hats.
The Bohart Museum, directed by Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis professor of entomology, is a world-renowned insect museum that houses a global collection of nearly eight million specimens. It also maintains a live “petting zoo,” featuring walking sticks, Madagascar hissing cockroaches and tarantulas. A gift shop, open year around, includes T-shirts, sweatshirts, books, jewelry, posters, insect-collecting equipment and insect-themed candy.
The Bohart Museum's regular hours are from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. The museum is closed to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and on major holidays. Admission is free.
More information on the Bohart Museum is available by contacting (530) 752-0493 or bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Now here's something that will tick you off.
You're taking photos of bumble bees and honey bees in tall grass near a wooded area, minding your own ISO, shutter speed and aperture. All's well with the world.
Not!
When you arrive home, there's an eight-legged visitor in your hair from the genus Dermacentor. That's the bad news.
The good news: You discovered the blood-sucking parasite, aka dog tick or wood tick, before it could embed or engorge.
This tick (below) is a reddish brown female dog tick I picked up in Marin County. It took a liking to my hair. My first tick. My first tick photo.
It is not something to crave.
Dog ticks look like spiders when their belly isn't full. They are typically found in tall grasses and wooded areas. They lie in wait for an unsuspecting host, like a dog bouncing through, and then attach themselves.
Not only are dog ticks painful but some can transmit human diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. Dog ticks can also induce tick paralysis. Another tick, known as a blacklegged tick, can transmit Lyme disease.
At the Center for Vectorborne Diseases, headquartered at UC Davis, some of the scientists research tick-borne diseases.
So, how do you remove a firmly embedded tick from your dog? Take your tweezers and firmly pull it out.
Preventive measures? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers helpful tips. People are encouraged to wear light-colored clothing, long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Wearing light-colored clothing can help you detect them. Covering your skin can help avoid attachment. Some folks swear by insect repellent, too.
Key point: After a hike, check for ticks.
In your hair, too.
