Summer brings the peak of tick season in Georgia. Cousins to
scorpions and spiders, ticks are not insects. And they’re not
good news.

Think of them as little vampires. All ticks require blood meals
to survive and reproduce. And the United States has about 80
species of ticks that can feed on humans and other mammals,
reptiles, birds and even frogs.

Some of the most common species people encounter in Georgia are
the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum), American dog
tick (Dermacentor variabilis), blacklegged or deer tick
(Ixodes scapularis) and brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus
sanguineus).

Ticks Transmit Diseases

Ticks can transmit many diseases, including Lyme disease and
Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Fortunately, most tick bites don’t
result in illness.

The diseases most often associated with ticks in Georgia are
often typified by the onset of flu-like symptoms, including
severe headaches, fever, rash and a general flu-like condition.
If you have any of these symptoms following a tick bite or after
having been where ticks hang out, see a doctor promptly.

The little bloodsuckers most often live in brushy and grassy
areas. Bottomlands usually harbor the highest populations. Pet
quarters can harbor lots of ticks, too, if the animals and areas
are left untreated.

Don’t Let Them Bite

Preventing tick bites and infestations is the best way to avoid
the many problems ticks can cause. The best way to reduce the
number of ticks around the home is to keep grass and brush cut
short. This not only reduces places for ticks to live, but
exposes them more to killing sunlight.

But it’s hard to avoid all areas where ticks live. So the best
way to avoid exposure to the many diseases ticks can transmit is
to keep them from attaching to our bodies.

When you’re going where ticks are likely to be, wear
light-colored clothes with your pant legs tucked into your socks.
This will help keep ticks on your clothes longer and give you a
better chance to detect them before they bite.

It’s critical to inspect your clothes and body closely after
trekking in tick country. Fortunately, ticks usually have to be
attached for 24 hours or longer to transmit disease.

Repellents Help, Too

Repellents help reduce the chance of getting a tick bite, too.
It’s important to target the feet, legs and waistline when
applying repellents.

When entering areas of high tick populations, use the higher
concentrations of repellents. But follow the label instructions
closely.

If a tick does bite, it’s important to remove the tick properly.
There are many techniques in our folklore, but the best way is to
carefully remove the tick with blunt forceps.

Gently grasp the tick as close to your skin as you can and pull
it straight away in a slow and steady motion. After you remove
the tick, disinfect the bite site and thoroughly wash hands.

Do this to remove ticks from pets, too.

Four-stage Life Cycle

Ticks have a four-stage life cycle, including the egg, a
six-legged larva, an eight-legged nymph and the adult. The
larvae, commonly called seed ticks, are small and often mistaken
for freckles or dirt on people.

After a blood meal, the larvae often drop from the host
(depending on the species) and molt to the eight-legged nymph,
which locates another host and repeats the cycle.

On molting to the adult, the tick finds a final host and commonly
mates on the host. The adults then drop off, the male dies and
the female, over three weeks, lays 2,000 to 18,000 eggs in the
leaf litter before also dying.

This cycle may take as long as three years, depending on the
species, availability of hosts and environmental conditions. Due
to ticks’ ability to greatly engorge, it’s common for people to
be confused over the different body sizes they see.