#TurfKiller - Ticks

July 20, 2020
Learn the Dangers of Ticks and How to Protect your TURF


As many know, ticks can transmit a variety of diseases that can be a threat to human and animal health. According to the CDC, “Ticks and tickborne diseases are increasingly problematic today, the threat posed by human-biting ticks is more widespread across the eastern United States, increasingly complex (multiple tick species and >10 notable tickborne pathogens), and, across tick species, more spatially diffuse (including backyards, neighborhood green spaces, and public recreation areas). To mitigate tick-associated negative societal effects, we must consider shifting the responsibility for tick control to include both individual persons and professionally staffed tick-management programs.”


So how can we combat the dangers of ticks and protect people, pets and turf? In this article we will discuss the precautions and products necessary to prevent ticks on turf, landscapes and around commercial properties or homes.

DESCRIPTION

Close relatives of mites, spiders and scorpions, ticks pass through four stages in their life; egg, larva, nymph and adult. With the exception of the egg, all other stages are blood-sucking parasites. After hatching from the egg, the tick must feed to complete each stage in its lifecycle. Ticks are active mostly in the spring, summer and fall, but some species are active in the winter. When they are ready to feed, ticks will locate a host by ‘questing’. Questing is when a tick climbs up to the tips of turfgrass blades or vegetation, extends their front legs out away from their bodies and waits for a host to latch on to.

This process can dry the pest out, so they usually return to the base of vegetation several times a day to stay hydrated. Ticks mouths are barbed, similar to a fish hook, making removal from skin very difficult.


While there are dozens of tick species throughout the United States, the three species that are the most likely ticks to be encountered by people or pets are the Eastern Blacklegged Tick, the American Dog Tick and the Lone Star Tick. 


DAMAGE

Tickborne disease pathogens, which include viruses, bacteria, rickettsiae, and protozoa, increasingly threaten the health of pets and people in the United States annually. New diseases have been discovered in the past two decades linking several of them to these tickborne illnesses. In addition, the number of counties in the northeastern and upper midwestern United States that are considered high-risk for Lyme disease have increased more than 300% between 1993 and 2012. Between 2004 and 2016, more than 640,000 cases of vector-borne diseases like dengue, Zika, Lyme or plague were reported.

A tick burrowed in human skin.

MANAGEMENT
It is important to mow lawn frequently, reducing overgrowth will cut down on tick 'questing' sites and discourage rodents and other possible hosts from becoming established. If you have wood logs outside, consider stacking the wood neatly in a dry area, this will discourage rodents as well. Keep playground equipment, decks and patios away from yard edges and trees where ticks may reside. If woods are near your property, placing a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between turfgrass and wooded areas will help restrict tick migration into lawns. Discourage unwelcome potential tick hosts such as deer, raccoons, and stray dogs by constructing a fence around your yard. Along with discouraging entry into the yard, reducing shade can reduce the amount of suitable habitat for deer, rodents and ticks.

Tick removal: If you have already been bitten by a tick, removal of the ticks, promptly, will greatly reduce the likelihood of infection. Disease transmission mostly occurs after ticks have been attached for longer than 24 hours. The appropriate way to remove a tick is a strong set of tweezers. Grab the tick at the front of the body, as close to the surface of the skin as possible. Slowly pull the tick straight from the body and allow elasticity of skin to provide pressure to remove the tick. DO NOT grasp or squeeze the rear portion of the tick. Any gut content from the tick that makes contact with your skin tissue can increase the likelihood of disease transmission, if the tick is infected with disease-causing organisms.

PREVENTION
Some think that ticks are only present in deep wooded areas but "An estimated three quarters of all Lyme disease cases are acquired from ticks picked up during activities around the home" says Dr. Stafford  the Chief Entomologist at Connecticut Agricultural. Which is why it is important to protect residential and commercial turf, landscaping and the perimeter of buildings. The CDC recommends the use of insecticides to reduce the number of ticks around locations frequented by people and pets. Bifenthrin is one of the most widely used professional insecticides because of it's highly effective results. It has been shown to successfully prevent and control ticks (plus fleas, ants and more) and is safe to apply to turfgrass, ornamentals and flowerbeds for total protection. You can pour it in your spreader and apply to lawn and distribute around the perimeter of buildings. Be sure to follow the label instructions and cautions before you apply.

For professional control fertilizers with insecticide, please visit TurfCare’s online Product Catalog.
 
For green industry professionals or others interested in ordering Turfcare products, please contact our Customer Service to find a distributor near you.

References: https://www.esu.edu/dna/tick-diagnostics/identification.cfm https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/ticks-and-tick-borne-diseases https://extension2.missouri.edu/g7382 http://npic.orst.edu/pest/tick/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/media/dpk/diseases-and-conditions/lyme-disease/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/vector-borne/index.html https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/4/19-1629_article
Photos: http://npic.orst.edu/pest/tick/index.html https://www.prevention.com/health/a27392774/tick-bite-pictures/ https://www.wired.com/story/we-have-no-idea-how-bad-the-us-tick-problem-is/

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