What Do You Need to Know About the Lone Star Tick?

What does the lone star tick look like? Identification is key to prevention and extermination. If you don't know what to look for, you can't adequately identify the pest.

This tick is:

• One-eighth inch long. That is, when non-engorged, the female of the species is one-eighth of an inch long. After feeding, the female lone star tick is 7/16-inch in size.
• Reddish brown. Do you have black bugs in your yard? Chances are they aren't the lone star tick. This species has a characteristic reddish-brown color. The tick also has a whitish-silver lone star spot (females) or horseshoe shapes (males) on its back.
• Grey when engorged. Even though the tick is reddish brown, after feeding it turns a slate grey hue.
• Eight-legged. This tick has eight legs.

If you don't want to get close enough to identify the tick or you're not sure if you have this species in your yard, contact a pest control professional. The exterminator can evaluate the pests in your property and determine whether you have lone start ticks or another invader.

Why do you need to understand this tick's life cycle? Extermination requires eliminating the pest at every stage of its life. This means you'll need to rid your yard of larval, nymphal, and adult ticks to truly see a difference. Even though the pest control professional can handle the extermination activities, the more you know about this tick, the better able you are to defend against it.

The lone star ticks life cycle includes:

• Egg-laying. The female lone star tick can lay up to 5,000 eggs, according to the University of Florida. Lone star tick females tend to leave their eggs in leaf litter, soil, or mulch areas.
• Larva. After the eggs hatch, the larva makes its way to its first host. In a process known as questing, the tick larva waits for a suitable animal host to come near, attaches itself, and feeds for one to three days.
• Nymphs. The next stage requires the now-nymph to find a second host to feed on. After feeding, for three to eight days the nymph lets go of its host to molt into an adult.
• Adults. After the nymph molts into an adult, the lone star tick must find a third host to feed on. But these ticks can live for between eight months and two years without feeding.

The specific life cycle start time for this tick varies by geographical region. While some breeding seasons start in May and others won't begin until July, the lone star tick is most active in the summer months.

What are the health and safety risks associated with the lone star tick? This tick doesn't cause the well-known Lyme disease. But it can spread other types of illnesses, including:

• Ehrlichiosis. This tick-borne disease includes symptoms such as chills, fever, headache, and muscle aches. Some people also experience stomach upset as well. Ehrlichiosis is treatable with the antibiotic doxycycline.
• Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness. Also known as STARI or Masters disease, this disease typically starts about seven days after a bite. Symptoms include fatigue, headache, muscle pain, and fever. Antibiotics can treat this tick-borne disease.
• Tularemia. Symptoms of this disease vary by person and mode of infection (whether it's via a tick bite or not). Antibiotics can treat this illness.

If you have concerns about tick-borne diseases, a pest control professional can inspect for and eliminate the threat in your yard.

Do you have lone star ticks? Contact E & R Exterminating Company, Inc, for more information.