On Tuesday morning, Jardi Clark went for a ride on her horse with her niece where she discovered ticks in her field.
“It looks like a big glob of caviar without the sauce,” said Clark.
Clark had recognized the large pile of ticks after viewing pictures online.
She brought some pesticide and sprayed the pile with it, turning over grass to get all of the unwanted bugs.
Ticks can be identified as two different kinds: Big and small. A Dermacentor is a large tick that is more common in the area and less likely to carry Lyme disease. As explained by University of Alberta (UofA) researcher Janet Sperling, the ixodes (ick-zo-deez) are smaller in comparison and are more likely the culprit of Lyme disease and other vector-borne illnesses.
A way to distinguish between Dermacentor and an ixodes is to look at the legs. The Dermacentor will have a round spherical while the ixodes will have a teardrop shape but can be very hard to tell by just looking with the naked eye.
The Ixodes are ‘definitely extending their reach’ by having milder winter conditions which can become a concern for humans.
“They’re just a really curious adversary and if they can extend their season they will,” said Sperling, a parasitology, zoology, and microbiology researcher at the University of Alberta who is currently working towards her Ph.D.
Ixodes enjoy warm, humid climates because they need a certain amount of moisture in order to undergo metamorphosis.
They also like to have a host like mammals, birds and reptiles, where they can remain undetected and warm, hence why your furry friend may get a tick or two at some point in time.
“When you come across these big groups, the most obvious thing is to avoid coming into contact with the ticks but other than that, I’m not sure there is a good answer,” said Sperling.
A single tick can lay anywhere from 800 to 1000 more ticks during the high season.
“This is the time of year that they are hatching, when you’ll see them on your horse or your dog,” said Clark.
Sperling explained that there is no clear solution to easily controlling ticks but range animals can be protected by being ‘dipped’ rather than spraying the ticks directly on the ground.
One way to prevent tick bites while being outdoors is to wear long sleeves, long pants and closed toed shoes. Unlike mosquitos, ticks can’t get through the fabric so this creates an opportunity to brush them off before they have the chance to attach.
If you do happen to get bit by a tick and see it still attached, look at defining features, especially the mouth piece. Dermacentor’s will have short mouth pieces so all you need to do is grab a fine set of tweezers and pinch and pull right at the mouth piece.
The ixodes, on the other hand, have a longer mouthpiece and can remain in the skin. What you need to then do is use those tweezers and hold the mouthpiece with a constant pressure so the bug will then release its hold.
“You have to be sort of hyper suspicious,” said Sperling.
The reason Sperling decided to go back to school after 25 years was because of her son who was diagnosed with Lyme disease. She felt there was not enough research going on in the right areas of the disease.
Both Clark and Sperling believes that others ‘should be aware’ of the dangers that ticks can possess.
Sperling encourages anyone who finds ticks to send them her way at 9131 118 St. NW, Edmonton, AB, T1G 1T6.
She will examine and use the ticks for more data which could possibly help understand more about Lyme disease.
