New invasive parasites

New invasive parasites

The Longhorned Tick

An exotic tick previously unknown to the United States is spreading across the eastern U.S. with sightings in eight states this summer. The Asian or longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, has been found in Arkansas, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. 

The Longhorned tick can be easily mistaken with the Lone-star tick. They are red and tiny, but Longhorned tick doesn’t need a male tick to fertilize its eggs.

An invasive species that congregate in large numbers, the longhorned tick can cause anemia in livestock. It is known to carry several diseases that infect hogs and cattle in Asia.

Longhorned Tick SonicGuard

Female longhorned ticks can lay around 2,000 eggs, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That's enough to establish a tick population in a new location, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says.

 

They suck so much blood, it can cause anemia, or even death, in livestock.

The longhorned tick can transmit an animal disease called theileriosis to livestock. The disease can reduce milk production in dairy cows and cause blood loss in and the occasional death of calves.

"The discovery of the longhorn tick is another reminder of the importance of tick prevention," said Dr. Rachel Levine, secretary of health for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Ticks can be found even in your own backyard, so prevention is important. Wear long sleeves and pants and use insect repellents containing DEET which is safe to use for children as young as 2 months old. But what if you have a younger baby? Use the SonicGuard Baby or Human device, which is an ultrasonic, chemical-free tick repellent to keep you safe from ticks and the diseases they carry. It is also important to check yourself and your pets for ticks, as pets can bring ticks indoors.

 

Here are some safety tips from the New York State Department of Health:

  • Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts
  • Check for ticks often while outdoors and brush off any ticks before they attach
  • Perform a full body check
  • Consider the use of repellents! (chemical or non-chemical ones)

 

If you have been bitten by a tick of any kind, contact your health care provider immediately if you develop a rash or flu-like symptoms!

If you'd like to prevent tick bites, check out our TICKLESS products which are all-natural, chemical-free solutions against those annoying parasites!

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