PEARLAND — Ticks have been around in Texas as long as deer have roamed its lands, but this year -- all of a sudden -- it seems their numbers have exploded! Just yesterday, I plucked 9 dog ticks from the fur of my two Aussies. Thankfully they'd only latched on and hadn't buried their heads in the parasitical blood-sucking action they're known for. I only knew to, "look" after walking along a bayou area in Pearland because that morning I'd removed one that was bonded to one of my pup's posterior. In case you're wondering, the ticks weren't just on my dog: I found one crawling up my leg!
Now, I've walked this trail hundreds of times and never before had I seen a tick. Something changed this week. Was it the life cycle of ticks, naturally peaking in late-July and early August? Was it our drier and hotter than normal July weather pattern? Experts say in our region ticks can be active all year with various stages of life from eggs, to hatchlings to nymphs, to mature adults. It's conceivable that I happened upon the part of their life cycle where they're hungry! Note to self: Walk in the neighborhoods and not in the grassy fields until the cooler weather comes!
Here's a quick guide to ALL ticks (pics) and what diseases they transmit.
So what can you do? DEET products are supposed to work on ticks, though my 'Deep Woods', 25% DEET mosquito repelent didn't have much of an effect on the one crawling up my leg. For your pets, various monthly dog treatments are available but don't stop ticks from latching on. They only sour your dog or cat's blood, killing the ticks once they bite.
With various tick-born diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which can kill up to 1% of its victims if left untreated and other neurological diseases like Lyme Disease, it's best to avoid ever receiving a bite from one of these nasty members of the arachnid family. It's recommended that if you must walk in tick-infested areas, to wear long pants tucked into your socks with a strong DEET type product sprayed over those clothes. (Good luck with that, in this Gulf Coast heat!) -Meteorologist Brooks Garner
