Spring Has Sprung, Time to Talk about Ticks!
It’s Springtime here in Eastern NC, and unfortunately, that brings out pests like mosquitoes, noseeums, and of course TICKS! First of all, did you know ticks are actually in the spider family? They aren’t an insect at all! Here in North Carolina, we have nine species of tick, but only five of them really snack on us humans. These are the American Dog Tick, the Brown Dog Tick, the Blacklegged tick, the Lone Star Tick and the Gulf Coast tick, which can be found as far north as Virginia. I vividly remember growing up with the fear of contracting Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease from being bitten by a tick. Old wives’ tales persisted about these diseases, and they seemed to be so prevalent, but did you know there are only 1-2 cases of each disease in Pitt and Lenior Counties each year? Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Rickettsiosis) and Lyme Disease are both spread by the American Dog, Brown, and Gulf Coast ticks. The Lone Star Tick, identified by a large white dot on its center, causes a different disease called Ehrlichiosis, which causes flu-like symptoms and is still relatively rare in NC. A bite from the Lone Star Tick can also cause you to develop a meat allergy!!! So, all in all, if you want to avoid one single tick in NC, it would be the Lone Star Tick, since it seems to carry the most varied types of diseases with greater incidence. Luckily, this one is easy to identify! Of course, there are many types of repellants out there, but I would recommend highly Kinfield Golden Hour Repellant as seen on Shark Tank. It repels all the nasties and doesn’t make you smell like a chemical factory. Find it here!
Have a Great Spring Everyone!!!!
