The Ubiquitous Tick opus 868
| 13 June 2026 1354 Hours | | Entomology, Biology, Climate, Current Events, Diet, Environment, Mammalogy, Medical, Migration, Mortality, Ornithology, Science |
How many times have you completed a hike
And found a tick crawling up your leg,
Or worse, one that is burrowing in a fold of skin?
Evolution has created an effective blood-sucking traveler.
I grew up with ticks as a Nature Boy in Massachusetts.
I have occasionally been attached to my little friends
During my 48 years of fieldwork in California.
The young tick hatches and crawls up a grass stem.
The tick quickly transfers itself from bloodless grass,
To a delicious bird, reptile, or mammalian blood donor.
Because of Climate Change and a warming planet,
Disease vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks
Are moving ever-northward into new hunting grounds.
Malaria-carrying mosquitoes are now in high-altitude Nairobi
And ticks with several diseases are moving into Canada.
Their vector-mode of transport is often whitetailed
And mule deer and white-footed mice (Peromyscus).
One major unfolding problem is the black-legged tick (Ixodes)
Which transmits Lyme disease to humans in both the East and West.
The Culex mosquito spreads the West Nile Virus worldwide.
The aggressive Lone Star Tick spreads alpha-gal syndrome,
A serious allergy to red meat (and dairy),
by transmitting a sugar molecule from the bite that causes this.
In our changing climate, there will be many challenges to face.
Regarding ticks, several proactive preventatives exist:
Dress for protection, use repellents, and always conduct tick checks.
Be careful and good luck.