Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 09:00:05 -0500
From: Marcia Herman
Subject: It is likely that these are black-legged ticks
It is likely that these are black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) as winter is their active season. They have become plentiful in the past few years, These are the ticks that may carry Lyme disease. The adults feed and mate in the winter. If you find an engorged one on a pet, look underneath the swollen tick carefully and sometimes you can see a tiny black tick. This is the male mating. Dog ticks and lone stars are not active yet. Lone stars will be active soon, however.
Please go to our website, www.tic-nc.org, for more information. I encourage you to join us. It is free (though we appreciate donations), can be done on-line, and you will get useful information from time to time. We are a very small all-volunteer non-profit.
Mission Tick-Borne Infections Council of North Carolina is a non-profit organization formed to improve the recognition, treatment, control, and understanding of tick-borne diseases in North Carolina.
Marcia E. Herman-Giddens, PA, DrPH
Child and Family Health Consultant
Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health, UNC Chapel Hill
President, Tick-borne Infections Council of North Carolina, Inc
1450 Russell Chapel Road
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Office 919.542.5573 Fax 919.542.5573