![]() The Asian longhorned tick recently was identified in Georgia. This tick is common on white-tailed deer, dogs, birds, humans, and other large mammals as well as a variety of small rodents. The black-legged tick is smaller than the other two ticks and has no white markings on its back. Dogs are the preferred host, but this tick will feed on a variety of large animals, including humans. Both males and females have diffuse white markings on their backs. The American dog tick has shorter mouthparts. Lone Star ticks are particularly common in brushy, bottomland areas where deer are prevalent. Common hosts include large animals such as livestock, dogs, deer, and humans as well as smaller animals such as birds and rodents. The female has a single white spot in the middle of her back, while the white markings on the male are diffuse. The Lone Star tick has unusually long mouthparts. Three tick species are most commonly associated with humans in Georgia: the Lone Star tick ( Amblyomma americanum), American dog tick ( Dermacentor variabilis) and black-legged tick ( Ixodes scapularis). Costs to control ticks in yards and homes and on pets and people also can be significant. ![]() If tick populations are high in recreation and camping areas, participation may drop off, causing monetary loss to the leisure industry. Ticks also can cause infections if their mouthparts break off when they are removed from the skin and can leave persistent welts resulting from reactions to their saliva. Tularemia is a long-recognized disease also transmitted by ticks, as are the more recently recognized diseases anaplasmosis, human ehrlichiosis (pronounced err-lick-e-o-sis), Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), and the recently found Heartland virus. In Georgia, ticks are known to transmit several diseases, with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease being the most common. Ticks are one of the most important groups of arthropods in Georgia because of their disease-transmitting capabilities. Previous versions of this manuscript were written by Burton Evans and Beverly Sparks, Former Extension Entomologists Revised by Elmer Gray, Extension Entomologist
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