Avoiding Tick Bites In Colorado

ACROSS COLORADO – As the weather warms, trees grow and flowers bloom, a lurking menace lies in wait, ready to claim its next victim. This creature is a snake in the grass, only worse — it has creepy legs, latches onto flesh and survives by eating blood. We’re talking of course, about ticks.

Many different species of these tiny arachnids are found all over the globe, but only a few of them bite and transmit diseases: American dog tick, blacklegged tick (also known as a deer tick), brown dog tick, Gulf Coast tick, lone star tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick and western blacklegged tick.

Colorado is home to one of them, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• The Rocky Mountain Wood Tick is found in the Rocky Mountain states and southwestern Canada from elevations of 4,000 to 10,500 feet. Adult ticks feed primarily on large mammals. Larvae and nymphs feed on small rodents. Adult ticks are primarily associated with pathogen transmission to humans.

Diseases transmitted by our local blood-sucker are Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, and tularemia.

When ticks hatch from eggs, they have to “eat blood at every stage to survive,” according to the CDC. They range in size from less than one-eighth of an inch up to about five-eighth of an inch. And they find their hosts like a highly skilled assassin, detecting breath, body odor, body heat, moisture and vibration.

“Some species can even recognize a shadow,” the CDC wrote. “In addition, ticks pick a place to wait by identifying well-used paths. Then they wait for a host, resting on the tips of grasses and shrubs.”

Once on the skin, the tick inserts its feeding tube, which sometimes has barbs to keep the bug in place. Many species also secrete a cement-like substance to keep them firmly attached.

As with any health problem, prevention should be your first line of defense. The CDC recommends treating your clothing, shoes and camping gear with permethrin. You can apply a bug repellent that’s registered by the Environmental Protection Agency and should avoid wooded or bushy areas with high grass and leaves. Moreover, you should always check clothing and animals when going back indoors and shower soon thereafter. Ticks are known to be found under the arms, in and around ears, in the belly button, groin area, back of the knees and even around the hair.

If you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible using fine-tipped tweezers. Make sure to pull straight up with steady, even pressure to ensure part of the tick doesn’t break off in the skin. Once it’s out, clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.