Posted on 12/26/2023 7:52:18 AM PST by Red Badger
The Asian longhorned tick is rapidly gaining a foothold in the United States and “poses a serious threat to livestock” according to the USDA.
Since its discovery and proper identification in 2017, the coverage area of the tick has spread to 19 U.S. states, the USDA reported.
The deadly consequence of their expansion was shared by Ohio State University researchers in the Journal of Medical Entomology: Two cows and one large bull died from exsanguination by the ticks, meaning drained of blood to the point of death.
Each unfortunate cow likely endured tens of thousands of bites.
While only the size of a sesame seed, these tiny ticks have huge population potential, with the ability to form massive colonies in a short amount of time.
While collecting samples in the twenty five acre Ohio pasture, the Ohio State University researchers were able to collect almost 10,000 ticks in just 90 minutes.
Extrapolating the collection data led the researchers to estimate the population in the entire field exceeded 1,000,000 ticks.
According to researchers, no other species of tick in North America can populate like this species can.
The tick’s secret weapon is the ability for females to lay 2,000 eggs at a time — without the necessity of a male.
Part of assessing the risk posed by these exponentially reproducing ticks includes an analysis of disease spread to both livestock and humans.
According to the CDC, the Asian longhorned tick has been found on both animals and people but, thankfully, seems to prefer animal hosts to people.
The CDC also said the invasive tick is unlikely to contribute to the spread of Lyme disease, according to one experimental study.
However, these ticks have the ability to “carry and spread” certain diseases, should they come in contact with them.
Interestingly, there is no risk of human illness from the Asian longhorned tick in Australia and New Zealand, where the tick is invasive but has established itself as an exotic species, according to Everyday Health.
The CDC said research is ongoing as scientists try to learn more about the tick’s pervasiveness and potential risk to both livestock and people.
“It’s possible that the Asian longhorned tick found here won’t carry the same types of pathogens [or any pathogens] as it has in other parts world, but we are paying attention to it,” said Mark J. Soloski, PhD, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia have all reported the presence of the Asian longhorned tick, according to the CDC.
My cousin died this tear of tick borne Q fever. Very rare. My neighbor has contracted tick borne Alpha Gal syndrome this year. Something has changed since my childhood and being out in the woods all the time.
Probably brought over the southern border by the single, military-age Chinese coming over in groups of 8-10.
Gordon Chang believes they’re being sent to collect virus-infected mice from a Chinese lab in California. Then their job is to transport them throughout the U.S. and release them. Sounds like a weird conspiracy theory, but Gordon Chang ...
Maybe they’re into killing our livestock, too.
“tripped backwards getting off his lawnmower”
At least he died doing what he loved.
“...have huge population potential, with the ability to form massive colonies in a short amount of time.”
They work like the homeless.
wy69
It seems as though the woods have become a killing ground.................
Maine and CT are the tick capitols of the world. No surprise that they beat a trail here.
Such a small price to pay to be able to celebrate diversity daily.
Looks like Traficant’s hair piece...
Not likely. None of the states where they have been found are on the southern border.
Of course, maybe they’ll import beef from other countries to make up the shortage.
Yep, he liked mowing yard. And whether doing that or driving tractors in the field, he kept his head, arms, and hands shaded from the sun. He didn’t look over 70 when he died at 88.
The yard on his farm was about 2 1/2 acres. He had three riders of different sizes and a couple of push mowers and a string trimmer. His wife would help. He had a rope block and tackle hoist in the hallway of his barn, where he would raise the riders to sharpen deck blades regularly.
He had a gift for telling stories where the punchline would often leave you in tears laughing.
Chinese pathogen labs, like the one in California, are diligently working on everything possible to kill us, with Biden’s blessing.
Free range chickens will keep a yard pretty tick free...
Those too, so I’ve heard
Well this doesn’t sound like a WEF created blight to speed along the elimination of beef and farmers at all. Made in a lab, I’d bet my last dollar. Now the cows can start another die-off and everybody will blame a little tick and not the giant cockroaches in the WEF.
Wow, he sounds like an amazing and healthy guy. That’s a big farm to care for!
It’s so hard to lose somebody like that, especially to a freak accident. But, as I wrote, he was really doing something he loved.
Another reason to bring back DDT.
It’s still made and used in India, to control malaria. You’d think that if the cartels can smuggle in cocaine, meth, and fentanyl by the ton, they could smuggle in a little DDT now and then, just as a public service. Improve their public image, y’know?
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