Tick season underway in Kansas
Context: Above vide aired July 16, 2024.
KANSAS (KSNT) - You should frequently check your body and clothes after outdoor activities as tick season gets underway in Kansas.
Kansas is home to ticks that can sometimes carry life-threatening diseases caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites transmitted through their bites. Common ticks in Kansas include the American dog tick, the blacklegged tick, the Lone Star tick and the Gulf Coast tick. Most breeds of ticks found in Kansas start their season in the spring, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).
Several common tick species in Kansas that can carry diseases include:
- Lone Star tick
- Found in woodlands, pastures and edge habitats.
- Can transmit ehrlichia chaffeensis and cause alpha-gal syndrome which can make people allergic to red meats.
- The American dog tick
- Found in pastures and edge habitats.
- Can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and cytauxzoonosis.
- Brown dog tick
- Found in woodlands.
- Prefers dogs, can infest human dwellings and kennels.
- Blacklegged tick
- Also known as the deer tick. The tick is a vector for Lyme disease.
When ticks are looking for a host, the process is called questing. Ticks that are questing will crawl onto low vegetation and wait for hosts to brush against them.
Most ticks are active during the spring and summer, according to the KDHE. Some ticks must feed on different hosts for the larval, nymphal and adult stages of their lives.
You can minimize your chances of contracting a tickborne disease with these steps:
- Wear long pants with socks tucked into pants and long sleeves when doing yardwork, hiking, camping or recreating in areas where ticks may be found.
- After being outdoors in tick habitats, take a shower to help wash off unattached ticks and identify any attached ticks. Always perform a thorough tick check after being outdoors.
- Reduce tick habitats in your yard by clearing brush, leaf litter and tall grasses around your home and at the edge of your lawn.
- Apply an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved repellent, such as DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, when enjoying the outdoors.
- If hunting or camping, consider treating gear and clothing with permethrin; always follow label directions for safe application of permethrin.
27 News spoke to Brian McCornack, head of entomology at Kansas State University, in 2024 who found himself in the ER after eating meat at a barbecue. The syndrome McCornack contracted from a Lone Star tick is called Alpha-gal syndrome, or AGS for short. He found that if he had a steak, within two hours, he would have shortness of breath and itchy hives and was at risk of going into shock.
For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.