Pest Management Professional, October 2016
Chalk Talk Photo istock com ePantha t h Increased deer and wild turkey populations bring Amblyomma americanum out of Texas A ticks range can change and expand over time particularly with migrating birds and deer that have been relocated or restocked Imagine a community with a large park that cordons off a portion of it for domestic dogs The dog park area becomes a social area with people bringing their dogs to walk before or after work And now one tick infested dog can spread ticks to other dogs and thereby many households The distribution and abundance of white tailed deer the primary host for the Lone Star tick species Amblyomma americanum play a major role in the increase of ticks For much of the 19th century By Dr Austin M FrishMAn BCE EMEritus Contributor these deer were extremely abundant and hunted f for meat By 1890 however the population was so sparse that it was difficult to find any deer from the Rockies east As a result the U S government restricted hunting and instituted game conservation programs and the population rebounded exponentially As of 2012 theres an estimated 30 million white tailed deer coast to coast Wild turkeys play a role too They are the preferred host for Lone Star tick larvae and nymphs Compound this with dense underbrush woodland and you have your answer as to why Lone Star tick populations can thrive When I was a child growing up in the late 1940s and 50s turkeys were present but hard to spot In the l980s I rarely saw any By 2010 thanks to range expansion and conservation efforts I could find 15 to 20 turkeys on our property in upstate New York on any given day Lone Star ticks were once restricted to Texas Oklahoma Missouri and the Gulf Coast They are now found as far north as Michigan Wisconsin and Maine WATCH OUT FOR US AT PESTWORLD STAND 209 Visit our booth for your chance to win an Apple Watch Series 2 COntinued On Page 144 PestWests range of expertly engineered flying insect management systems significantly reduce both your environmental PestWest USA LLC footprint and energy bills 4363 Independence Court Sarasota FL 34234 off ice 9413581983 fax 9413581916 toll free 8664767378 emai l info@ pestwest com Find us on Facebook Twitter www pestwest com 142 October 2016 Pest Management Professional mypmp net
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