A closer look at ticks

Q. Can you identify a tick for me? My husband found a tick on himself. We called our doctor, and our doctor wants to know if it’s the kind of tick that carries Lyme disease.

Melissa from Austintown

A. Thanks for thinking of the Mahoning County Extension Office. The tick sample you brought in has been identified as an American Dog tick.

According to our entomologists, the American Dog tick is not known to carry Lyme disease. It can be a carrier of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, though. Consult with your doctor about this disease. We can help your doctor by providing a proper identification.

The American Dog tick is one of four ticks found in Ohio. The others are: the Blacklegged tick (deer tick), Lone Star tick and the uncommon Brown Dog tick.

The Blacklegged tick is the one that carries Lyme disease. It is a small tick and is usually found in wooded areas. The Lone Star, which was rare in Ohio in the 1970s, is now the most common tick in the southern part of the state. The Brown Dog tick is the only tick that can live indoors and is found around pets.

There is a potential fifth tick for Ohio – the Asian Longhorned Tick. It was originally found in New Jersey in 2013 and identified on a deer in Pennsylvania in 2018. The disease implications of this new tick are being studied.

To protect yourself in areas where ticks are found, an OSU fact sheet says to wear light-colored long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Light-colored clothing makes ticks easier to see. You can apply a product containing DEET to you clothing and skin. The DEET percentage should be at least 25 percent to be effective against ticks. A product containing permethrin can be used to repel ticks on your clothes, but don’t use it on your skin.

If you find a tick and want it identified, you can bring it to the plant and pest clinic at the OSU Extension Office in Canfield. Put the tick in a container with rubbing alcohol. Samples can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The clinic is staffed from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Thursdays.

David Sprague, an OSU Ext. master gardener volunteer, provided today’s answer. Call 330-533-5538 to submit questions.