Asian Longhorned Ticks

Habits

The female Asian longhorned tick has the unique ability to lay eggs and reproduce without mating. As a result, they can lay up to 2,000 new eggs after feeding without a male counterpart. This species is most commonly discovered attached to livestock and wildlife, but they can also latch on to pets and people.

Habitats

Although research is still being done to learn more about this new invasive species, Asian longhorned ticks seem to survive best in tall grass and weeds. As of 2021, this species has been discovered in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Threats

The Asian longhorned tick is a vector of diseases such as bovine theileriosis and babesiosis. These can be transmitted to cattle and domesticated animals in other countries; however, these ticks have not yet been found to vector disease in the United States. This tick is a threat to warm-blooded animals because of its ability to reproduce so quickly. If too many Asian longhorned ticks attach to the same animal, there could be significant blood loss and eventual death for the host, which has been found to happen to cattle and sheep outside of the US. For cattle and goats who are bitten by this tick, the amount of milk produced can be greatly reduced. Research is still ongoing to determine the level of risk this species poses to humans but people should be more concerned about native tick species that do spread disease to humans. Currently, the main danger known of the Asian longhorned tick is to livestock.