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The Weather Channel recently declared that most of the United States will be a “time bomb” in 2021, and offered a map showing that this year’s threat to California is slightly above average. And despite the drought—which usually deters ticks—scientists are noticing more vampires on the coast than ever before.
To better understand how this year’s weather patterns affect California tick season, SFGATE spoke with Colorado State University tick researcher Daniel Salkild, who was a member of the Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s board of directors and authored a terrifying recent study regarding suitable tick habitats in California. . .
The study found that disease-carrying ticks, previously thought to inhabit mostly forests, are also found in abundance near the northern California coast, frequenting the grassy areas on the sand dunes that people walk through to get to the beach. Here’s why: In these coastal environments around the Bay Area, the study found that up to 31% of ticks carry harmful bacteria.
“The high rate of disease-carrying ticks in the coastal cabaral was really surprising to us,” Salkild says. “When you look at all the tick-borne pathogens at once, it makes you rethink your local disease risk.”
A tick sits on the tip of a blade of grass, waiting for its prey.
Photo Alliance / dpa / picture via Getty I
Salkeld has been studying ticks for 15 years. On a research trip to Northern California in late May, he found several western black-legged ticks — those that carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease — at gathering points in Marin, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, he says, and they were. Especially abundant in the Marine Headlands.
In the vegetation near Stinson Beach, ticks of all stages of development – larvae, nymphs and adults – collected. “I haven’t found that before,” he says.
He asserts that it’s not possible to pinpoint why everyone is there, and you can put that into a long list of other tick-related puzzles, particularly as to how climate affects their populations. However, there are some things we know for sure.
In general, ticks prefer warm weather and high humidity. So while drought may keep their numbers in check in California this year, shorter winters may extend the period they are active. When looking at the prevalence of tick-borne diseases, Salkild says, other factors play a role. For example, due to warmer weather and pent-up demand for entertainment due to the pandemic, people are spending more time outdoors. Warm weather also promotes more activity among other tick hosts such as squirrels, lizards, and deer.
Another thing we do know, thanks to a study by the Environmental Protection Agency, is that rising temperatures associated with climate change are expected to expand the range of suitable habitats for ticks, which in turn will contribute to the spread of Lyme disease.
Of the 48 California tick species, only six showed a serious interest in sucking human blood. Only one of these, the western black-legged man mentioned above, is known to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, an infection characterized by fever, headache, fatigue, and sometimes a rash. If left untreated, it can spread to the joints, heart, and nervous system. In rare cases it can be fatal.
Scientist Dan Salkild discovered more western black-legged ticks than ever before while searching for insects in Stinson Beach and the Marine Headlands this year.
Smith Group / Gado / Getty Images
In response to a public records request from SFGATE, California Public Health Information Officer Ronald Owens reported that in 2020, there were fewer than 50 confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease in the state. “In contrast, about 100 confirmed and 40 probable cases are usually reported each year,” Owens wrote.
Pacific Coast ticks and American dog ticks are also common on the California coast, and are known to carry the pathogen of spotted fever and sometimes transmit tularemia, a rare infectious disease that attacks the skin, eyes, lymph nodes, and lungs.
For Salkild’s amusement, I showed him a picture of dog ticks that recently went viral on Facebook. The man who posted it, Hunter Kornik, lives in rural Nova Scotia where dog tick numbers have exploded in recent years. Kornik, an outsider with a diploma in forestry and wildlife technology, has devised a very effective method of tick prevention.
Tick researcher Dan Salkild found many western black-legged ticks in all life stages on a recent trip to the Bay Area.
Courtesy of Bay Area Lyme Foundation
“If you stick your pants into your socks, and stick your shirt into your pants, the tick will climb up the entire length of your body to get to your hairline almost every time, usually the back of the neck,” says Kornik. “So I realized that if I wrapped the sticky side of the duct tape around my legs, as long as my pants were tucked in it would force them to climb over the tape.”
Kornik says the method trapped 99% of the insects, which in many cases added up to a dozen ticks. The photo he posted on Facebook shows an all-time record: 27 tags glued to the tape.
Salkild called the method “cool,” and added that “this kind of injury can happen in California if you walk in the wrong section of the brush.” He knows of a San Mateo vector-control biologist who will hang ticks on his shirt collar “in droves,” he says.
So what’s a Californian without a shirt collar or the desire to tap his pants with duct tape?
A substance called permethrin tends to work well, according to experts. Spray it on your clothes and let it dry for a day. Ticks die on contact with sprayed clothing, and you can also buy clothing pre-treated with chemicals.
If you or your dog has been bitten by a tick, grab the tick’s head with tweezers. Pull it straight out and don’t twist the tick’s body, which can cause the head to detach while it’s still immersed in the skin.
Ticks can be intimidating, but Salkild hopes they won’t deter people from spending time outside.
“This is a manageable problem if you try to prevent tick bites,” he says. “Wear repellent. Check for ticks. Take a shower when you get home. And monitor your health. If you have a fever or headache, see a doctor that there is a possibility of contracting a tick-borne disease.”
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