Margaret Holm
Anyone who works outdoors in the B.C. Interior knows that when the weather warms up in late February, it’s tick season.
The Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni, lives in areas frequented by wildlife hosts such as deer and mice. Male wood ticks go about their business unseen but like mosquitoes, it’s the female ticks that require a blood meal before laying eggs. Come spring, they’re in search of warm blooded animals—humans included.
Hiking in the hills when I was young, I wore a head scarf, thinking wood ticks dropped out of trees. I later learned that female ticks climb on to shrubs and grasses to latch on to what ever passes by. On a warm day in a “ticky” area you can find wood ticks sitting on the top-most twigs of shrubs with some of their eight legs spread wide, ready to grab on. Female tick activity is highest on warm spring days but diminishes by June.
Once a tick is on your clothes it tries to find a place to hide and feed. The head, armpits and groin are common places where ticks will attach. It is a good idea to perform a tick check after every day spent outside near natural areas. Check your clothes when coming in for the day, and perform an all over “tick check” before bed, including through your hair. Be aware that ticks can live for months in clothes and blankets. Run your clothes through the hot cycle in your clothes dryer to kill them. Insecticide with DEET is effective in preventing ticks from being attracted to you.
A study published recently in the B.C. Medical Journal revealed little risk of contracting tick-borne diseases in the South Okanagan. From 2007 to 2009, health professionals collected over 5000 tick samples and analyzed them for diseases such as Lyme disease and spotted fever. No ticks contained evidence of Lyme disease and the prevalence of any pathogens was low, suggesting there is little risk of humans contracting diseases from ticks even when they work outside in vineyards and orchards.
Despite this good news, you’ll still need to remove a tick that’s made contact. Fortunately, that’s relatively easy. Grasp it firmly at the base of where it is attached and pull out using tweezers or your fingers. (Don’t use any fancy folk remedies such as gasoline or a hot match.) Clean the area with an antiseptic and monitor the skin for a few days. If a red ring or any swelling develops around the bite seek medical attention. Symptoms to watch for include severe pain at the bite site, fever, headache, abdominal pain, muscle pain or rash. Rare cases of tick paralysis are caused by a toxin in tick saliva. The toxin causes leg weakness and paralysis which should be treated immediately. Once the tick is removed the paralysis symptoms disappear.
Spiders do not carry disease but some are venomous. Gory internet photos showing the results of spider bites have exaggerated fears about spiders. In general spiders are not aggressive and rarely bite people. Spiders prey on insects so they are a benefit to agriculture. The venomous Brown Recluse spider is not found in our province or anywhere in Canada. Hobo Spiders are found in southern British Columbia but they are not aggressive and venomous bites are rare. Spider expert Robb Bennett at the Royal BC Museum believes that spiders are unfairly blamed for a variety of conditions likely caused by other insects and medical problems.
The Western Black Widow is a common spider of the Okanagan and some other regions. The shiny, smooth black females have a red hourglass on the bottom of their abdomen, while the males are smaller with yellow or white markings. Black widow spiders weave messy webs and can often be found in rodent holes or dark areas. The black widow is a timid spider that stays put on its web during the day. The spider has small, weak mouthparts and bites to humans are rare. Bites can be venomous so if there is acute pain or muscle cramps at the site of a spider bite consult a doctor. Some people are extra-sensitive to insect bites so any insect bite that results in severe swelling or pain should be seen by a doctor.
Both ticks and spiders are arachnids, eight legged invertebrates named after the Greek myth of Arachne, a Greek woman whose skill in weaving angered the goddess Athena. We have no reason to fear arachnids—one could even consider them a sign of spring.
For more information visit www.osca.org. Check under “Living with wildlife” to download a brochure in English, Spanish or Punjabi.