Discovering a tick in your physique after spending time outside is at finest a minor annoyance and at worst a severe well being concern. All of it is determined by what variety it’s.
Maine is dwelling to fifteen totally different species of ticks, in response to the College of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab. Of these, 5 carry ailments that pose severe threats to individuals. Amongst these are deer ticks, which carry Lyme illness and have been steadily rising in vary and numbers within the state.
Nonetheless, a handful of the species are nonetheless uncommon within the state.
This information will enable you to determine the 15 ticks present in Maine, however you can also submit a pattern to the cooperative extension to have it recognized.
Table of Contents
Deer Tick
Additionally known as the blacklegged tick, grownup females are lower than one-eighth-inch lengthy and males are barely smaller. The females are brown or reddish orange with a darkish brown or black “protect” straight behind their head. The females can improve to a half-inch measurement after feeding, and their colour modifications to grey or darkish brown. The males are typically darkish brown. Juveniles, known as nymphs, additionally carry and transmit Lyme illness and are in regards to the measurement of a poppy seed. Deer ticks have been reported in all 16 counties and mostly are present in combined forests and alongside the woodland edges of fields or suburban landscaped areas.
American Canine Tick
Grownup feminine canine ticks vary from one-quarter-inch lengthy to a half-inch or longer when totally fed. They’re reddish-brown with a creamy-white protect behind the top. Males are a bit of smaller and in addition reddish-brown, however with out the protect. The males have cream or grey markings masking their complete again. It is a frequent species in Maine and is present in forested areas, open fields and lawns.
Winter Tick
Additionally known as moose ticks, the winter ticks are creating severe issues for Maine’s moose inhabitants. A current examine confirmed they had been chargeable for a 90 % mortality price in final yr’s collared moose calves. Winter ticks are roughly a quarter-inch in size, with females reaching three-quarters of an inch when totally engorged. Grownup females are usually reddish-brown with a creamy white protect. Grownup males are darkish brown with a white crosshatch sample on their again. They’re discovered wherever you discover moose in Maine, notably in forested areas of central and northern Maine.
Woodchuck Tick
This tiny tick is in regards to the measurement of a sesame seed or smaller. The females are tan or reddish tan with a darker protect on the again. Males are the identical colour and don’t have the protect. They’re very comparable seeking to deer ticks and it may be troublesome to inform them aside and not using a microscope. Woodchuck ticks are the most typical species in Maine and have a tendency to stay near the dens of their hosts — woodchucks and different small mammals.
Ixodes Angustus
It is a frequent tick in Maine. Females are an eighth of an inch lengthy, tan with a darkish protect. Males are tan or brownish with no protect. This tick prefers cool, moist areas in forests and alongside the sides of rivers. It hardly ever feeds on people and prefers mice, voles or rats, and it hardly ever leaves the nest website of its host.
Rabbit Ticks
These are small ticks which can be lower than an eighth of an inch lengthy. Adults are a tan to reddish tan, with females having a barely darker protect. Nymphs are comparable in colour to adults however are a lot smaller. They’re present in quite a lot of forested areas in Maine.
Seabird Tick
The one tick species present in Antarctica, the seabird tick may also be discovered on Maine’s offshore islands in seabird nests, on grass and beneath rocks or particles. Grownup females are usually an eighth of an inch lengthy and as much as a half-inch when engorged. Grownup females can range from tan to brown with a darker protect. Males are comparable in measurement and colour however lack the protect and have rounded or rectangular formed formations, often called “festoons” alongside the underside margin of the physique. They feed on marine birds and barely on individuals.
Squirrel Tick
As their title implies, these ticks feed totally on squirrels and are discovered largely in nests all through the state. They’re additionally present in deserted or seasonal buildings like summer season camps the place squirrels could have taken up residence. Squirrel ticks are usually bigger than a number of the different Ixodes species. Grownup females are usually tan with a darker protect. Males are a reddish tan and are typically barely smaller than the females.
Ixodes Brunneus
This tick feeds totally on wild birds and infrequently on turkeys. The adults are an eighth of an inch lengthy. These are uncommon in Maine and, if encountered, are sometimes discovered on migratory birds within the state.
Gulf Coast Tick
This tick has been noticed in Maine however has not established a everlasting inhabitants right here. They’re a quarter-inch lengthy and might increase to half an inch after feeding. They’re darkish or reddish brown, and the feminine has a light-colored protect. The male has an ornately patterned protect masking his complete again. If you’re going to see one in Maine, it might be alongside the sides of forests.
Lone Star Ticks
These ticks have a extra rounded physique form than different species. Grownup females are a couple of quarter-inch lengthy and as much as a half-inch or longer when totally engorged. Colours vary from reddish-brown to tan, with grownup females being distinguished by a single white spot on the again. The colour of the spot can range from white to cream or bronze and should tackle an iridescent have a look at shut vary. Grownup males usually have light-colored patterns alongside the outer margins of the physique. Southern and coastal Maine is the northernmost level of the lone star tick’s vary and they’re nonetheless comparatively uncommon within the state, though the inhabitants is rising. They’re present in dry forest areas with undergrowth, alongside rivers or streams and close to bigger mammal resting areas. They feed totally on deer however will feed on individuals.
Brown Canine Ticks
Additionally known as kennel ticks, these ticks are uncommon in Maine and never present in nature. As a substitute, they might be encountered close to kennels or different areas the place canines are housed collectively. The grownup females are between an eighth- and quarter-inch and might increase to a half-inch after feeding. They’re reddish brown with no distinctive physique patterns. Males are barely smaller.
Ixodes Dentatus
This tick feeds totally on rabbits and hares and is uncommon in Maine. Grownup females are usually lower than an eighth of an inch in size. They’re brown to darkish brown with a darker protect. They will inhabit grasslands, briar patches, brushy edges of woodlands and combined crop areas within the state.
Ixodes Gregsoni
This lately found tick species is discovered on members of the weasel household — mink, weasels and fishers — and typically on home cats. Grownup females are usually a tan to rust colour and fewer than an eighth of an inch lengthy. When engorged they are typically longer and narrower than different engorged Ixodes species. They’ve solely been discovered hooked up to hosts.
Mouse Tick
It is a frequent tick within the Northeast, besides in Maine the place it could be changing into displaced by deer ticks. Grownup females are usually a tan colour with a darker dorsal protect. Males are a reddish tan colour and are typically barely smaller than the females. It primarily feeds on white-footed mice however may also be discovered on different small rodents or on home canines and cats in durations of low mice populations. In addition they feed on individuals.
