![]() Tick larvae are extremely small and have only 3 pairs of legs. ![]() Image courtesy of the CDC Photo Image Library.įigure 4: First stage larvae of the winter tick. Photograph courtesy of the CDC Photo Image Library.įigure 3: Life stages of a hard tick (Ixodidae). Rocky Mountain wood tick is the most common tick that is found on humans and pets in Colorado.įigure 2: Adult female and male of the Rocky Mountain wood tick. Figure 1: Adult Rocky Mountain wood tick prior to feeding. Diseases spread by ticks in Colorado include Colorado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and relapsing fever. Ticks most affect humans by their ability to transmit pathogens that produce several important diseases. Fortunately, some of the most important tick species present elsewhere in the United States are either rare (lone star tick) or completely absent from the state (blacklegged tick). Almost all human encounters with ticks in Colorado involve the Rocky Mountain wood tick. Presently 27 species of ticks are known to occur in Colorado and Table 1 lists the more common ones. Problems related to blood loss do occur among wildlife and livestock, but they are rare. They are particularly common at higher elevations. Ticks are blood-feeding parasites of animals found throughout Colorado. To remove a tick, grasp it with tweezers, as close to the skin as possible and pull it straight out.Several repellents are recommended for ticks including DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus.Despite its name, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is quite rare here. Colorado tick fever is by far the most common tick-transmitted disease of the region.Rocky Mountain wood tick is most active and does most biting in spring, becoming dormant with warm weather in summer. ![]() The most common tick that bites humans and dogs in Colorado is the Rocky Mountain wood tick.This species can transmit tularemia, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.By W.S. Adults prefer medium-sized hosts like raccoons, coyotes, and domestic dogs and cats. Dog tick larvae and nymphs feed on small mammals like mice and voles. Both sexes have short, stubby mouthparts. Females have a brownish body with a white scutum, or shoulder area, while males have an all-over brown and white, marbled color pattern. They are often found in urban and suburban areas as well. They are associated most often with forest edges and open, grassy habitats with little or no tree cover. This species is a known vector of Lyme disease and tick-borne relapsing fever.Īmerican Dog Tick ( Dermacentor variabilis) American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis)Īmerican dog ticks are very common in Jackson County. Larvae and nymphs primarily feed on lizards and small rodents while adults prefer larger mammals like deer, squirrels, and raccoons. Western blacklegged ticks are “3 host ticks”, meaning they use 3 different hosts during their lifecycle. ![]() Adults are most active in late winter and spring while immature stages (nymphs) are more active during spring and summer. Both sexes have narrow mouthparts and very dark legs. Males are smaller than females and appear nearly solid black. Females can be identified by the reddish body coloration and dark scutum, or “shoulders”. In the nymphal stage, these ticks will be even smaller, roughly the size of a pinhead. Adult Western blacklegged ticks are very small, even relative to many other tick species. The Western blacklegged tick ( Ixodes pacificus) is common in a variety of wooded habitats in Jackson County, particularly at mid to high elevations. Western Blacklegged Tick (Ixodes pacificus) Western Blacklegged Tick (Ixodes pacificus) ![]()
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