The winter tick, also known as the moose tick or the white fern winter tick, is a parasite that tends to target only ungulates (hoofed animals), such as moose, elk and horses. It is usually not seen roaming around as an adult waiting for prey, like other ticks such as the dog or deer tick. It generally finds its host as a larva and remains on the animal for the remainder of its life, feeding off of the animal's blood. Winter ticks are rarely seen in the wild except by hunters, or farmers may find them on horses and cattle. They tend not to be a threat to humans. They carry no diseases, but when present in high numbers on an animal can cause loss of fur, anemia and emaciation to the point of ill health or even death.
Instructions
Winter Tick Blues
1. Winter tick larvae find their prey during the fall, feed throughout the winter and drop off in the spring to lay eggs. They are brown, are oblong oval in shape, and look like many other ticks. Using a magnifier can help you determine features and deduce whether a tick is a winter tick. Since these ticks are active in the winter and most other ticks are not, identification can be based on seasonal occurrence.
2. Because of the lack of threat to humans, it's not as easy to find identification guides for winter ticks as for others, but you can find images on some online resources (e.g., insectimages.org). As with any tick, take care in handling and touching. After finding and removing the tick from your animal, enclose it in tape and toss it into the trash or kill it in a jar of rubbing alcohol, and wash your hands thoroughly.
3. Another way to identify a tick is to take it to an entomologist or other professional. The best way to remove a tick is to tweeze it off, making sure to not leave the head embedded in the animal's skin, and place it in a sealed glass jar with rubbing alcohol.
Tags: other ticks, winter tick, rubbing alcohol, threat humans, tick take, Winter Tick