For Release June 27, 2000

Insect Borne Disease Threats

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

We’ve all seen that this year has been a rather buggy year already. Now we are heading towards the 4th of July and all those associated outdoor oriented activity. We have several species of insects and insect kin that make a living off of people. This makes them rather unwanted holiday guests. Unfortunately, some of these critters also carry diseases that they can pass on to us. Following the old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, include a plan for dealing with biting insects for your holiday activities.

Chiggers are a small mite that normally live on plants. But for one phase of their growth, they feed on mammals. They are tiny, you will probably never see one. They are so tiny that they can go through the weave of blue jeans. They grab on to a body hair in a protected location and bury their head in your skin using their saliva to dissolve cell contents. Their saliva is what causes the red welts and itching. They will stay attached for about 24 hours before getting a full tummy and dropping off. They finish that life stage and go back to feeding on plants. To my knowledge, chiggers do not transmit any diseases.

Chigger prevention is much like mosquito and tick prevention. Use DEET based solutions for application to skin. For clothing you can use the DEET products or the newer permethrin based clothing only treatments. The permethrin based products are deactivated by skin oils so don’t waste your time spraying on skin, but they work very well on clothing. Check the sporting goods sections of your favorite store. Around your home keep grass and weeds mowed to reduce hiding places. Lawns and shrubbery can both be sprayed with lawn insecticides to reduce all of these biting insects. Area sprays or fogs are not really that effective. You need to treat the resting places, which are the shrubs, small trees and other vegetation, especially large, rank vegetation.

Mosquitoes can carry several nasty diseases. They often don’t, but the bite alone is nuisance enough. We hadn’t had a lot of chigger or mosquito problems this year, until it rained. Now they are out in force. Follow the same prevention recommendations as for chiggers. We do have several species of mosquitoes in this area. Some are small, some are large and they all bite and can transmit diseases.

Ticks seem to garner the most attention and cause the most consternation. Everyone seems to be concerned about Lyme disease but there are several other tick borne diseases that have long been known in Kansas and are probably a greater risk. In addition to Lyme Disease there is Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Relapsing fever, Tularemia, Q fever, Human monocytic ehrlichiosis, tick paralysis and others.

A very low percentage of ticks actually carry any of these disease causing organisms, but cases do show up in Kansas every year. The first thing to do is to use the personal protection measures I’ve already mentioned. Be aware that if you are outside anywhere, you have been exposed to ticks. So after being outside, check yourself, and your children, for ticks. Ticks almost always crawl up so tuck shirt tails in to keep them on the outside for easy viewing. If you find a tick that is attached, forget all the concoctions you’ve ever heard for removal. Place a fine tipped tweezers close to the skin, grasp its "head" and grasp it firmly, but don’t crush it. Then patiently pull away from the skin. Don’t try to rip it out, let it un-attach. This may take as long as ten minutes or longer for a deeply attached Lone Star tick. You don’t want to leave the head in the skin as this will increase the risk of infection. Once the tick is out, place the tick in a container and keep it for several weeks in case a condition develops. Then disinfect the bite area and keep an eye on it. The upcoming holiday is a fun family time. Don’t let biting insects spoil it for you!

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