• By April W Bowman
• Posted Friday, May 22, 2020

Watch for the Asian Longhorned Tick

Photo by: Matt Bertone, NC State University

The Asian Longhorned Tick has been found in Davidson, Surry, Wilkes, and five other mountain counties in North Carolina, as well as in Virginia. It can reproduce without a male and can lay up to 3,000 eggs at a time. This means that in less than 3 months, you could have 3,000 adult ticks; enough to result in severe anemia and even death in an animal as large as a cow.

The longhorned tick has been known to transmit diseases, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Theileriosis, Rickettsiosis, and several viruses in other countries. However, in the United States, the longhorned tick has not been linked to any human infection. Check yourself, your pets, and your livestock for ticks often. If you think this new tick was found on you or your pet, work with your doctor or veterinarian. If you find this tick on livestock, or want to discuss controls for preventing them on livestock and in pastures contact April Bowman, Extension Agent, Livestock, Forages, and 4-H Youth Development at awbowman@ncsu.edu or call 336-703-2855 so we can get the tick to Dr. Wes Watson, NC State Extension Entomologist for verification.

Learn more about the tick, how to identify it, how to protect humans and livestock here