In early June, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture announced the presence of a Longhorned tick in Benton County. The tick, which is endemic to East Asia, but can also be found in New Zealand and Australia, had been found on a dog and was submitted as part of a research project at Oklahoma State University. Longhorned ticks have also been found in New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia in the last nine months. An investigation is underway to determine how the species of tick ended up in Arkansas and whether there are more of them in the area. While local entomologists say it is good to be concerned about invasive species, the six varieties of ticks that already call Arkansas home carry a lot more pathogens that can infect humans.
Longhorned Tick Appears in Arkansas, But Endemic Ticks Spread Most Diseases
1 of
Longhorned tick
COURTESY / NEW ZEALAND BIOSECURE ENTOMOLOGY LABORATORY
2 of
American Dog tick
COURTESY / Judy Gallagher
3 of
Blacklegged tick
COURTESY / U.S. Department of Agriculture
4 of
Brown Dog tick
COURTESY / U.S. GOVERNMENT
5 of
Lone Star tick
COURTESY / CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
6 of
Gulf Coast tick
COURTESY / CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
