This invasive tick in SC has killed cows in Ohio. Here’s what to know

Lyn Riddle
·2 min read
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As if we don’t have enough problems with our regular everyday tick, now the Centers for Disease Control says there’s a new tick in town — the Asian longhorned tick that has killed three cows in Ohio so far.

South Carolina is one of 19 Eastern states where the tick has been found. They are native to eastern China, Japan, the Russian Far East, and Korea.

It was found in the United States in late 2017 and has been making its way around the country ever since.

Clemson Agriculture Department says the first ticks found in South Carolina were in animal shelter dogs in Pickens and Lancaster counties on dogs in an animal shelter in 2020.

Then longhorned ticks were found in June 2022 on cattle in a pasture in York County.

Longhorned ticks are light brown and adult females full of blood are about the size of a pea. They can reproduce without males.

It’s not known how they got into the country but the U.S. Department of Agriculture suspects it was through them hitching a ride on pets, horses, livestock or humans.

The CDC says on its website, “Thousands of ticks may be found at a time in grass or shrubs or on an animal.”

They don’t appear to be attracted to humans, and they’re not sure whether the ticks prefer woods or open fields, the CDC states.

“With ongoing testing of ticks collected in the United States, it is likely that some ticks will be found to contain germs that can be harmful to people,” the CDC said. “However, we do not yet know if and how often these ticks are able to pass these germs along to people and make them ill. “

Researchers believe the ticks are spreading bacteria that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but not Lyme disease.

The CDC says longhorned ticks have been found in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

“EPA-approved insect repellents and 0.5% permethrin-treated clothing are effective against Asian longhorned ticks,” the CDC said.

Save the ticks you find in rubbing alcohol in a jar or a ziplock bag and send them to:

The Laboratory of Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases915 Greene St. #327Columbia, SC 29208 or the SC Department of Health and Environmental ControlATTN: Medical Entomology (State Park Bldg 5)2600 Bull StreetColumbia, SC 29201.