Herbie's Ticks

Herbie Harrell has something that ticks like. As he has been checking the electric fence on his farm 5 miles out Highway 61 from Columbia he has had half a dozen deer ticks embedded in the skin of his head, arm and back. According to Herbie, "There seems to be more ticks this year. I check myself every time I come in from the woods or hayfields".

He has pulled several small deer ticks from his body. His skin swelled, then scabbed. "This area is drying up but is still sore - sore some two weeks after I found the first tick".

Herbie, who was at Houchens/IGA for 34 years in Columbia, now runs the Houchens store in Campbellsville. He loves the outdoors and "has to check on my small herd of cattle" even though such checking puts him in the midst of ticks.

Ticks are found throughout the world and are members of the class Arachnida. They painlessly attach to their host to feed on blood. They can cause infectious diseases such as Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Tularemia, Colorado Tick Fever and Relapsing Fever.

Ticks usually wait near the top of tall grasses and low bushes for people to brush against them. The first symptoms of a tick borne disease are nausea and vomiting, tiredness, fever, chills, lack of appetite and body aches. There may also be a rash. Other symptoms include headaches, muscle pains and stiff neck.

Common tick bite locations include the back of the knees, groin areas, ears, underarms, back of the neck and the scalp. Be sure to wear shirts with long sleeves and long pants to prevent ticks from getting to the skin.

Ticks should be removed as soon as possible. To remove a tick use fine tweezers to grab the tick by the head and pull. If a rash develops around the area where the tick was attached a health provider should be contacted. Most tick borne disease can be treated with antibiotics.

Disease transmitted by tick bites can be a serious disease if not treated properly.

Generally a tick needs to be attached to your body for at least 24 hours before it can infect you. Pets can bring ticks into your home. Their skin and fur should be checked for ticks. It is very important if you or your pets have been in areas that may harbor ticks, to remove them as soon as possible. Ticks generally attach themselves to their host after one or two hours, so persons in tick infested areas should perform frequent checks of their clothing and body.

There are hard ticks, including dog ticks and deer ticks, and soft ticks.

Hard ticks are associated with serious illnesses. They attack and feed painlessly. Blood is their only food. Soft ticks rarely attack human hosts in the United States. (insert drawing of deer tick).

Tick bites may cause nothing more than an itchy place that goes away within a few days unless there is a bacterial infection.

Some species of ticks produce a poison in their salivary gland, which acts on the spine and brain and can cause paralysis. A tick must feed for several days before these symptoms develop. The paralysis begins 2 to 7 days after the tick begins feeding. Children are affected most often. Problems with breathing may occur and ventilatory support is required in some cases.

Herbie Harrell feels he is very lucky. Although he is still sore and has scabbed areas from the tick bites, he was safe to remove the ticks and with antibiotics is slowly healing.