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About Ed Saugstad
Expertise
Will accept most questions in general entomology, including those related to medical entomology, taxonomy, ecology, arthropod surveillance, and pest management. If you are requesting a 'mystery bug' identification, PLEASE either attach an image to your question, or post an image on a web page (such as Flickr) so that I can look at it, as verbal descriptions frequently are insufficient for a definitive identification.

Experience
21 years in the U.S. Army as a medical entomologist; duties varied from surveillance of pest populations (including mosquitoes, cockroaches, ticks, and stored products pests) to conducting research on mosquito-virus ecological relationships and mosquito faunal studies. Ten years as a civilian analyst for the Department of Defense, primarily on distribution of vector-borne diseases worldwide. Limited experience on surveillance of agricultural insects in North Dakota and Indiana.

Organizations
Entomological Society of America, West Virginia Entomological Society, Society for Vector Ecology, National Speleological Society, West Virginia Association for Cave Studies.

Publications
American Journal of Public Health, Contributions of the American Entomological Institute, Japanese Journal of Sanitary Zoology, Journal of Economic Entomology, Mosquito News, and Mosquito Systematics.

Education/Credentials
B.S. in entomology from North Dakota State University in 1963, M.S. in entomology from Purdue University in 1967.

You are here: Experts > Science > Insects/Spiders > Entomology (Study of Bugs) > SEED TICK

Entomology (Study of Bugs) - SEED TICK

Expert: Ed Saugstad - 11/3/2009

Question
NEED YOUR HELP URGENTLY. I IDENTIFIED ON YOUR SITE A PICTURE OF SEED (SESAME) TICKS DATED 10/7/09 FROM LILA.

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I LIVE IN MYRTLE BEACH, SC. I WAS RECENTLY MADE A TRIP TO UPSTATE NEW YORK AND STAYED IN FREDERICKSBURG, VA. I TOOK MY ONE DOG WHO IS A GOLDEN RETRIEVER. AFTER A FEW DAYS AFTER WE GOT HOME I NOTICED THESE BUGS CRAWLING UP MY WALLS AND STAYING ON THE CEILING. THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS CHANGE OF SEASON. HOWEVER, MY DOGS KEPT ITCHING AND FOUND THESE CRITTERS ON THEM. MAKE ALONG STORY SHORT. MY VET IDENTIFIED THEM AS SEED TICKS. TREATED MY DOGS WITH ADVANTEX AND 24 HOURS LATER HAD THEM AT THE GROOMERS FOR BATHS, ETC. THEY STILL HAVE THEM NOT AS BAD BUT THEY ARE THERE AND ALIVE. I HAVE HAD MY HOUSE TREATED (THE EXTERMINATOR INSISTED THEY WERE BED BUGS) FOR TICKS AND TOOK ALL PRECAUTIONS. REMOVED ALL CLOTHING FROM DRESSERS AND LINENS FROM CLOSETS. DRIED THEM ON HIGH HEAT FOR 30 MINUTES AND PLACED IN CLEAN TRASH BAGS AND PLACED IN MY GARAGE.

THE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SAID THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE AND SENT THEM SOME WHERE ELSE WITH A RUSH NOTICE.

I STILL HAVE THEM, NOT AS BAD. SOME ARE DEAD SOME ALIVE. MY HUSBAND HAS QUITE A FEW BITES. MY DOGS STILL HAVE THEM.

CAN YOU HELP ME FIND THE APPROPRIATE TREATMENT FOR BOTH MY HOUSE, YARD, OUR SELVES AND OUR DOGS? WE DO NOT KNOW WHERE THEY CAME FROM AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANYTIME OF PROBLEM LIKE THIS.

I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, REFERRALS, ETC.

THANK YOU SO MUCH

MICKEY

Answer
Dear Mickey - To the best of my knowledge, the only tick species that would actually infest a house is the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus - see http://tinyurl.com/yalywye for detailed information. This is a very common and widespread species, so the fact that your county extension agent could not identify them may point to something else (hopefully, the specimens were sent to either Clemson University or South Carolina State University). Also, if they were brown dog ticks, your vet should have been able to recognize them as such, rather than simply calling them ‘seed ticks.’ I realize that these critters are very small, but if you could try taking a couple of close-up photos (clear focus is much more important than the actual size of the image) and attaching same to a follow-up question, it may help in coming up with an i.d. for them. Otherwise, it will be a guessing game on my part. Obviously, I cannot make any recommendations for control until I have some idea as to their true identity.
Waiting to hear back,
Saugy

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