SAINT LOUIS, MO (KMOX) - Now through June is the height of tick season. "There are quite a few different kinds of ticks," explains Tamra Reall, an entomologist with Missouri Extension.
"The ones that we really have to be aware of, that seem to cause the most problems, that would be your Lone Star Tick, Black Legged Tick, even the Dog Tick," says Reall. "They are vectors of various diseases, such as Lyme Disease, erlichiosis, a new one, Heartland Virus."
She tells us Heartland Virus got it's name because it was first diagnosed in 2009 in two Missouri men. Since it's a virus, there's no treatment.
The other tick disease hitting the area is "Alpha Gal" -- "It's one that creates kind of strange system, people develop this food allergy to red meat and animal products, and it can be life threatening."
Reall believes understanding the biology of ticks is important to avoiding them... First of all, they do not fall from tees, they don't have wings so they're not flying. They actually are crawling. So they live within 1 to 3 feet from the ground. They crawl up onto the grass. They do this fascinating behavior where they latch onto the grass and they spread their legs and they wait for something to walk by."
So - when you're walking through tall grass, wear light colored pants, tuck them into your socks and inspect yourself and your animals afterward.
If you do have a tick latch on to you, don't just grab it and pull it out. "You'll want to use tweezers so you can get a good grip on this tick right next to the head. And then you gently but firmly pull it straight out."
You also don't want to squish it or you'll spread the fluid from the tick onto your skin.
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