A newly discovered species of tick, dubbed the “longhorned,” is an unusual bug dominated by females that swarm their victims in such massive numbers that bitten farm animals either can become anemic or die. The bloodthirsty creature has not yet been found on Long Island, but is on the region’s doorstep — having been identified in multiple Westchester County sites, officials at the New York State Department of Health said. “We haven’t found it here yet, even with all the surveillance we do here in Suffolk,” said Scott Campbell, chief of the Suffolk County Department of Health’s Arthropod Disease Laboratory in Yaphank. He and other experts are maintaining their vigilance because the tick may make its Long Island debut unexpectedly, he said. “They feed on birds and may arrive here with migratory flocks,” Campbell said of a method that has likely helped spread the bug throughout the Eastern Seaboard. So far, there is no evidence that it is a carrier of a disease-causing organism that can be transmitted to people or pets. We will continue to conduct surveillance and research on this new type of tick, but it is encouraging that the same steps that protect against deer ticks are also effective against the longhorned tick,” state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement. Sign up for coronavirus updates Get the latest news on Long Island's reopening from COVID-19 restrictions, updated safety guidelines and vaccination rates. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. The deer tick, a widespread menace on the Island, also is known as the black-legged tick. It is a prolific vector capable of carrying a wide variety of different kinds of microbes — bacteria, viruses and a malaria-like parasite. The deer tick is best known as the carrier of the Lyme disease bacterium. New York residents are being urged to take the same precautions to protect themselves against the longhorned tick as they would to guard against deer ticks. No one had ever heard of the pesky longhorned tick until it emerged in China about nine years ago. There, it is the carrier of a life-threatening virus. The creature's scientific name is Haemaphysalis longicornis. It is also called the East Asian tick. How it arrived in this country — thousands of miles and multiple time zones from China — remains a mystery, scientists have asserted, but they speculate it likely may have come as part of the sweeping global movement of humans and the transport of animals that are farmed for their meat. The longhorned tick not only is new to the United States, having arrived last summer in New Jersey, it is new science. It has been detected as far away as Texas. It reproduces through a biological process known as parthenogenesis in which the offspring are identical clones of the mother. Females produce vast clusters of eggs from which more females hatch, Campbell said. “This is the only tick that I know of that reproduces through parthenogenesis. Very few males have been found in the states where the tick is located,” Campbell said. Livestock have been the tick’s primary victims. Masses of the bugs attack in what some farmers call swarms, a blood lust that either causes anemia due to blood loss or kills the animals altogether. Although some use the word swarm, ticks do not fly. They crawl on their hosts and find a spot to bite.<doc-sep>EMBED >More News Videos Amy Freeze reports on the longhorn tick spotted in Westchester County. WESTCHESTER COUNTY, New York (WABC) -- The longhorned tick has been spotted in Westchester County.The New York State Departments of Health and Agriculture and Markets confirmed the presence of the tick, whose scientific name is Haemaphysalis longicornis, in the county.The tick is native to Australia, New Zealand and eastern Asia, but it has been found recently in New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas and now New York. "It is always better to prevent tick bites whenever possible and to remove ticks as soon as possible, and the discovery of a new tick in our area gives us one more reason to be vigilant in performing tick checks on ourselves, our children and pets," Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler said. "Farmers and livestock owners should consult with their veterinarians and continue to use the same preventive measures that work for other ticks. "The state and county health departments advise farmers with livestock to work with their veterinarians to check their animals, particularly cattle, sheep and horses, for exposure to ticks and to ensure their parasite control plans are up to date and working.Symptoms of tick-borne disease in cattle include fever, lack of appetite, dehydration, weakness and labored breathing.How to prevent tick bites--Avoid tick-infested areas (wooded or grassy areas), especially during the spring and summer months.--Wear light-colored, tightly-woven clothes to spot ticks more easily.--Wear pants, a long sleeved shirt, socks and shoes when enjoying outdoor activities. Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants to create a barrier between ticks and your skin.--Use insect repellents containing DEET and permethrin according to label instructions when spending time outdoors in grassy or wooded areas.--Do tick checks after outdoor activities such as gardening, hiking or picnicking, but at least once a day. Inspect the entire body (parents should check their children) and remove ticks promptlyTick control on your property--Keep grass cut short.--Remove leaf litter and debris which can act as a moist environment for ticks to thrive in.--Create a 3 foot barrier of wood chips between your lawn and bushy vegetation or wooded areas.--Select plantings that do not attract deer.If you should find a tick attached to your skin, follow these steps to remove it correctly:--Use a pair of clean, fine-point tweezers and grasp the tick at the place of attachment (by the head or mouthparts), as close to the skin as possible. Do not grasp the tick by the body.--Pull the tick firmly and steadily outward. DO NOT twist the tick.--Place the tick in a small vial or container with rubbing alcohol or vegetable oil to kill it.--Clean the bite with disinfectant.--DO NOT put petroleum jelly, a hot match, alcohol or any other irritant on the tick before removing it. This can increase the chances of an infected tick transmitting bacteria to you.--Monitor the site of the bite for the next 30 days for the appearance of a rash, and report any other earlyWhile the longhorned tick has transmitted disease to humans in other parts of the world, more research is needed to determine whether this can happen in the United States.If you have been bitten by a tick of any kind, contact your health care provider immediately if you develop a rash or flu-like symptoms.For more tips and information, check out the Westchester County website or contact the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Animal Industry at 518-457-3502 or dai@agriculture.ny.gov.----------<doc-sep>
State and federal health officials are warning New Yorkers to take renewed precautions against ticks after a new species was recently discovered in Westchester County. Haemaphysalis longicornis tick, commonly known as the "longhorned tick," was discovered in locations around the county recently. The tick is not native to the U.S. and is commonly found in Australia, New Zealand and eastern Asia. However, these ticks have been found recently in New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Arkansas. While they have been known to transmit disease to humans in other parts of the world, health officials say more research is needed to determine whether that's possible in the U.S. "We will continue to conduct surveillance and research on this new type of tick, but it is encouraging that the same steps that protect against deer ticks are also effective against the longhorned tick," said state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker. The ticks may also pose a risk to livestock. Farmers should work with veterinarians to check their animals — particularly cattle, sheep and horses — for exposure to ticks and to ensure their parasite control plans are up to date and working. Symptoms of tick-borne disease in cattle include fever, lack of appetite, dehydration, weakness and labored breathing. The Department of Agriculture and Markets is encouraging livestock owners and veterinarians to also be vigilant for unusually heavy tick infestations. If longhorned ticks are suspected, farmers should consult with their veterinarians and contact the state Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Animal Industry at 518-457-3502 or dai@agriculture.ny.gov. The ticks discovered downstate were identified by researchers from the state Health Department, Fordham University and New York Medical College's Lyme Disease Diagnostic Center, and confirmed by Rutgers University Center for Vector Biology and the United States Department of Agriculture. To protect against ticks while hiking or spending time outdoors: