blood meals during the winter months (November through March). These cold-hardy ticks can be active whenever the tem- perature is above freez- ing. The female has long mouthparts and a dis- tinctive orange-red body with a dark plate on the back (Figure 1). The smaller male has a com- pletely dark back and legs. The blacklegged tick is
Blacklegged Tick Adults Active During Winter A
dult
LEXINGTON, KY. blacklegged
ticks (Ixodes scapu- laris)
search for
the primary vector of Lyme disease in the east- ern US. This tick has a wide host range that in- cludes large and small wildlife species, cats, dogs, and people. Histori- cally, the incidence of Lyme disease in Kentucky has been very low but this could change as the tick becomes more wide- spread and contact with humans and pets become more frequent. Repellents containing
DEET or picaridin can be applied to the skin; cloth- ing treatments of perme-
thrin also are available. Insecticide-impregnated collars labeled for flea and tick control can pro- tect pets. The blacklegged tick is
widely distributed in Ken- tucky (Figure 2) but more information is needed to monitor its presence and spread. Please submit specimens to your Coop- erative Extension Office with information on the host
and
location. ∆
DR. LEE TOWNSEND:
Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky
Figure 1. Female blacklegged tick is active during the winter months. Note the long
mouthparts and dark legs. Photo: Lee Townsend, UK
Figure 2. Distribution of the blacklegged tick
(counties shaded in gray) based on a 2015-2016 winter deer survey
conducted by Kentucky Division of Fish and Wildlife
Resources personnel.
Map provided by I. Stasiak, KDFWR
speaking, its olfactory system. A change of wind direction can give deer just a whiff of human scent and send them running and send a hunter back to the truck empty handed. Deer not only use their sense of
Deer Communicate With Senses, Scents D
STARKVILLE, MISS.
eer hunters know all too well the power of a deer’s sense of smell, or more technically
organ. Deer use glands to pro-
smell to detect predators, but also to communicate with one another. This deer-to-deer communication relies on a network of locations where deer spread their scent – like on the ground and on trees – and a special group of chemicals called pheromones. Pheromones are hormones that
trigger a social response in ani- mals of the same species. Hor- mones are chemicals in the body that regulate some function. Deer have a Jacobson’s organ, or more technically, a “vomeronasal organ,”
that transports
pheromones to the brain for inter- pretation. Sometimes, a buck will respond by raising its head and curling its top lip. This behavior facilitates the transport of pheromones into the Jacobson’s
10• MidAmerica Farmer Grower / December 7, 2018
duce pheromones and leave their calling cards through- out their territory. Deer have many different types of glands, with some more obvious than others. The tarsal glands, located on the inside of the back legs of both bucks and does, are very noticeable. Before and during the
breeding season, bucks will urinate on the tarsal glands, and they will be- come very dark and develop a strong smell. The tarsal gland it- self produces a fatty/waxy sub- stance that likely holds important pheromones found in the urine. Researchers have identified chem- icals that are present only on doe or buck tarsal glands, as well as different chemicals on older, dom- inant bucks versus younger, sub- ordinate bucks. This finding suggests deer have pheromonal signals that convey the age class and social status of bucks. The preorbital and forehead
glands also are commonly seen by hunters. The forehead gland is a
Deer create scrapes by pawing away leaf litter under low-hanging branches, leaving their scent on the ground and on the branches overhead. Photo by MSU Extension Service/Bronson Strickland
series of cells that secretes a fatty/waxy substance, much like the tarsal gland, that will coat the hair on the forehead, which is why this part of a buck’s head always appears darker. If you rub the forehead, you will notice the tex- ture of the hair is different and feels oily. Forehead gland activity in-
creases with the age of the buck, again suggesting the scent chem- icals emitted by the forehead gland may signal the social status of the buck. Bucks deposit these chemicals every time they rub
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