Ticks Can Survive Indoors for Longer Than You Might Think
For anyone living near forests or wooded areas, here’s a concerning piece of news. Researchers have discovered that certain blood-sucking ticks can make themselves at home indoors for quite a while.
A study conducted by scientists at Ohio State University examined how long two species of disease-carrying ticks could last on different types of flooring commonly found in homes. They found that depending on the species and the type of flooring, ticks could survive for at least a week, and in some cases, up to a month. This underlines the need for individuals and pet owners to carefully check for ticks after visiting areas where these pests are prevalent.
“Our findings clarify how long ticks can survive once they enter a home and how different flooring can affect their exposure,” the researchers shared in their recent publication in the Journal of Vector Ecology.
Understanding the Tick Threat
The study aimed to answer a recurring question that many people have about ticks: Can those that enter homes on clothing or other items survive long enough to potentially bite and make us sick?
The researchers focused on two species of Amblyomma ticks: the Gulf Coast tick (A. maculatum) and the lone star tick (A. americanum). These ticks, especially the lone star variant, are known for spreading various diseases, including alpha-gal syndrome, which is essentially a red meat allergy.
During their experiments, the researchers looked at how the ticks reacted on five different flooring types: tile, wood, vinyl, short pile carpet, and long pile carpet. They used a total of 180 ticks, equally distributed among the types of flooring, to observe how they behaved under controlled conditions.
Results indicated that Gulf Coast ticks generally had longer survival times across most surfaces, except on long pile carpet, where lone star ticks lasted about 14.9 days compared to 10.4 days for Gulf Coast ticks. The shortest average lifespan recorded was 7.33 days for lone star ticks on tile, while the longest was 25.4 days for Gulf Coast ticks on vinyl.
Implications for Tick Bite Prevention
Interestingly, the ticks survived for much shorter durations on these floors than they would typically in the wild—around two years—likely due to the dryness of the indoor surfaces. However, it’s still uncertain just how often a tick that makes it indoors will actually bite a human. Nevertheless, this study gives us a clearer idea of the potential risks involved.
“Determining how long a tick can live in a home is tricky since each home varies in conditions. But this study sets some boundaries around that idea, showing that ticks can survive for at least a week,” noted Risa Pesapane, the senior author and associate professor at OSU.
The central takeaway here is pretty straightforward: make it a habit to check yourself, your clothes, and personal items for ticks whenever you return from areas where they are common, like woods or high grass. Since it can take a while for diseases like Lyme disease to transmit after a bite, being aware and acting quickly is crucial for prevention.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that ticks found on the body should be promptly removed, and ticks on clothing can be eliminated by tumble-drying them for a minimum of 10 minutes. If the clothes are damp and require washing, it’s important to use hot water. Additionally, showering within two hours after a visit to a tick-prone area can significantly reduce the risk of tick-borne illnesses as it allows for easier inspection of your body and helps to wash off any unattached ticks.
Tick season usually falls between April and October, though it’s worth noting that encounters can happen year-round.
