Blacklegged Tick

Which organism serves as the principal reservoir of the Lyme bacterium for larvae?

• White-tailed deer
• White-footed mouse ✓
• American dog tick
• Lone star tick

Answer: Larvae feed on small mammals and birds — often the white-footed mouse, which serves as the principal reservoir of the Lyme bacterium.

🔗 Source

According to the provided text, where is the most effective location to apply insecticide for blacklegged tick control?

• A blanket application across the entire wooded property
• Directly on the skin of individuals in high-risk areas
• On the lawn and in open fields away from brush
• On the edges where the lawn meets brush and along well-used paths ✓

Answer: Maintained lawns are rarely infested, so blanket-treating a wooded property is seldom worth it; any insecticide belongs on the edges where lawn meets brush and along well-used paths.

🔗 Source

During the blacklegged tick's life cycle, which stage is most commonly associated with human infection due to their small size?

• Larvae
• Nymphs ✓
• Adult males
• Adult females

Answer: Because nymphs are so small and easy to overlook, they account for an outsized share of human infections.

🔗 Source

In terms of seasonality, when are adult blacklegged ticks most active?

• Only during the summer months
• In the spring and again in the fall ✓
• Exclusively in late spring and early summer
• Throughout the entire year without breaks

Answer: Activity shifts by stage: ... adults are active in spring and again in fall.

🔗 Source

Which of the following best describes the 'questing' behavior of a blacklegged tick?

• Jumping from tall grass onto a host
• Flying toward a host attracted by CO2
• Climbing low plants and reaching out front legs to grab a host ✓
• Running quickly across leaf litter to find a host

Answer: Questing means it climbs low plants and reaches out its front legs to grab a passing host.

🔗 Source

Which of these is NOT a disease agent mentioned as being passed by the blacklegged tick?

• Lyme bacterium
• Anaplasmosis
• Babesiosis
• Zika virus ✓

Answer: It can also pass the agents of anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus. (Lyme is also mentioned as the main carrier). Zika is not mentioned.

🔗 Source

How should a tick be removed from a person to minimize risk?

• Twist the tick with fine-tipped tweezers to ensure it is gone
• Yank the tick straight upward with quick, firm force
• Grip it low where mouthparts enter the skin and draw it upward with slow, even force ✓
• Use a fingernail to scrape the tick off the skin surface

Answer: To take a tick off a person, use fine-tipped tweezers to grip it low where the mouthparts enter the skin, then draw it straight upward with slow, even force rather than twisting or yanking.

🔗 Source

What is the typical size of an unfed adult blacklegged tick?

• Under 1 mm
• About 1.5 mm
• About the size of a sesame seed ✓
• 1/8 inch (roughly 3 mm)

Answer: Unfed adults are about the size of a sesame seed, with a flat, oval, eight-legged body that is dark reddish to chocolate brown.

🔗 Source