The bat tick is a species of soft tick occasionally found associated with bats roosting in structures across the contiguous
United States and into southern Canada. Soft ticks get their name from the flexible, granular texture of the exoskeleton,
as opposed to hard ticks, which have a prominent dorsal shield, as exemplified by the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, and brown dog tick, Thipicephalus sanguineus. Adult bat ticks measure about ⅜-inch (1 centimeter) in length and may range in color from gray to reddish-brown to black.
Bat ticks may be reported to pest management professionals (PMPs) by occupants of buildings recently or previously infested
by bats. Sometimes just a few ticks may be observed crawling about in living and work spaces; but dozens may be encountered
in particularly heavy infestations. While bats are present in buildings, bat ticks will not be noticed because they seek temporary
harborages, between meals, in cracks and crevices close to where their hosts roost in attics and other structural voids. However,
in situations where the bats have left or were excluded from a building, the resident ticks will move into occupied spaces
while seeking a warm-blooded host. Although these ticks may crawl onto humans and attempt feeding, they're not known to develop
successfully on humans. Nevertheless, attempted or short-term feeding on humans by bat ticks may be problematic because some
C. kelleyi collected from buildings have been found to carry pathogenic bacteria belonging to the genera Rickettsia (coccobacilli causal agents of various forms of spotted fever), Borrelia (spirochete causal agent of relapsing fever) and Bartonella (alpha-proteobacterial causal agent of regional infections accompanied by fever).
Biology
Once hatched from the egg, bat ticks pass through a larval stage followed by six nymphal instars and adulthood. Development
may be completed in three to five months, depending on temperature and host availability. In some ways, bat ticks behave more
like bat bugs and bed bugs than hard ticks with which PMPs are familiar. Bat ticks are intermittent feeders — they take a
blood meal several times per month and spend most of their time in harborages close to their hosts in bat roosts. Bat ticks
thrive in dry environments and have been known to survive two years or more without feeding. News Briefs
Delaney Pest Eliminates Swarm
ODESSA, Texas — Hundreds of possibly africanized bees were discovered on the North side of Odessa after causing panic in a neighborhood
recently.
Odessa animal control was on the scene and Delaney Pest Control was called in to eliminate the bees.
Owner Charles Delaney said there was no indication if these are africanized bees or not. That would require sending them out
to be tested by experts.
There was no report of anyone getting stung. — KWES NewsWest 9
IPM Measures
Bat ticks are an indicator of a recent or previous infestation of bats in a structure.
Customers who suspect or indicate they have been fed upon by a bat tick should be checked out by a physician who has been
informed of the possibility of infection by one or more of the above-mentioned bacterial intracellular parasites.
Focus attention to known and potential bat roost sites within buildings in which bat ticks have been found.
Perform a thorough crack and crevice treatment of the structural elements of previous bat roost sites using one or more residual
insecticide formulations labeled for control of ticks.
Those entering and applying pesticides in attics should wear personal protective equipment appropriate to confined spaces
containing potentially hazardous airborne particulates, especially if accumulations of bat guano are present.
Use appropriate sealant or exclusion materials to close structural gaps suspected of being tick access points to living and
workspaces.
Place sticky monitors strategically along walls of indoor areas where bat ticks have been found and schedule follow-up inspections
at biweekly or monthly intervals until the situation is resolved. — GW
You can reach Wegner, technical director and staff entomologist of Varment Guard, at 614-794-8169 or e-mail gerry.wegner@varmentguard.com
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