Savage tick-clone armies are sucking cows to death; experts fear for humans

[BlackHatGuy]

Gah!

“According to the new report out of North Carolina, the latest victim there was a young bull in Surry County at the border with Virginia. At the time of its death, the doomed beast had more than 1,000 ticks on him. The official cause of death was acute anemia, which is typically associated with severe hemorrhaging. The bull’s owner had lost four other cattle the same way since 2018.”

[MJ H]

I’m no rancher, but aren’t you supposed to spray or dip your cattle in pesticide?

[Ken Thompson]

A plague waiting to happen. Creepy.

[Greg Mihalik]

40,000 to 80,000 is the typical tick load to kill a Minnesota moose.

[HkNewman]

The official cause of death was acute anemia, which is typically associated with severe hemorrhaging [due to over 1000 ticks] . The bull’s owner had lost four other cattle the same way since 2018

At least there’s cutting grass …

 

More concerning, the ticks were lurking in short, sunny grass, whereas other ticks in the area tend to stick to shady, wooded areas.

At least there’s full hazmat suits sprayed with permethrin mist. Time to take up snow backpacking in certain areas.

[Tom K]

“40,000 to 80,000 is the typical tick load to kill a Minnesota moose.”

What varieties of ticks?  The Asian Longhorn tick appears to be a different critter from what the article said, larger and far more aggressive.  Maybe we’ll find out soon as they migrate up into Maine, where moose are common.

The parthenogenic part is what really unsettles me.

[MJ H]

The parthenogenic part is what really unsettles me.

I know.  If human women figure that out, I’m done for.

[Ralph Burgess]

A plague waiting to happen.

A ticking time bomb?

[Ralph Burgess]

I think the solution is to release thousands of mice to eat the ticks.

[Greg Mihalik]

… and numbers alone don’t tell the whole story –

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-passes-amendment-ordering-pentagon-to-investigate-whether-ticks-were-weaponized/

 

[Jerry Adams]

i read somewhere that mice were hosts for ticks

If you have more mouse predators, thus fewer mice, then you have fewer ticks

[Author]

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