For those of you still wondering how to tell a bed bug from a tick, I have good news for you: if you’re in the South, you now have at least two phone apps to help you identify ticks. So even if you still don’t know what a bed bug is, you’ll be able to tell that it isn’t a tick.
In a previous post, I introduced a new app for tick identification and personal protection developed by Texas AgriLife researchers. Now, if you’re in the east coast and closer to North Carolina, you have access to another app recently created by researchers at NC State University.
The NCSU TickID app is formatted for iPhones and iPads only, whereas the Texas TickApp can be used by iPhones and Androids.
Both apps contain pictures and descriptions so you can identify the tick, and both also have information about how to protect yourself from ticks and remove the tick. The Texas app includes biology and management of ticks, useful for forestry professionals.
Of course, neither app is very useful if you discard or burn the tick before identifying it. In fact, you may be wondering why you would even want to keep a tick or try to figure out which one it is. Ticks transmit some dangerous diseases, and some species transmit different diseases from other species. For instance, the Lone Star tick transmits STARI (Southern Tick Associated Rash Infection), whereas the American dog tick vectors Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
To get to the apps, use these links:
Texas TickApp – You can access through iPhone, Android, or via the Web.
NCSU Tick ID – This can be accessed only via iPhone or iPad.
Both apps are free of charge.
Filed under: Insects, Urban IPM Tagged: | difference between bed bugs and ticks, how to tell a tick from a bed bug, lone star tick, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, STARI, tick apps, TickApp, TickID, ticks
Thanks for sharing this great information!