Brown Dog Tick

What is a characteristic feature used to reliably identify the brown dog tick upon close-up inspection?

• A silver-colored dorsal shield.
• A large, ornate pattern on the body.
• A six-sided (hexagonal) basis capituli behind the mouthparts. ✓
• Legs that are longer than the body width.

Answer: A reliable close-up clue is the six-sided (hexagonal) basis capituli, the plate behind the mouthparts. Source: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN378

🔗 Source

According to the provided text, what is a primary health risk that brown dog ticks pose to humans?

• Canine ehrlichiosis
• Canine babesiosis
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever ✓
• A bacterium that only affects children in Arizona.

Answer: For people the main concern is Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Source: https://extension.umaine.edu/ticks/maine-ticks/brown-dog-tick-or-kennel-tick/

🔗 Source

An infestation of brown dog ticks is most likely to be indicated by which of the following signs in a home?

• Ticks found primarily in heavily wooded areas around the house perimeter.
• Ticks climbing indoor walls, curtains, or door frames. ✓
• A complete absence of ticks on the household pets.
• Ticks appearing only during the winter months in temperate regions.

Answer: The sign owners usually notice first is ticks climbing indoor walls, curtains, or door frames, a hallmark of this tick. Source: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN378

🔗 Source

What is the recommended approach for a homeowner who finds only one or two stray ticks on a dog with no signs of indoor activity?

• Treat the entire house immediately with professional services.
• Apply a labeled pyrethroid pesticide around the entire property.
• Careful removal and monitoring rather than treating the whole house. ✓
• Steam all furniture and laundered bedding in the home.

Answer: When only a stray tick or two turns up with no sign of indoor activity, careful removal and monitoring beats treating the whole house. Source: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/brown-dog-tick

🔗 Source

Regarding the biological development of the brown dog tick, which statement is correct?

• The life cycle is completed in approximately six months in warm conditions.
• The tick requires two different hosts to complete its life cycle.
• In warm conditions, the full cycle can finish in about two months, allowing up to four generations a year. ✓
• The life cycle is independent of temperature fluctuations.

Answer: Development tracks temperature; in warm conditions the full cycle finishes in about two months, allowing up to four generations a year. Source: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/brown-dog-tick

🔗 Source

When distinguishing a brown dog tick from an American dog tick, which morphological feature is a reliable indicator?

• The brown dog tick has pale ornate markings on its dorsal shield.
• The brown dog tick lacks markings on its back, while the American dog tick has gray-to-silver markings. ✓
• The brown dog tick is significantly larger than the American dog tick.
• The brown dog tick has a hexagonal basis capituli, which the American dog tick lacks.

Answer: The brown dog tick stays plain, with no markings on its back, whereas the American dog tick carries gray-to-silver markings on its dorsal shield. Source: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN378 https://extension.umaine.edu/ticks/maine-ticks/brown-dog-tick-or-kennel-tick/

🔗 Source

Which of the following best describes the reproductive capacity and behavior of an engorged female brown dog tick?

• She lays several hundred eggs in outdoor tall-grass areas.
• She turns gray and swells to approximately the size of a raisin after feeding. ✓
• She can complete her entire life cycle only in outdoor wooded habitats.
• She lays up to 10,000 eggs in dog kennels.

Answer: Once fed, a female balloons to roughly a hundred times her starting size, fading to gray and swelling to about the bulk of a raisin. Source: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN378

🔗 Source

When managing a brown dog tick infestation, what is recommended regarding the use of permethrin for dogs?

• It is only used for outdoor applications around the structure.
• It should not be relied upon alone for the dog due to documented resistant ticks. ✓
• It is the only chemically recommended topical product for dogs.
• It is recommended for all household pets regardless of breed.

Answer: Do not lean on permethrin alone for the dog: although it is the most-applied topical product, resistant ticks have been documented in the United States. Source: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN378

🔗 Source