Ticks Use Several Ways For Locate Hosts

A two-part study was recently done to show what natural habitat a Pill bug, Armadillidium vulgare, naturally prefers: wet or dry environments along with a light or dark environment. It was hypothesized that a Pill bug would prefer and wet and dark environment based on its natural habitat of soil. For the wet and dry experiment, a coffee filter and soil were placed in each chamber of a double petri dish with one being dampened before being placed in. For the light and dry experiment a light was hung above one chamber of another double-chambered petri dish while the other chamber was covered with aluminum foil, after placing soil in both chambers. An equal number of Pill bugs was placed in each chamber and a study was taken for

They have eyes that can detect light, but have poor vision otherwise. Pillbugs can use their sense of smell to find food, identify mates and other pillbugs. There antennae are used for touching and can detect objects they brush up against. Not only can they detect different chemicals with their antennae, but they can also produce a chemical called an aggregate pheromone which other pillbugs can detect. Pillbugs use this pheromone to mark their trails which lets other pillbugs find them. The presence of this pheromone also works to show other pillbugs that this habitat is desirable and

-Arthropods use pheromones, this includes sowbugs and cockroaches. Chemical signals are picked up by antennae.

Pillbugs and sowbugs are terrestrial isopods that belong to the order Isopoda and the arthropod class crustacean. According to the Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, the terrestrial isopods have evolved from the marine forms. However despite the fact that they seek moist environments they must also avoid an overly moist environment (Journal of Insect Science, 2008). The two different species resemble one another phenotypically. However, pillbugs are a dark gray and the sow bugs are a light gray with posterior projections. Pillbugs also curl into a ball when they feel endangered and the sow bugs do not. The pill bugs used in this experiment were female. Isopods primarily live in dark, damp habitats in order to prevent dehydration (Isopod Behavior Lab). The purpose of this experiment was to determine the type of environment isopods prefer. First we tested to see if the isopods preferred a dry or moist environment and then we tested to see if they preferred the potting soil or the leaf litter environment. For the observation of isopods in response to moisture experiment it was said that each of the two different species would prefer a different environment. For part two, Observation of Isopods in response to other variables, it was hypothesized that the Isopods would prefer the potting soil or the leaf litter environment.

This experiment was constructed to determine which type of writing utensil the termites were most attracted to and why. The experiment was performed by placing two separate circles (one red papermate and one lead pencil) on a piece of paper to see what line is favored by the termite. The termite was placed on the lead pencil path first, and then on the red papermate pen path to count how many seconds the termite remained on or followed the pathway. The termite stayed on the red papermate line for a much more significant time than on the lead pencil line. “The presence of insect pheromones that chemically control the behavior of highly specialized social insect

The bite of an infected tick is the primary mode of transmission to humans, or other vertebrate hosts, though it is also possible, but extremely rare for infection to result from exposure to crushed tick tissues, fluids, or feces. (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rmsf/Natural_Hx.htm)

A tick does not discriminate against its food source. Many animals in the wild are carriers of such parasites, and one reason the deer is considered a major carrier is that it has limited ability to remove ticks.

Parasites can manipulate hosts in many different ways. In the article “Suicide Grasshoppers Brainwashed by Parasite Worms,” James Owen describes the relationship between parasite hairworms and grasshoppers. These parasitic worms find a host, such as a grasshopper, and enter the body. After entering the host, the worms cause the grasshoppers to commit suicide by jumping into the water. This article explains how parasites cause grasshoppers to commit suicide, how the parasites enter and exit the host, and how scientists use this information to create a better understanding in research about parasitical behaviors.

During the lab of testing whether the color of a pen will affect the movement of a termite, it was discovered that termites are more likely to follow a black and purple pen, rather than a red, blue, or green pen. It was hypothesized that if a blue, red, black , purple, and green pen were used, then the termite would follow the black pen because of it’s comparable scent of that of pheromones. This was proven correct based on the data and graph. Also the purple pen had pheromones in it’s scent like the black pen, concluding that only black and purple pens contain pheromones. But, the purple pen resulted in a much slower travel time from the termite. Approximately 15.83 average seconds were trimmed off from the black and purple pen.

No. There is a multitude of animals that can be infected by Lyme disease including dogs, horses, cattle, etc. but only ticks can spread the infection (Burgdorfer, Barbour, Hayes, Benach, Grunwaldt, & Davis, 1982).

Attention Getter: They’re everywhere; in tall grass, in the woods, and even on walking paths, waiting for you to pass by. (Picture of Questing tick)

Recent research results suggest that ticks must remain attached to a human for 36-48 hours to efficiently transmit B. burgdorferi so early recognition and removal can be effective in preventing Lyme disease (Cook, 2015). Thus, nymphs represent the greatest risk for infection and have been implicated as the vector in the majority of Lyme disease cases in the United States. Although adults can transmit the disease, nymphs, which are about the size of a poppy seed, are relatively undetectable and significantly less likely to be removed within 48 hours of attachment. As a result, most new cases of Lyme disease occur in the summer months between May and August when nymph activity reaches its peak (Marques,

Your chances of acquiring Lyme disease can be greatly affected by where you live or travel to. Many outdoor activities put you at risk. Since deer ticks feed on mice and white-tailed deer, they are most commonly found in heavily wooded areas. Another risk factor of Lyme disease is having exposed skin. Since ticks attach easily to bare skin, being exposed in wooded or grassy areas will increase your risk. If you are bitten by a tick, the final chance of prevention is to remove the tick quickly and properly. In most cases, to infect it’s host, a tick must remain attached to the skin for at least thirty-six hours. If you safely remove the tick

A decade long research that ended in earlier months of this year has sequenced the genome of the tick that causes Lyme disease. This allows researchers to understand how ticks acquire and transmit pathogens allowing them to design a strategy to control

Termites produce special chemicals within their bodies called pheromones. Because termites are usually found inside dark areas, pheromones help them communicate in these places. Past studies have suggested that ink inside ballpoint pens contains pheromones, causing termites to follow any trail created by the ink. If a pathway is drawn with an ink pen, then a termite will be attracted to the path and trace it due to the pheromones. To test the behavior of termites in relation with the presence of ink, we outlined two shapes with two different writing utensils and timed how long out of a sixty second time period that the termite spent on each path. The results showed