We are still not through the tick season and this is kinda scary
Last August, a species of tick native to East Asia that causes diseases in livestock and humans mysteriously showed up on a farm in New Jersey. Now, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture says the Haemaphysalis longicornis, which is also known as the longhorned tick or bush tick, has survived the winter and “has possibly become established in the state," according to a news release.
Here’s what you need to know about the East Asian tick.
Nobody Knows How the Tick Ended up in New Jersey
As you’d guess by its name, the East Asian tick is typically found in China, Japan, Korea and Russia. It also is in New Zealand, parts of Australia and a few Pacific Islands, including Fiji, New Caledonia and Western Samoa.
However, health officials discovered it had invaded the United States last August when a resident of Hunterdon County in western New Jersey brought in samples of the East Asian tick found on their 12-year-old Icelandic sheep to the Hunterdon County Health Department.
Since the New Jersey discovery, the tick has spread to other states including Arkansas, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.