Latin: Rhipicephalus sanguineus
The brown dog tick belongs to the species of blood mites that live by sucking blood from a host. The brown dog tick – with the Latin name Rhipicephalus sanguineus – belongs to the same genus as the forest tick, which is a Danish species that lives and overwinters in the wild.
For the brown dog tick, the situation is different. Originally it is from Africa, but now it is found everywhere in the tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. The brown dog tick also prefers warmer temperatures than those we have in Denmark. Therefore, the brown dog tick is also much more widespread in the Mediterranean countries, while in Denmark we only experience a few cases each year.
Appearance
An adult brown dog tick grows between three to five millimeters long and the body is reddish brown. When the females have eaten and is filled with blood, they are almost one centimeter long and the body has a gray-blue color, while their hind bodies are swollen.
The brown dog tick is equipped with two pairs of mouthparts with effective hooks, which help the tick to adhere to the host animal’s skin. The upper jaws of the tick are shaped like sharp stilettos, while the lower jaws are shaped like a tube, through which the tick sucks up blood.
Biology and behavior
It is often the dog that is the recipient of the brown dog tick bite. Once the female tick has blood of its host, she releases the fur and instead seeks out a suitable hiding place nearby. The brown dog tick tends to seek upwards, which is why it is not uncommon to find them high up on the wall behind mirrors or pictures or inside cracks and crevices between wall and ceiling.
Once the female has found a suitable place, she clings about 2-4,000 eggs in larger or smaller lumps. After that, she has played her role and dies. From her eggs, small larvae hatch within 19 to 60 days. The larvae are small but active and look like confusingly small versions of the adult house tick. However, with the exception that the larvae have only six legs.
The development from larva to adult male or female tick occurs through different stages. The newly hatched larva will first search for a host – preferably a dog. The larva selects protected areas on the dog, such as between the toes or inside of the ears. Here they stay for three to six days, where they suck blood, grow spherical and become light gray.
They then leave the dog and seek refuge again, and over the next 23 days the brown dog tick changes skin and turns into a reddish-brown nymph with eight legs. After the transformation, it is time again to suck blood from a dog. This time the meal lasts for four to nine days, during which the nymph grows larger and again becomes gray and swollen.
Once again, the tick leaves the dog and seeks refuge in a sheltered place where it again changes skin. This process lasts between 12 and 29 days, leaving an adult male or female brown dog tick.
After this, the life course of the males and females differs slightly from each other. Subsequently, the female is sucked on her host from 6 to 50 days, where she swells a lot, while the male is sucked on his host for a shorter time and does not grow significantly anymore. The males spend more time wandering around the dog’s fur looking for females to mate with. After mating, the brown dog ticks leave their host and the whole life process repeats itself.
Damage
The brown dog tick is most often associated with dogs but can sometimes also find itself jumping on cats or humans. And whether you have fur or not, a brown dog tick can be a sad acquaintance. If the distance between the dwellings is short – as in a terraced house or apartment – there is a risk that the house ticks can be transmitted between the apartments.
Prevention and pest control
The house fleet originates from warmer latitudes and is therefore sensitive to the cold temperatures on Danish soil. This means that in Denmark it cannot overwinter outdoors or in unheated houses. Therefore, the control of the tick should preferably be directed towards treating the dog, just as one should find any breeding and hiding places indoors. Often, the dog will be able to settle for a treatment with a pesticide used according to the veterinarian’s recommendations. Ticks that are sucked into the skin can be removed with a regular pair of tweezers or a tick pincers designed for the purpose. Repeat this procedure to ensure that all ticks are removed.
"Pests in House and Home"
"Bed Bugs - Bites, Stings and Itches"
"Food Pests"
"Husets dyreliv" (Insects Around the House - Only danish)
"Skadedyr i træ" (Timber Pests - Only danish)
"Stuefluen" (Common Housefly - Only danish)