Note:  This is being cross-posted from the Entomology Extension Portal.

We have had requests for information about the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) which is an invasive species that was initially reported as found on sheep in New Jersey in 2017.  However, the USDA-APHIS found a specimen in a sample of ticks that had been collected in West Virginia in 2010 and initiallly misidentified as lonestar ticks.  As of October 1, 2019, the Asian longhorned tick has been reported  in twelve states (AR, CT, DE, KY, MD, NJ, NY, NC, PA, TN, VA, and WV).  In North Carolina, this tick has been found in five counties during the last three years although each case involved one animal or one site.   We now have a publication about the tick’s biology available at:

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/asian-longhorned-tick

Samantha McPherson (right) with Marie Horner – NCPMA Region 2 Director.

NCSU Entomology graduate Samantha McPherson is the 2019 recipient of the North Carolina Pest Management Association Graduate Student Scholarship.  The $1500 scholarship is awarded annually by the NCPMA’s Education Foundation.  Samantha is working under the direction of Dr. Jules Silverman and Dr. Coby Schal and studying diet affects the reproductive success of German cockroaches.