Photos courtesy of Albert Ladd
They are called winter ticks. They are smaller than the tick most of us seem more familiar with, the deer tick, and they survive through the winter by attaching themselves to moose and other large mammals, sucking blood from them. In the spring, the blood-nourished females drop off the moose and providing they can find something other than snow to live in, they will lay eggs that will continue the infestation process.
These winter ticks are having a profound impact on the moose populations of New England, mostly affecting Maine and New Hampshire’s herd. In New Hampshire it is estimated that ticks are killing as many as 70% of the newborn moose calves and 20% of adults.
A recent study in New Hampshire showed that the average moose will carry 35,000 ticks through the winter and as many as 160,000 will catch a free ride. Moose are a large animal but with that many ticks it would result in nearly 50 ticks per square inch of moose hide.
The ticks irritate the moose causing them to find likely trees, any place they can get themselves to rub in an effort to get the ticks off. This rubbing will rub the winter hair off leaving the moose more susceptible to the elements of winter.
Combine this effect with the state of emaciation and weakness due to the sucking of blood from the animals and chances of surviving a harsh winter diminish greatly.
One theory of why there is an increase in ticks is that with several shorter, milder winters, it allows the ticks to flourish and reproduce, last winter being an exception over the past 10 years or so.
There has been a lack of study on the ticks and the effects they are having on moose and as this problem continues to grow, could pose a threat to the sustainability of a healthy moose population.
Tom Remington
