ticks

The longhorned tick has only been in Missouri for a couple of years, but it is already spreading across the state and can carry a disease that can infect cattle. There are currently no known treatments or vaccines for the disease, and it could cost ranchers a lot of money.

Elderberries are native to Missouri and the Midwest, and became commercial grown only within the last two decades. But now the industry is wondering whether they'll stay a small, niche crop or turn into something bigger. Plus: It's tick season, and not just in rural areas.

It’s tick season — and they're a problem all throughout Missouri, not just in rural areas. And there's a real risk of tick-borne illnesses like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease.

As an invasive tick species spreads westward across the U.S., so does the threat of a new disease in cattle. Researchers are sounding the alarm.

More patients are reporting they're suffering from alpha gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat that's correlated with tick bites. Tick-related illnesses are on the rise nationwide as summers become hotter, wetter and more tick-friendly.

A recent study by University of Missouri researchers found ticks are active eight months out of the year, from early spring through late fall. The extended season mean more ticks spread potentially fatal diseases.

As part of a two-year statewide effort to track ticks, scientists from A.T. Still University in Kirksville and the Missouri Department of Conservation are asking residents to mail in samples of the tiny parasites. The team plans to map the distribution of tick species on a county-by-county basis, along with their bacterial pathogens.