Correction: The original article stated the Asian longhorned tick is an insect. It is an arachnid. Updated on July 28, 11:09 a.m.
SALEM, Ohio — A new threat to livestock could be roaming farmers’ fields: the Asian longhorned tick. But don’t fear, the University of Pittsburgh is hoping to help Pennsylvania farmers assess the threats these arachnids pose.
Pitt researchers are asking farmers to conduct five-minute surveys about their experiences with ticks. They are also seeking farmers interested in hosting a farm visit where researchers will collect samples of ticks on the property and on livestock.
“We’re really trying to work with livestock producers to help safeguard their herd health and productivity, and work to support Pennsylvania’s agricultural infrastructure,” said Danielle Tufts, assistant professor at Pitt’s School of Public Health and researcher of the study. “(We want to) help empower those farmers so that they better understand their risks and give them tools and knowledge to help manage those risks effectively.”
History
The Asian longhorned tick was first identified in the U.S. on a sheep in New Jersey in 2017. Further investigations later revealed that the tick had been in New Jersey since 2013 and in other parts of the country, like West Virginia, since 2010.
Asian longhorned ticks were first found in Pennsylvania in 2018 and Ohio in 2020. Since then, the ticks have spread to other parts of the states. The tick has been found in 22 states, as of June 2025, and is in 27 Pennsylvania counties, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
The Asian longhorned tick’s rapid expansion is due to how the tick reproduces, according to Tufts. Female ticks can reproduce asexually by feeding on a “blood meal” or a host animal and laying between 2,000 and 3,000 eggs.
“Because there is such a great abundances (of ticks) in the field, they can do a thing called exsanguination, which basically means they can suck all the blood out of an animal and kill it,” Tufts said, about the hazards these ticks pose.
This was the case for an Ohio farmer in Monroe County in 2021 when Ohio State University researchers received a call in late summer, reporting that three of their 18 cattle had died after being heavily infested with ticks.
Later, the OSU researchers collected 10,000 ticks within a 90-minute radius of the farm; they estimated that more than 1 million ticks were on the 25-acre pasture.
Asian longhorned ticks can also transmit pathogens like Bovine Theileriosis, which can lead to anemia, fever, lymph node swelling and even death in animals. Although these ticks have been mostly found on cattle, Tufts says they also target goats, sheep and swine.
Tufts has been monitoring the ticks since 2018. But the Asian longhorned tick really got her attention in 2021 when she was sampling for deer ticks in Pennsylvania for Lyme disease. Instead, she ended up finding lots of the Asian longhorn ticks.
“There really hasn’t been a lot of research in Pennsylvania when it comes to livestock, which is why we’re doing this stuff,” Tufts said. Other states, however, like Ohio State University, have been conducting research on this tick since 2023.
To conduct this research in Pennsylvania, Tufts applied for and received a grant of $108,931 from the state’s Center for Poultry and Livestock Excellence.
The study
The Pitt study is comprised of three parts: the five-minute survey, available to everyone in the state, and pasture and animal samples via farm visits. During the survey, farmers will be asked about their experiences with ticks, their knowledge of tick-borne diseases and ways they try to protect their livestock.
At the end of the survey, farmers will be asked whether the Pitt team can visit their farm to collect samples. If answered yes, farmers will receive a call from the team. Farm visits will only be available to farms in western and central Pennsylvania, not past State College.
The team will be conducting farm visits during peak tick season in July and August, with some visits in September and October. During the farm visits, researchers will drag a piece of cloth in a pasture or multiple pasture areas for 800 meters to collect ticks. They will also collect ticks from the animals and take blood samples.
Tufts emphasizes that blood samples are very important because “once an individual becomes infected [with Theileriosis] they can remain lifelong carriers, and can transmit it, not only to ticks that feed on them, but also they can pass it to offspring.”
Researchers are looking for 30 cattle, sheep and goat farms each to take samples from.
As far as ways to protect livestock from the Asian longhorned ticks, Timothy McDermott, OSU Extension educator in Franklin County, recommends scouting for ticks on livestock frequently, conducting intensive rotational grazing of paddocks and using insecticide. He adds, however, that insecticides need to be in direct contact with ticks to be effective, not just sprayed on tall grass.
Signs an animal has Theileriosis include severe anemia, weakness, fever, a reluctance to walk and eat, weight loss, difficulty breathing, a reduction in milk production and stillbirth in pregnant heifers.
Pregnant heifers and calves are the most susceptible to tick diseases, Tufts said. According to her, “prevention is key” to protecting animals.
“There’s no vaccine and there’s no approved treatment methods for an animal that gets sick. So we’re trying to help farmers understand their risk for this by investigating where the tick is, where the disease is, so that they can be more informed, and we can work with them for mitigating some of these issues and help manage these risks,” Tuft said.
To fill out the survey, visit https://qualtricsxmyq2cqwt77.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3qrl6kTpZJDzlI2.
(Liz Partsch can be reached at epartsch@farmanddairy.com or 330-337-3419.)
