

Ticks Becoming Active in South Dakota
The arrival of spring in South Dakota means warmer weather and more outdoor activities. However, it also brings an increase in tick activity.
The arrival of spring in South Dakota means warmer weather and more outdoor activities. However, it also brings an increase in tick activity.
Summer is here, and so are the opportunities to enjoy the long days and warm weather. Ticks and mosquitoes share the outdoors with us, and there are things you can do to prevent bites from both.
The insects listed in this guide can be pests of rangeland in South Dakota. The best approach for preventing these pests from reaching damaging populations involves routine scouting.
While it’s true that in South Dakota most West Nile Virus cases occur during August, new human infections are detected well into September in most years.
Everyone has heard the fairytale “Baa Baa Black Sheep Have You Any Wool?” but what about the double-coated California Red, the multi-colored Katahdin sheep with hair, or the East Friesian dairy ewe that produces over 1,100 pounds of milk a year? Sheep come in different shapes, sizes, and colors and all of them provide different functions and uses for producers. These can range from meat, wool, and milk production or a combination of characteristics.
Mosquito trapping efforts across the state in the last seven years showed that there are over 20 species of mosquitoes occurring in South Dakota, yet only two species dominate the surveillance data: Aedes vexans and Culex tarsalis.
Sales and transport is a stressful time for any animal. Reducing stress factors due to transitions start before the actual purchase of your new project. Managing proper nutrition and disease management are just a couple factors to help your project get off to a great start.
During wet springs, tick populations tend to thrive in South Dakota. These parasitic arthropods require blood to fulfill their nutritional needs and commonly use humans as a host. Some ticks can also carry bacterial diseases that are a threat to human health.
A guide to identifying common ticks in South Dakota
Fact sheet that covers the ectoparasite grasshopper mites.