Why do ticks exist? And other facts about those bloodsuckers

Ticks are as ubiquitous in Arkansas as fans of the Razorbacks. More so, even. If the title of state insect was won by sheer volume, ticks would have a strong chance of winning the competition. It’s understandable that Arkansas lawmakers chose the honeybee for that honor; nobody feels much love for the tick. The Arkansas Department of Health says the little buggers are responsible for more human disease than any other insect, even though not all ticks transmit diseases.

In today’s edition of Know the News, University of Arkansas professor of entomology Dr. Ashley Dowling visits about the little bloodsuckers and addresses a question that’s probably crossed every Arkansas resident’s mind at one time or another: Why do ticks exist?

Listen as Dr. Dowling sets the stage for more coverage in this weekend’s Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on the dangers ticks represent starting in the spring and continuing throughout the summer and fall. Higher levels of human activities in the places ticks thrive can mean an uptick — yes, we said it — in bites and in instances of tick-transmitted diseases. That’s this week in the Know the News podcast.