Are you aware that we have the "UNITED STATES National Tick Collection" located here in Statesboro, Georgia?…
(Yes. You heard me correctly.)
Statesboro, Georgia holds “THE WORLD’S LARGEST CURATED TICK COLLECTION” on Planet Earth!
(The collection technically belongs to the Smithsonian Institution but has been housed on Georgia Southern's campus since 1990).
And seriously:
out of all of the places which this tick collection could have been located in...
STATESBORO, GA beat out locations like:
New York
Los Angeles
The United Kingdom
the Middle East
and China
to become the winning recipient...
Can you believe that?
JUST INCREDIBLE!
For some background: the "U.S. National Tick Collection" is a collection kept for the Smithsonian Institution Museum located in Washington, D.C.
(*The Smithsonian Institution is an American Art Museum which houses museums and supports education research centers throughout the Northeastern United States.)
My curiosity was piqued as I learned that we had this local treasure in Statesboro, GA. So, I emailed the on-site USNTC contact to set up a tour of this Local Delight!
The USNTC is located on the bottom floor of the Georgia Southern Math/Physics Building on the Statesboro Campus.
Furthermore, several informational panels along the exhibit corridor provide greater in-depth information about ticks, and what ultimately brought the collection to the Georgia Southern community.
I met with Professor Lorenza Beati (USNTC main Curator and Georgia Southern Biology Professor) for more information on the U.S. National Tick Collection.
Plainly, she speaks of how tick research started because of a "Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever" outbreak in Hamilton, Montana in the early 1900s.
Ticks were mostly known as blood-feeding human and animal parasites back in those days. However, Dr. Howard Ricketts successfully proved that ticks were the vector transmitting Rickettsia rickettsi, the causative agent of RMSF to humans.
Over time, scientists from around the world continued adding information on the medical and veterinary importance of ticks. From that point forward, the collection began growing rapidly at The Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana.
Eventually, the increasingly large collection was donated to The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. However, budget-cuts during the late 1980s caused the tick collection to be scheduled to close to the scientific-community and general public.
Fortunately, Dr. James Keirans, in collaboration with Dr. James Oliver at Georgia Southern University, succeeded in moving the collection to Statesboro, GA, by way of an NIH Grant.
And since the 1990s, The USNTC has continued to thrive as a GLOBAL treasure right here in Statesboro, GA!
Professor Beati reminisced on Statesboro’s INTERNATIONAL impact by stating that:
“Even when I was a student in Europe in the early nineties, I knew there was a town called ‘Statesboro’, and that it had the largest Tick collection in the world. Of course, I could not point to Statesboro on a map. But I knew it was located somewhere in the Southeastern United States. Many locals remain unaware that we have this Tick Collection right here in Statesboro. But internationally, Statesboro is very well-known among Tick Scientists.”
She continues by expressing that:
“Just this past month, we had people visit The USNTC from Argentina and France, and we are soon expecting visitors from Pakistan and Tanzania. We had CDC workers here recently, because they needed to secure images for various tick species which are only found at the USNTC. Individuals come from all over the world to work here at the USNTC. And they come both to visit the Tick collection, as well as to scientifically collaborate with our USNTC curators.”
Now.
Even though it is exciting to know that we a have a global treasure here in Statesboro, ticks should be taken very seriously when encountered.
(They transmit diseases to humans and animals after all.)
So, when traveling in areas where Ticks are commonly found (such as forests and other woodsy areas):
- Wear closed-toe shoes.
- Wear long pants (NO SHORTS).
- Wear boots on top of pants (for extra precaution).
- Make sure that all body openings are sprayed with “OFF! Deep Woods” Spray (high concentration).
- Make sure that your shirt is tucked into your pants, and that all the openings are blocked to hinder potential ticks from finding a passageway onto your body.
- Check your body for the presence of ticks after getting back home.
*Ticks normally search for a hidden, warm place where they can rest comfortably-heated to feed.
Now, if you are bitten by a tick:
Treat tick bites by:
- Removing the tick as soon as you see it.
- Put disinfectant on the area after removing the tick from your skin as soon as possible. Disinfect hands.
- If you squeeze a tick, avoid touching your body or face until you can thoroughly wash your hands.
- See a doctor if you have symptoms of tick-borne diseases (fever comes first, usually).
The USNTC is open for tours by appointment only. Appointments can be set up by contacting icps@georgiasouthern.edu. All educational groups must schedule an appointment before visiting. However, a permanent educational exhibit can be found along the corridor, outside the USNTC collection.
CLICK HERE for a MAP to the USNTC at Georgia Southern!
For more information on the National Tick Collection, please visit https://cosm.georgiasouthern.edu/usntc/ or contact 912-478-8001 for more support.
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