The Tick Eating Power of the Opossum – True or False?

In 2009, research suggested that opossums are veritable tick-eating machines, chomping down more than 5,000 ticks in one season.

However, authors of a 2021 study claim they have debunked the 2009 study, stating that it was inconclusive because researchers didn’t examine the stomach contents of the opossums. This is exactly what was done in 2021, and the data go against all the information that has been disseminated across the world for 15 years to-date.

Did the 2021 study find ticks in their opossums’ diet?

A University of Illinois research team gathered 32 Virginia opossum carcasses from the wild, including roadkill. Using a dissecting microscope, the researchers took to identifying the contents of all 32 opossums’ stomachs. They didn’t find one iota of evidence of a tick in the stomach contents of their test subjects. Authors concluded that, opposite of what we believed, opossums do not prefer eating ticks in the wild. More research will be necessary to determine if they eat ticks at all.

Why did claims in 2009 catch on so quickly?

We believe that one of the main reasons that folks wanted to believe that opossums ate 5,500 ticks per season is due to fear of tick-borne illnesses and the rapid growth of diseases, like Lyme disease. Chalk it up to wishful thinking. We certainly wish that opossums were more helpful in eliminating ticks and helping decrease the incidence of tick-born illnesses, but the tick eating power of the opossum is false.

Fun Opossum Facts, What They Do Eat and More

Did you know that possums will eat practically anything? That’s probably not a surprise if you’ve ever had one knock over your trash can, but they eat way more than just household garbage. Possums eat cockroaches, mice, and dead animal carcasses. Sure, it’s disgusting, but if they are eating the mice and cockroaches outdoors, that is keeping them from coming indoors, right? They are also great for the garden, as they eat snails and slugs and other bugs that could damage your plants.

Possums are additionally highly resilient. They are immune to snake bites, scorpion bites, and bee stings. They even prey on snakes, so that’s another nuisance they are probably keeping away from you. That makes them protectors of a sort.

Opossums actually do play possum.

Unfortunately, the opossum is a little slow, so its only defense mechanism is to play dead. When it feels threatened, it becomes paralyzed and lies still as if dead. They have no control over the response and will lie there for up to 4 hours motionless. This works for them in the forest, but not along the roadway. A small motionless animal in the middle of the road is likely to get flattened. Swerve if you see a motionless critter in the middle of the road. He might just be playing possum.

Search tick control and call Mosquito Squad of West St. Louis County

Mosquito Squad of West St. Louis County will help you fight pests, including mosquitoes, ticks, spiders, gnats, rodents, and more!

Mosquito Squad of West St. Louis County additionally offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not satisfied with your pest control treatment, call us within 21 days for a complimentary repeat treatment.

Don’t suffer ticks, mosquitoes, or other pests around your home. Call Mosquito Squad for effective tick control. Get in touch with us by filling out our form online  or calling us at (636) 735-7132 for a free quote.

Also read: Should I be worried about ticks if I have pets?