Current

Adult blacklegged (or deer) ticks were active throughout the winter any time that the temperatures were above freezing and they weren’t covered by a layer of snow. Our TickSpotters program provided a lot of evidence for their activity throughout the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, southern Atlantic, upper Midwest, and west coast regions. Both males and females who did not yet find a host will continue to be active until around June, and can be found reaching out from the tops of shrubby vegetation for passerby hosts. You’ll generally encounter blacklegged ticks on the edges of trails, near rock walls, or anywhere that’s shady and moist. These are particularly important ticks to avoid since it’s estimated that 1 in 2 adult female blacklegged ticks carry the Lyme disease bacteria, and studies have shown that roughly 20% of adult females are attached long enough to transmit an infectious dose of the pathogen. Because ticks climb up, you should check your entire body carefully and focus tick checks for blacklegged ticks in areas above the belt. For tips on where to check most thoroughly, check out our Tick-Bite Locator.

Late March and early April are also when adult Lone Star ticks and adult American dog ticks begin to emerge, and the southeastern and mid-Atlantic states are generally the first to see these ticks (we have been receiving reports of isolated ticks found further north, however). Lone Star ticks are aggressive biters of humans and pets and studies suggest that approximately 10% of Lone Star ticks carry the germs that cause human monocytic ehrlichiosis, ehrlichia in dogs, and southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI). More rarely, the bite from a Lone Star tick has been known to occasionally trigger a severe anaphylactic reaction to red meat in humans.

American dog ticks, unlike blacklegged ticks, are found in open sunny areas like scrubby fields in addition to along trails because they’re not as sensitive to drier conditions. You’ll find these ticks questing from similar vegetation, though, including from the tops of tall grasses and twigs on low-lying shrubs. American dog ticks do not carry Lyme disease bacteria, but they do carry the pathogens that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia depending on where you live. These diseases are rare, however, in the Northeastern United States.
In western mountain parts of the country, Rocky Mountain Wood tick activity is heating up with adults, nymphs, and six-legged larvae all out and about in shrubby woodlands and trail sides. These ticks look similar to American dog ticks but bite of all life stages can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever virus, and occasionally adult females can cause a tick saliva-induced ascending paralysis that goes away after 24-72 hrs. of the tick’s removal.

The Pacific Coast area has also been seeing the deer tick’s cousin, the western blacklegged tick, all winter and adults will continue to be active until the early summer. Studies demonstrated that around 2-5% of adult western blacklegged ticks are infected with the Lyme disease bacteria and can also transmit anaplasmosis and babesia.

Looking ahead

As late April and May approach, be on the lookout for nymphal blacklegged ticks and nymphal Lone Star ticks, too These ticks generally become active the earliest in the southern part of their range, and will be out in force by mid-May in the northeast, mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest regions. While only 15-30% of this stage of blacklegged tick carry the Lyme disease bacteria in these regions (less in southern states), they are often the ticks that infect people with Lyme disease because they are the size of poppy seeds and can remain attached undetected until it’s too late. It’s not just in the eastern US either -- nymphal  western blacklegged ticks also become most active in April and May. It’s important to remember that when performing tick checks, focus on areas below the belt as nymphs are more often questing from vegetation closer to the ground than adults.
 

If the nymphs weren’t bad enough, adult Lone Star and American dog tick activity will only continue to ramp up with the warming temperatures as we get further into spring. So how can you make sure to avoid bites from all of these ticks? Follow these five steps for a TickSafe season:

1. Know your ticks – different ticks carry different diseases, have different germ transmission times, and are active at different times of the year. Be sure to follow our TickSpotter-powered Tick Activity information to keep up with tick trends. 
   
   
2. Perform daily tickchecks, especially checking "below the belt" for tiny nymph ticks.
   
   
3. Transform your children’s play and other outdoor wear into tick repellent clothes by having them treated with safe and effective permethrin. You can do this at home as well by spraying your shoes with permethrin monthly starting in May.
   
   
4. Treat your yard with tick-killing products and help ensure TickSafe playtime outdoors.
   
   
5. Protect your pet using products with rapid kill or knockdown activity.