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How to identify it
- Adult females have a reddish-orange body with black legs and a black shield (scutum) behind the head; mouthparts are long.[2]
- Nymphs are tiny, about the size of a poppy seed, with a translucent body and dark legs, so attached nymphs are easily overlooked.[2][5]
- On adult females the shield covers only the front half of the back; on males it covers the whole back.[2]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| American dog tick | Brown with a whitish ornate pattern on the shield and short mouthparts.[2] |
| Lone star tick | Females have a single white spot on the back; it does not transmit Lyme disease.[2][6] |
Where it lives
Widely distributed across the eastern United States in wooded areas with dense leaf litter; the related western blacklegged tick carries Lyme bacteria in California.[1][2][5]
Biology and life cycle
Life stages are egg, larva, nymph and adult, each tick stage taking a blood meal.[2][5]
Risk is highest in spring, summer and fall, but adults seek hosts any time winter temperatures are above freezing.[1][2]
Nymphs and adult females are the stages most likely to bite people.[1]
Damage and signs
- Ticks are picked up in grassy, brushy and wooded areas, including people's own yards.[4]
Health risk
Transmits Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, hard tick relapsing fever, ehrlichiosis and Powassan virus. Lyme bacteria usually pass only after a tick has fed for about 36 hours, so prompt removal matters. See a doctor if a rash or fever develops in the weeks after a bite.[1][2][3]
Control
Prevention
Use an EPA-registered repellent (DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, PMD or 2-undecanone) and treat clothing and gear with 0.5% permethrin; walk in the center of trails.[4]
Make the yard less tick-friendly: remove leaf litter, clear tall grass and brush, mow often, and put a 3-foot strip of wood chips or gravel between lawn and woods.[4]
Sanitation
After being outdoors, tumble dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes, check gear and pets, shower within two hours, and do a full-body tick check.[4]
Traps and physical control
Remove an attached tick right away with fine-tipped tweezers, grasping close to the skin and pulling straight out with steady pressure; don't use petroleum jelly, heat or nail polish.[3]
Pesticides
Yard pesticide applications can reduce ticks, but you shouldn't rely on spraying alone to prevent infection.[4]
Common questions
- How long does a tick need to be attached to spread Lyme disease?
- The bacteria usually aren't transmitted until the tick has fed for about 36 hours, though some other pathogens pass faster.[2]
- What's the best way to remove a tick?
- Grasp it close to the skin with fine-tipped tweezers and pull straight out with steady pressure, then clean the area.[3]
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Where Ticks Live.” www.cdc.gov/ticks/about/where-ticks-live.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
- University of Kentucky Entomology, “ENTFACT-618: Ticks and Disease in Kentucky.” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef618 (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “What to Do After a Tick Bite.” www.cdc.gov/ticks/after-a-tick-bite/index.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Preventing Tick Bites.” www.cdc.gov/ticks/prevention/index.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
- University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Lyme Disease in California, Publication 7485 (May 2016).” ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnlymedisease.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- University of Kentucky Entomology, “ENTFACT-648: The Lone Star Tick in Kentucky.” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef648 (accessed 2026-10-06)
- iNaturalist, “Ixodes scapularis taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/60598 (accessed 2026-10-06)