Tick Identification

The adult female American Dog Tick most commonly transmits disease to people. Adults are most active from the early spring to mid-summer. American Dog Ticks prefer sunny and open areas with less tree cover such as edges of trails, fields with medium-height grass, or shrubby overgrown areas.

Rocky Mountain spotted Fever, Tularemia, Rickettsia parkeri, and tick paralysis (in dogs and humans; Symptoms of tick paralysis are caused by tick saliva and will slowly diminish and go away after tick removal).

It is the nymphal stage of the Blacklegged tick that most commonly transmits diseases to people. Nymphs are very small (are less than 1/16th inch long) and are most active during late spring and early summer. Adult blacklegged ticks have been known to bite people much less frequently, but still pose a risk to people for disease transmission during the fall, winter (on warmer winter days) and during the early spring. Blacklegged ticks may be found in suburban forests in the coastal piedmont and mountain regions of Virginia, but are most common in suburban forests where deer are common, particularly in higher elevation mountain locations. Blacklegged ticks do not tolerate the hot summers in Virginia’s lowland areas. Their preferred habitat is in among leaf litter or vegetation on the forest floor. These ticks are most commonly found in shady suburban forests areas. A few can also be found on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and Coastal areas cooled by ocean breezes.

Lyme, Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasmosis, Powassan virus, and Babesiosis

The adult female and the nymph stage ticks transmit disease to humans more often than adult males. The nymph stage ticks are active from late spring through mid-summer while the adults are most active late winter to early summer. Lone star ticks are often found in leaf litter on the forest floor or in partly shaded grass. In Virginia, Lone Star Ticks have are common in Virginia’s coastal regions and in Virginia’s Piedmont regions, up to elevations of about 1,600 ft.

Ehrlichiosis, Tularemia, Southern-Tick Associated Rash Illness (STARI), Heartland Virus Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Rickettsia parkeri, and Alpha-gal allergy (also know as red meat allergy).

The Asian Longhorned Tick is an invasive species in the United States that has been discovered recently. Generally, the Asian Longhorned Tick prefers to feed on livestock animals, wildlife, and domestic animals. However, reports of Asian Longhorned Ticks feeding on humans in the U.S. has caused increased attention from public health agencies. Of note, this tick can reproduce asexually so it may be present at all stages at all times of the year.

* We do not know if the invasive Longhorn Tick is a vector for any of the following conditions. We suspect it could be based on what we know about the native population.* Anaplasm, Ehrlichia, Lyme, Cattle Theileriosis (in cattle), Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, and Powassan Virus