Ticks

Most of what the public health and extension sources say about ticks is about not being bitten in the first place, and about a small number of specific, checkable things — a concentration on a label, a distance from the lawn edge, a way of holding a pair of tweezers. This page leads with those, because that is the order the sources put them in.

CDC notes where the encounters actually happen: “Many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood.”

Preventing Bites

CDC states that “Tick exposure can occur year-round, but ticks are most active during warmer months (April-September).” Its advice divides into what goes on clothing, what goes on skin, and what to do when you come back indoors.

On clothing: one concentration, named twice

CDC states: “Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remain protective through several washings. Alternatively, you can buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.”

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station gives the identical figure independently: “Products for consumer application to clothing contain 0.5% permethrin”, and explains the mechanism — permethrin “works primarily by killing ticks on contact with the treated clothes and can provide high levels of protection against ticks (and mosquitoes).” The same source notes that “Permethrin has low mammalian toxicity, is poorly absorbed through the skin, and is rapidly neutralized by the body. Skin reactions are uncommon.”

On skin: an ingredient list and a number to look for

CDC does not name products. It names active ingredients and a registration mark:

“Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. Look for an EPA registration number (EPA Reg. No.) on the insect repellent product label.”

CDC explains what that number signifies: “This registration number means the company provided EPA with technical information on the effectiveness of the product.” It adds two conditions: “Always follow product instructions. Do not use products containing OLE or PMD on children under 3 years old,” and “If you are using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second.”

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station adds a figure about DEET specifically, and it points the opposite way from most packaging. Having noted that DEET products “range in concentration from 4% to 100%” and that “Higher concentrations up can provide longer protection”, it states: “However, a concentration greater than 30% doesn’t provide extra protection.” That statement is about DEET. It is not extended here to picaridin or to any other ingredient, because the source did not extend it.

The same source is candid about what a repellent does and does not do: “DEET will repel ticks and decrease the chances of tick bite, but depending upon the concentration, it may not provide total protection and can vary between tick species.” It adds the placement advice that follows from how ticks climb: “When applying a repellent against ticks, particular attention should be given to the shoe tops, socks, and lower portion of pants.”

When you come back indoors

• CDC: “Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes are damp, additional time may be needed.” And the part people get wrong: “Cold and medium temperature water will not kill ticks.”
• CDC: “Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and may be effective in reducing the risk of other tickborne diseases.”
• CDC: “Conduct a full body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, including your own backyard.” The places it names are: “Under the arms · In and around the ears · Inside belly button · Back of the knees · In and around the hair · Between the legs · Around the waist”.

The Yard

There is one measured figure here that is worth more than any general advice. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station reports: “On lawns, most deer ticks (82%) have been recovered within 9 feet of the lawn edge, especially areas adjacent to woods, stonewalls, or ornamental plantings.” The same source adds that “Fewer ticks are found in the sunny, manicured areas of the lawn,” and that ticks “may also be found in groundcover such as Pachysandra.”

That is why the sources concentrate the work on a border rather than on the whole lawn. CDC gives the specification: “Place a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas.” Its other listed steps are: “Remove leaf litter,” “Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns,” “Mow the lawn frequently,” “Stack wood neatly and in a dry area (discourages rodents),” “Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees,” and “Remove old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide.”

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station describes the same idea as building a border deliberately: “A dry wood chip, tree bark, mulch, or gravel barrier between woods and lawn can reduce tick migration into the lawn.” It adds that “The removal of leaf litter at the lawn perimeter also can help reduce the number of I. scapularis nymphs on the lawn,” and lists “Move play sets away from the woodland edge” among its landscape modifications. It also notes that “Wildflower meadows, herbal gardens, etc. have very few ticks and may be an acceptable alternative to grass in some areas.”

If One Is Already Attached

CDC publishes a procedure, and this page quotes it rather than paraphrasing it.

“If you find a tick attached to your skin, remove the tick as soon as possible. Do not wait to go to a healthcare provider to remove the tick.” The stated reason: “Delaying tick removal to get help from a healthcare provider could increase your risk of getting a disease spread through tick bites”.

1. “Grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible using clean fine-tipped tweezers.” CDC adds: “If fine-tipped tweezers are not available, use regular tweezers or your fingers to grasp the tick. Grasp the tick close to the skin’s surface to avoid squeezing the tick’s body.”
2. “Pull tick away from the skin with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick.” “This can cause the tick mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, your body will naturally push the mouthparts out over time as your skin heals. You can also remove the mouthparts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouthparts easily with tweezers, leave them alone.”
3. “Dispose of the live tick by taking one of these steps: place it in a sealed container; wrap it tightly in tape; flush it down the toilet; or put it in alcohol. Do not crush the tick with your fingers.”
4. “After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol, or hand sanitizer.”
5. “If you find a tick attached to you, there may be other ticks on your body. Do a careful tick check to look for other ticks and promptly remove them.”

On having a removed tick tested, CDC advises against it: “Although some commercial groups offer testing, in general this is not recommended”, because “Laboratories that conduct tick testing are not required to have the high standards of quality control used by clinical diagnostic laboratories,” because “Positive results showing that the tick contains a disease-causing organism do not necessarily mean that you have been infected,” and because “Negative results can lead to false assurance.” CDC adds: “If you do become ill, you should not wait for tick testing results before beginning appropriate treatment.”

And the follow-up: “If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor.”

Which Tick, and What It Carries

CDC publishes range and transmitted pathogens species by species. It also publishes a caution that has to travel with the table, and this page prints it first rather than last:

“Even though a specific tick species is found in a region of the United States, it does not necessarily mean it transmits a specific disease in that area. Disease transmission is influenced by multiple factors beyond mere tick presence.”

Which stage bites matters as much as which species. CDC states that for the blacklegged tick the “Stages most likely to bite humans are nymphs and adult females,” and that although “The greatest risk of being bitten exists in the spring, summer, and fall … adults may be out searching for a host any time winter temperatures are above freezing.” Of the lone star tick it says simply: “A very aggressive tick that bites humans.” Of the American dog tick: “Adult females are most likely to bite humans.” Of the brown dog tick: “Dogs are the primary host for the brown dog tick in each of its life stages, but the tick may also bite humans or other mammals.”

CDC also notes one bite reaction that is not an infection: “Lone star tick saliva can be irritating; redness and discomfort at a bite site does not necessarily indicate an infection.”

There is an eighth species CDC lists whose status is openly unresolved. Of the Asian longhorned tick, first “reported for the first time in the United States in 2017,” CDC states it “appears to be less attracted to humans” than native ticks and that “we do not yet know if and how often these ticks are able to pass these pathogens along to people and make them ill.” It notes a laboratory finding that the tick can carry the Rocky Mountain spotted fever bacteria, immediately followed by: “The bacteria that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever have not yet been found in these ticks in nature. Research is ongoing.” This page leaves that unresolved because the source does.

How Ticks Find You

CDC describes the mechanism, and the first thing it rules out is the thing people assume: “Ticks can’t fly or jump.”

“Ticks find their hosts by detecting animals´ breath and body odors, or by sensing body heat, moisture, and vibrations. Some species can even recognize a shadow. In addition, ticks pick a place to wait by identifying well-used paths. Then they wait for a host, resting on the tips of grasses and shrubs… many tick species wait in a position known as ‘questing’.”

“While questing, ticks hold onto leaves and grass by their third and fourth pair of legs. They hold the first pair of legs outstretched, waiting to climb on to the host. When a host brushes the spot where a tick is waiting, it quickly climbs aboard.”

Once attached, CDC states that ticks “secrete small amounts of saliva with anesthetic properties so that the animal or person can’t feel that the tick has attached itself,” and that “Many species also secrete a cement-like substance that keeps them firmly attached during the meal.” That is why a tick check is a check rather than something you notice.

On the life cycle, University of Maine Cooperative Extension states that the blacklegged tick “is a three-host tick, meaning it utilizes a different host at each of its three active life stages (larva, nymph, and adult),” and that “It undergoes a two-year life cycle, beginning during the spring when an adult female lays several thousand eggs in the leaf litter.” It gives the seasonality as: “Adult blacklegged ticks are found from early spring to late fall with two peaks, one in April or May and another in late October. Nymph numbers peak in June and early July.”

Size is the reason the nymph matters. The same source states that “Deer tick nymphs are very small, about the size of a poppy seed” and that “Adult females are typically less than 1/8 inch in length.” The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station connects that to risk: “Most people acquire Lyme disease from the nymphal stage of the ‘deer’ tick, which is active during late spring and summer.” The stage that transmits most is the stage hardest to see.

On where they are, University of Maine Cooperative Extension states that blacklegged ticks “are commonly encountered in mixed forests and along the woodland edges of fields and suburban landscapes” — which is the same edge the nine-foot figure above describes.

The Diseases

CDC lists the tickborne diseases in the United States as: alpha-gal syndrome, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Bourbon virus, Colorado tick fever, ehrlichiosis, hard tick relapsing fever, Heartland virus, Lyme disease, Powassan virus, Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, soft tick relapsing fever, STARI, tularemia and 364D rickettsiosis.

It warns that they are hard to tell apart: “Many tickborne diseases can have similar signs and symptoms.” On what to watch for, CDC states: “Fever/chills. All tickborne diseases can cause fever.” It adds “Aches and pains. Tickborne diseases can cause headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. People with Lyme disease may also have joint pain.” It adds that “Lyme disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, and tularemia can cause distinctive rashes.”

CDC states that a healthcare provider should evaluate “Your symptoms, the geographic region where you were bitten, and lab tests” before deciding on treatment — which is why the ranges in the table above are worth knowing about your own area.

On tick paralysis, CDC states it “is thought to be caused by a toxin in the saliva of an attached tick” and that “Patients typically regain movement within 24 hours of removing the tick.”

Alpha-gal syndrome is the one that surprises people, because it is an allergy rather than an infection. CDC describes it as “a serious, potentially life-threatening allergy and tickborne disease,” explains that alpha-gal is “a molecule (galactose-α-1,3-galactose) that is naturally produced in the bodies of most mammals but not in people. It is also found in the saliva (spit) of some ticks.” It states that “When a tick bites, it can transfer alpha-gal from its saliva into a person’s blood”, and that “Symptoms occur after people eat red meat or are exposed to other products made from mammals.”

On which tick and how common, CDC states: “In the United States, AGS is primarily associated with the bite of a lone star tick, and less commonly by the bite of a blacklegged tick or a western blacklegged tick.” On numbers it is careful: “More than 110,000 suspected cases of AGS were identified between 2010 and 2022. However, cases of AGS are not nationally notifiable to CDC. The actual number of AGS cases in the United States is not known, but as many as 450,000 people may be affected.” And on who develops it: “not every person bitten by a lone star, blacklegged, or western blacklegged tick will develop AGS. The reason why certain people develop AGS and others do not is not known.”

Treating the Yard

With that established: the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station states that “Acaricides (pesticides or insecticides that kill ticks) may be applied to lawns and woodland edges to kill ticks around the home”, that “Both liquid and granular formulations have been reported effective against I. scapularis,” and that “A sufficient spray volume and pressure for thorough coverage and penetration of the vegetation and leaf litter is needed. Wooded areas adjacent to the home should be treated for maximum effectiveness.”

On timing it is specific: “The optimum time for an application to control the nymphal deer ticks would be mid-May to early June. A single application of most acaricides is sufficient for the summer tick season.”

Of the ingredients it lists as labelled for residential tick control, the ones it marks as available to homeowners are permethrin — “Some are concentrates and some are ready to spray products, mainly for homeowners” — cyfluthrin, of which “Some homeowner formulations available”, and bifenthrin, which it lists as “A pyrethroid insecticide” without a restriction note.

One more caution from the same source, which cuts against a whole shelf of products marketed as gentler. Of the FIFRA 25(b) minimum-risk botanicals — “cedar oil, geraniol, rosemary oil, peppermint oil, garlic oil, and cinnamon oil” — it states they “do not require registration with the EPA and therefore do not have an EPA review of efficacy data or label claims,” and that “Tests of products with these ingredients are limited”. That is the counterweight to CDC’s advice to look for an EPA registration number: a product can legitimately have none, and that also means nobody reviewed its claims.

Examples, by Sourced Ingredient

These are examples of the ingredient classes the sources name, grouped by what each is for. They are in no order of preference and none is called better than another, because no source consulted for this page compares any two named products.

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station states the position plainly on the same fact sheet that lists product names: “Mention of a pesticide product does not constitute an endorsement by the CT Agricultural Experiment Station”, alongside “Information is intended as a guide and products are subject to change” and “Always read and follow U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved labels on a product container.” This page adopts the same posture. What is selected below is selected against a sourced ingredient or specification — 0.5% permethrin for clothing, an EPA-registered repellent active, fine-tipped tweezers — not against a brand.

Clothing treatment, at the concentration both sources name

Skin repellents carrying an EPA-registered active

Picaridin is one of the six actives CDC names. Both examples below state 20% picaridin on their own listings. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station’s 30% ceiling figure quoted earlier is about DEET and is not applied to these.

Fine-tipped tweezers, which is what CDC actually specifies

CDC is direct about this category: “There are several tick removal devices on the market, but a plain set of tweezers works very well.” What it specifies is “clean fine-tipped tweezers”. Both examples below are ordinary fine-point tweezers, which is the tool described.

Tick tubes, with what the evidence actually says

Yard granules

Only one of the granule products checked names ticks in its own product title, and that is the one listed here. The block at the top of the previous section applies to it in full.

Seven products appear above and there is no eighth. Two absences are deliberate. No DEET product is listed, even though DEET is the first active CDC names, because no DEET listing was confirmed available when the products on this page were checked on 23 August 2026 — rather than substitute something else into that slot, the slot is left empty. And no pet product is listed: the sources consulted describe veterinary tick products for animals, and this page has no basis for recommending a consumer one.

Where This Applies

Tick risk is not uniform across the country and this page does not imply that it is. CDC places the blacklegged tick “Widely distributed across the eastern United States” and the western blacklegged tick “Along the Pacific coast of the United States, particularly northern California”. It places most reported alpha-gal cases in “South, East, and Central states”, being “the areas where most lone star ticks are found”, and brown dog tick Rocky Mountain spotted fever “in the southwestern U.S. and along the U.S.-Mexico border”. The Rocky Mountain wood tick it places at “elevations of 4,000 to 10,500 feet”.

Two scope notes belong with the yard material above. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station fact sheet is written for Connecticut — it opens “In Connecticut, the two most common ticks are the blacklegged tick… and the American dog tick” — so its landscape figures are Northeast data and are attributed to it rather than presented as national. And CDC notes that naturally occurring populations of the ticks it describes “do not occur in Alaska; however, the brown dog tick occurs in Hawaii.”

A region-specific treatment of the Northeast, of the lone star and alpha-gal belt, or of the Pacific coast would each need its own page and its own sources. None has been written yet, and this page does not pretend to be one.

Questions

Sources

Every factual statement on this page traces to one of the eight publications below: five from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, one from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and one from the National Pesticide Information Center, a cooperative of Oregon State University and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Where a source qualified its own statement the qualification is kept, and where a source left a question open it is left open here. The product names above were read from each product’s own listing on 23 August 2026 and are recorded rather than assessed; the listings read were B001ANQVYU, B002CMQJYU, B0G5VN3GB3, B0F9VQ7J1Q, B00BAYWOFY, B07D2GGYPF and B082LJK8K7. Each is reachable from its own card above, where the disclosure sits directly beside the link, and they are named here rather than linked again so that every link to a product on this page carries its disclosure. Framing and ordering are our own judgement and are not a finding of any source.

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where Ticks Live — the source of the species, range and disease table. Page dated 30 July 2025. Accessed 23 August 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/about/where-ticks-live.html
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Ticks — questing, feeding and the tickborne disease list. Accessed 23 August 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/about/index.html
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing Tick Bites. Accessed 23 August 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/prevention/index.html
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What to Do After a Tick Bite — the source of the removal procedure. Accessed 23 August 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/after-a-tick-bite/index.html
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Alpha-gal Syndrome. Accessed 23 August 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/alpha-gal-syndrome/about/index.html
6. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 2014. Managing Exposure to Ticks on Your Property — Kirby C. Stafford III, Ph.D., Chief Entomologist. Accessed 23 August 2026. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/CAES/DOCUMENTS/Publications/Fact_Sheets/Entomology/TickControlFSpdf.pdf
7. University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Blacklegged Tick or Deer Tick — Tick Lab. Accessed 23 August 2026. https://extension.umaine.edu/ticks/maine-ticks/deer-tick-or-black-legged-tick/
8. National Pesticide Information Center, Oregon State University and US EPA. Permethrin General Fact Sheet. Accessed 23 August 2026. https://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/PermGen.html