Identifying Common Tick Species Found in New York State |
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American dog tick
American dog tick larvae and nymphs feed on small warm-blooded animals such as mice, birds, and sometimes cats. The adult American dog tick will feed on humans, dogs, and medium to large mammals such as raccoons, cattle, and deer.
D. variabilis plays no significant role in the transmission of Lyme disease and babesiosis, but can transmit several other diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis and cytauxzoonosis. Deer tick
Deer tick larvae and nymphs feed on small mammals and birds. All stages will bite humans, but due to their small size, attachment by larvae and nymphs often goes unnoticed. White-tailed deer are the primary host for the adult deer tick and are key to the reproductive success of the tick. The adult female tick needs a large 3-day blood meal from the deer before she can reproduce and lay her 2000 or more eggs. I. scapularis can transmit several diseases including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis , and babesiosis. Brown dog tick
Although the brown dog tick will feed on a wide variety of mammals, dogs are the preferred host in the U.S. and appear to be required to develop large infestations. After feeding, a female may engorge to ½-inch long. She then drops off the dog and crawls into a hiding place where she may lay as many as 3,000 eggs. The brown dog tick is the most common tick in kennels; it can complete its life cycle in about 2 months. It is unusual among ticks, in that it can complete its entire life cycle indoors. Many tick species can be carried indoors on animals, but cannot complete their entire life cycle inside. Because of this, the brown dog tick can establish populations in colder climates, and has been found in much of the world. This tick is tropical in origin and does not survive New York winters outdoors.
If you do encounter an indoor tick problem, then use a flea and tick fogger. In houses, ticks tend to crawl to a higher area. They may be found in cracks around windows and doors. Since ticks crawl and do not jump or fly, another option is to apply a one-foot barrier of insecticide such as flea and tick powder where the carpet meets the wall around the entire room. As a result, ticks moving to the walls to climb higher will come in contact with the insecticide and be killed. R. sanguineus is considered a nuisance species and is not known to transmit disease-causing organisms to humans in the United States. Lone star tick
The lone star tick is primarily found in the southern New York State, although it can occasionally be found further north. Larvae, nymphs and adults will feed on a variety of warm-blooded hosts, including people. A. americanum can transmit several diseases including ehrlichiosis and babesiosis. Although it can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the lone star tick is not as likely to transmit the disease as the American dog tick. This tick also may transmit tularemia and ehrlichiosis to humans. The lone star tick is not believed to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), but may be associated with a related bacteria species that has not been completely identified. Lakeside Veterinary clinic assumes no liability for injury to you or your pet incurred by following these descriptions or procedures.
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The American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) is also known as the wood tick. Unfed males and females are reddish-brown and about 3/16 inch long. Females have a large silver-colored spot behind the head and will become ½-inch long after feeding or about the size of a small grape. Males have fine silver lines on the back and do not get much larger after feeding. Males are sometimes mistaken for other species of ticks because they appear so different from the female. 
The brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)can occasionally be found crawling on humans, but they rarely attach and feed on humans. The adult is reddish-brown and about 1/8-inch long and usually attaches around the ears or between the toes of a dog to feed. 
The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) is the most aggressive tick found in NYS and will pursue a host. Adults are about 1/8-inch long and brown. The adult female has a white spot in the middle of her back. The larva is very tiny, only a little larger than the period at the end of this sentence. The nymph, the most common stage found on people, is about pinhead-sized. Because they are so similar in size, the lone star tick is sometimes misidentified by laypersons as the blacklegged/deer tick.