{"id":1276,"date":"2020-12-06T22:03:43","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T03:03:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/ticks-draft\/?post_type=tick&p=1276"},"modified":"2025-04-23T16:50:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T20:50:03","slug":"lone-star-tick","status":"publish","type":"tick","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/tickencounter\/species\/lone-star-tick\/","title":{"rendered":"Lone Star Tick"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Lone<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lone Star ticks are found mostly in woodlands with dense undergrowth and around animal resting areas. The larvae do not carry disease-causing germs (although they still inject allergic saliva when they bite), but the nymphal and adult stages can transmit the germs causing Ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Bourbon virus disease, and Tularemia. Lone Star ticks are aggressive human biters, and their bite is associated with the development of a red meat allergy (Alpha-Gal Syndrome) in some people. Read more<\/a> about Lone Star ticks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Field Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Adults are active April-late August and can be found questing for larger animals, such as dogs, coyotes, deer, cattle, and humans on tall grass in shade or at the tips of low lying branches and twigs. Females are easily recognized by a single white dot in the center of a brown body, with the males having spots or streaks of white pigment around the outer edge of the body. Females require a week to 10 days or more to engorge and can lay 2,500-3,000 eggs. Nymph stages typically are questing a bit lower and latch on to hosts from shoe to shin level\u2014but they crawl fast so that by the time you might notice them, they\u2019re already waist-high. Larvae typically latch on by the hundreds, and a good way to get them off quickly before they attach is with sticky duct tape.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Life Cycle Stages<\/h1>\n\t\t
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Select a region to see how seasonal activity and diseases carried by this tick change across the country.<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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  • Adult Female<\/h1>
    \"adult
    Top<\/div><\/div><\/div>

    • Northeast Central Region<\/h2>

      Encounter Risk<\/h3>
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      Known Diseases Transmitted<\/h3>
      • Human Ehrlichiosis<\/div>

        Ehlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii (bacteria)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>

      • Tularemia<\/div>

        Francisella tularensis (bacteria)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/li>

      • Southeast Central Region<\/h2>

        Encounter Risk<\/h3>
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        Known Diseases Transmitted<\/h3>
        • Human Ehrlichiosis<\/div>

          Ehlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii (bacteria)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>

        • Tularemia<\/div>

          Francisella tularensis (bacteria)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/li>

        • Mid Atlantic Region<\/h2>

          Encounter Risk<\/h3>
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          Known Diseases Transmitted<\/h3>
          • Human Ehrlichiosis<\/div>

            Ehlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii (bacteria)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>

          • Tularemia<\/div>

            Francisella tularensis (bacteria)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/li>

          • New England Region<\/h2>

            Encounter Risk<\/h3>
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            Known Diseases Transmitted<\/h3>
            • Human Ehrlichiosis<\/div>

              Ehlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii (bacteria)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>

            • Tularemia<\/div>

              Francisella tularensis (bacteria)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/li>

            • South Atlantic Region<\/h2>

              Encounter Risk<\/h3>
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              Known Diseases Transmitted<\/h3>
              • Human Ehrlichiosis<\/div>

                Ehlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii (bacteria)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>

              • Tularemia<\/div>

                Francisella tularensis (bacteria)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/li>

              • Northwest Central Region<\/h2>

                Encounter Risk<\/h3>
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                Known Diseases Transmitted<\/h3>