The dreaded Lyme disease tick…

Black Legged Tick

This is a Black Legged Tick, also known as the Deer Tick. This is the tick responsible for the spread of Lyme disease. They can vary in size depending on where they are in development. They live for about two years and are the biggest threat to humans and pets during late spring into summer. These ticks find their next host by “questing” or waiting. They do not seek you out but instead they lay and wait with their front arms outreached waiting for a passer by to grab on to. Feeding on a host can be as short as ten minutes or last a couple hours. Removing the tick as soon as possible is key in reducing risk of Lyme disease. It can take about 24 hours for the bacteria to be transmitted from the tick onto the new host, but it’s best not to wait that long and check yourself frequently when enjoying the outdoors.