The blacklegged tick (aka deer tick) is the only species in the Eastern United States that transmits the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease.
If you've found a tick, you’re probably worried about catching Lyme disease. That’s reasonable because Lyme disease is a problem around Fredericksburg and it can be serious. So if you want to understand your level of risk a little better, you may wish to identify the tick (after safely removing it).
Blacklegged ticks are small. Adults are about the size of a sesame seed. Females have a distinctive reddish-orange body with a dark brown or black shield behind the head. Males are almost entirely dark brown or black. Nymphs, the juvenile stage responsible for most human Lyme infections, are roughly the size of a poppy seed and much harder to spot.
In Virginia, the other common tick species you’ll run into is the American dog tick (aka wood tick). Dog ticks are bigger than blacklegged ticks, about the size of a watermelon seed, and they have brown bodies and white or gray markings. They don’t transmit Lyme disease, but they can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, though these are less common in Virginia.
The Lone Star tick is another species present in the Fredericksburg area. It's identifiable by the single white dot on the female's back. Lone Star ticks are aggressive biters but do not transmit Lyme disease. They are associated with ehrlichiosis and a condition called alpha-gal syndrome, which can trigger a red meat allergy.
In truth, identifying a tick in the field is hard to do. Size is your best indicator. But no matter what, you should focus on removing the tick. Use fine-tipped tweezers, grasp as close to the skin as possible, and pull upwards with steady pressure. Make note of where the bite occurred and look out for symptoms over the next 30 days.
If you live in Fredericksburg and don’t want to deal with ticks in your own yard this year, Mosquito Squad of Fredericksburg can help. With barrier treatment, Mosquito Squad can help reduce tick and mosquito populations by up to 85-90% throughout the active season. Treatments target the yard edges, leaf litter, and wooded borders where ticks are most likely to be found. This makes your yard less hospitable to them, and your odds of running into them a lot lower.
