Ticks in Vermont

Written by Brandi Allred
Published: June 20, 2022
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No matter where you go in the world, it’s pretty hard to get away from ticks (cockroaches too). They live on all seven continents and in all fifty states in the U.S. There are over ten species of ticks in Vermont alone. Here, we’ll look at the six most common species of ticks in Vermont, the ones that might actually latch onto a human.

Ticks aren’t insects; they’re actually arachnids, like scorpions, spiders, and mites. And they don’t even eat other insects. They’re known as obligate hematophages, which means that they only drink blood, like leeches.  

1. Groundhog Tick

The Groundhog Tick

Also known as a woodchuck tick, these ticks are tiny but can expand up to six times their normal size when full of blood.

©iStock.com/jonnysek

So named for their favorite source of blood, groundhog ticks in Vermont are red-brown with large mouthparts. They’re very similar in appearance to deer ticks, but unlike deer ticks, groundhog ticks do not carry Lyme disease. These ticks feed primarily off woodchucks, weasels, porcupines, skunks, foxes, raccoons, and badgers. They rarely bite humans but may bite dogs. 

But, groundhog ticks often prey on birds, particularly robins. Interestingly, neither groundhog ticks, nor any other species of tick, feeds on possums. This is because possums are incredibly clean animals and eat the ticks before they have a chance to embed themselves.

2. American Dog Tick

Female American Dog Tick, Dermacentor variabilis, sitting on a rock.

The American dog tick lives throughout the eastern United States.

©Elliotte Rusty Harold/Shutterstock.com

American dog ticks in Vermont may not carry Lyme disease, but they are the main vector for Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They’re some of the largest ticks in the United States and live along the entire eastern side of the country. Also known as wood ticks, females are readily identifiable by the tan shields over their shoulders. Males have mottled tan and brown abdomens. American dog ticks are most active in the spring and summer, and often bite humans.

3. Squirrel Tick

Like groundhog ticks, squirrel ticks in Vermont are named for their favorite food source: the squirrel. They also feed on rats, mice, raccoons, and foxes. They rarely bite humans and are not known to transmit any diseases to people. However, they carry the Powassan virus. These ticks are very light brown in color, and females have large mouthparts. Squirrel ticks often live in rodent nests, or in outdoor buildings like barns and sheds.

4. Deer Tick

A Deer tick, a parasitic biting insect on background of human epidermis.

Also known as the black-legged tick, the deer tick carries Lyme disease.

©iStock.com/Ladislav Kubeš

Deer ticks are the most worrisome of all the ticks in Vermont, but only if they’re female. Adult male deer ticks don’t actually feed, so they can’t transmit Lyme disease. Females, however, feed on Lyme disease-carrying mice and in turn, pass the Lyme disease onto their other hosts, like humans. Female deer ticks have mahogany brown bodies with black scuta (the hard shields over the shoulders) and black legs. No other tick in Vermont has black legs, so the deer tick should be easy to identify.

5. Lone Star Tick

Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) on human skin. Lone star ticks look like tiny crabs, with round, fat bodies, eight short legs, and a hard shell.

The lone star tick has some of the largest mouthparts of any tick, which can lead to painful, even infected bites.

©iStock.com/epantha

Lone star ticks don’t just live in the lone star state, they’re also some of the most common ticks in Vermont. Female lone star ticks are easy to identify by the single white dot in the center of their back. These ticks have large mouthparts that can lead to infections in bites to humans. Lone star ticks don’t carry Lyme disease, but they are the primary vector for human monocytic ehrlichiosis. 

6. Brown Dog Tick

Close-up of brown dog tick crawling on human skin.

Unfortunately, brown dog ticks are incredibly good at surviving.

©iStock.com/RobertAx

Brown dog ticks don’t live outside. That’s right, you can’t even get away from ticks in your own home if you have dogs. These ticks in Vermont live mainly in private residences with dogs, kennels, or veterinary practices. They don’t carry Lyme disease, but they can spread dog-specific diseases to your canine companion. Brown dog ticks have narrow, brown bodies and small mouthparts. These ticks are most commonly found on dogs’ ears, bellies, or other less-furry areas. They also occasionally bite humans.

Do Ticks in have Lyme Disease?

The only ticks in Vermont that carry Lyme disease are deer ticks. Not all deer ticks carry Lyme disease, but if you suspect you’ve been bitten by one, you should contact your doctor right away. You can kill it using rubbing alcohol, then mail it to a tick testing lab to find out whether or not it carried Lyme disease when it bit you.

How to Avoid Ticks in Vermont

A Deer Tick with its chelicerae sticking in human skin.

Light-colored clothes are best when going into tick country as they make ticks easier to spot.

©Tomasz Klejdysz/Shutterstock.com

Ticks in Vermont are particularly common in open fields, shrublands, and forested areas, especially along trails. Avoiding them starts before you ever leave the house. First, wear clothes that cover up as much of your skin as possible. Then, you can spray your clothing, and even your shoes, with insect repellent. Just be careful not to get any on your skin. 

Once you’re out and about, avoid areas with thick underbrush, and don’t dig around in the leaf litter on the forest floor. Ticks can’t jump, so you have to come to them. The easiest way to avoid a tick bite is to stay away from foliage that brushes against your skin or clothing.

Finally, always perform a self-check for ticks after any outdoor activity. Pay close attention to anything that looks like a freckle, as larval and nymph-aged ticks are no larger than freckles. In fact, many ticks are so small that you might not even notice if you’ve been bitten.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/nechaev-kon


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About the Author

Brandi is a professional writer by day and a fiction writer by night. Her nonfiction work focuses on animals, nature, and conservation. She holds degrees in English and Anthropology, and spends her free time writing horror, scifi, and fantasy stories.

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