Ticks

How to identify ticks

Small, flat, eight-legged parasites ranging from pinhead size to pea-size when engorged. Kentucky's common species include the lone star tick (with a white dot on the female's back), the American dog tick, and the blacklegged (deer) tick.

Why it matters

Ticks don't fly or jump — they 'quest,' climbing to the tip of grass and brush and waiting to grab a passing host. That makes yard edges, tall grass, and tree lines the danger zones, especially on rural and wooded properties.

Kentucky has meaningful tick pressure, and the health stakes are real: ticks here can transmit several diseases, and the lone star tick is linked to alpha-gal syndrome, a serious red-meat allergy. A targeted yard program that treats the questing zones is the practical way to cut your family's and pets' exposure.