Blacklegged Tick (Female)
This was one of ELEVEN blacklegged (deer) ticks that I found scrambling up my leg this afternoon...all at the same time! It was only 37 degrees F (3 degrees C) outside, but the ticks were still very active! Contrary to what many people would assume, the risk of getting bitten by a deer tick does not decline during late autumn/early winter in the Northeast. Deer ticks neither die nor do they enter diapause when the weather turns cold. They are not killed by freezing temperatures and can remain active from fall until spring as long as the temperature is above freezing.
All eleven ticks were adults - 9 were female and 2 male. The tick pictured in this spotting is an adult, female blacklegged tick. They have black heads and dorsal shields, dark red abdomens, and 8 legs.
"Ixodes scapularis" is a hard-bodied tick of the eastern and northern Midwestern United States. It is a vector for several diseases of animals, including humans and is known as the deer tick owing to its habit of parasitizing the white-tailed deer. It is also known to parasitize mice, lizards, migratory birds, etc. especially while the tick is in the larva or nymph stage.
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