Ticks Active on Long Island Properties

Three tick species account for most of the health risk across Nassau and Suffolk County, and each behaves differently. Knowing which species are present on your property helps explain why treatment targets specific zones and why timing matters.

Blacklegged (Deer) Tick

The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) is the primary Lyme disease vector on Long Island. It can also transmit anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease, and Powassan virus, and unlike other species, it remains active year-round whenever temperatures stay above 40 degrees F. Nymphs peak from April through July and are roughly the size of a poppy seed, making them easy to miss during tick checks. Suffolk County reported 3,299 confirmed Lyme disease cases in 2023 and 3,152 in 2024.

American Dog Tick

The American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) is most active May through August. It transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia and is typically found in open grassy areas, field edges, and trail margins throughout Nassau and Suffolk County. It’s larger and easier to spot than the deer tick, but no less serious in the diseases it carries.

Lone Star Tick

The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) is expanding its range northward onto Long Island. Active April through October, it transmits ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and STARI, and it’s associated with alpha-gal syndrome, a condition that triggers an allergic reaction to red meat following a bite. Its growing presence across Nassau and Suffolk County has made it an increasing concern in the region.

Why Long Island Properties Carry Elevated Tick Pressure

Long Island’s environment creates near-ideal conditions for tick populations. The region’s dense white-tailed deer population is among the highest in the Northeast, and adult blacklegged ticks use deer as their primary reproductive host. The coastal setting, particularly on the North Shore and East End, provides the sustained humidity ticks need to survive and stay active well beyond typical warm-weather months.

For most homeowners, the critical risk zone isn’t the middle of the lawn. Ticks concentrate at the edge between maintained grass and natural cover: wooded borders, leaf litter accumulations, dense shrub beds, and fence lines are where they quest for hosts by extending their legs to latch onto passing people or pets. Lots that back up to woods, which are common across communities in both Nassau and Suffolk County, sit directly in that high-risk transition zone. Warmer winters are also keeping blacklegged ticks active longer into the year and pushing lone star ticks further into the region each season.