Lone Star Ticks

Source: CDC

Lone Star Tick distribution. Image provided by the CDC.

What kind of habitat do Lone Star Ticks like?

Compared to other ticks that commonly bite people in the U.S., Lone Star Ticks are habitat generalists. You can find them in fields, like American Dog Ticks. You can find them in forests, like Black-legged Ticks. Because they are tougher and less sensitive to dessication (drying out) you can even find them in mowed lawns.   They can pretty much show up anywhere. That said, in general, they prefer:

• Dense understory vegetation in young, second-growth woodland habitats (4).
• In the MidAtlantic region of the U.S., lone star ticks are often found in xeric forested pine/scrub habitats and along the coast (5).
• They need habitats with specific humidity ranges and are more abundant where invasive plants occur, due to deers’ preference for them (6).

When are Lone Star Ticks active?

Lone Star Tick bites are most common in late spring and early fall (7), but throughout much of their range, especially southern states, they are active year-round (5). In northern states, like Massachusetts, they are only active in the spring, summer, and fall. 

• Lone Star Ticks are active even in the winter as far north as New Jersey (35), but they are most likely to bite you from early spring through late fall (42).
• Exercise extra caution in late spring and early fall.
• For more precise information about which tick species are active at different times of year in your area, see the Current Tick Activity page of the TERC website.

Do ALL Lone Star Ticks feed on humans?

After they hatch from eggs, there are three stages of lone star tick: larvae, nymphs, and adults. 

• Both male AND female lone star ticks feed on blood (7).
• ALL stages of the Lone Star Tick (adult, nymph, larva) feed on humans (8).
• ALL stages of lone star tick can cause alpha-gal syndrome (2).
• Nymphs and females are responsible for most Lone Star Tick bites (7).
• Lone Star Tick larvae are tiny and often mistaken for chiggers (2).
• Larvae are most active in the late summer and fall (5,9,10,11) At this time of year, people can be bitten by hundreds of them at once. Since multiple tick bites are associated with greater likelihood of developing AGS (2), take extra care from July through October.

When are different stages of Lone Star Ticks active?

• Adults emerge around early spring; their numbers taper off by June or July (35,43,44, 45).
• Nymph activity picks up a bit later, around April or May, peaks in the summer, and drops off by September  (43,44,45).
• Larvae are most problematic in the late summer and fall, peaking in July through September, but still around in decent numbers in October in some areas (35,43,44,45). This is when you are most likely to encounter swarms of larvae and receive multiple bites, which is often associated with the onset of AGS (12).
• Lone Star Tick larvae are extremely tiny and oftern confused with chiggers.

On Which Animals Do Lone Star Ticks Feed?

• White-tailed deer are the principal host of the Lone Star Tick (36).
• White-tailed deer are the preferred host of Lone Star Ticks at all stages of development, although larvae and nymphs have also been found on small to medium-sized mammals, passerine birds, and turkeys (35,36,49,50)
• The tendency of Lone Star Tick larvae and nymphs to feed on large mammals, including humans, can result in hundreds or even thousands (37) of tick bites. This may partly explain why this species is so strongly associated with AGS (38).

What else do I need to know about Lone Star Ticks?

It is important to understand that lone star ticks do NOT behave like other American ticks that bite humans. They don’t sit and wait for you to brush up against them. They are fast, they are aggressive, and they WILL HUNT YOU. 

• Lone Star Ticks are the most common tick to be found attached to humans in the eastern United States (8).
• They are very aggressive (7) and move three times as fast as a Black-legged Tick (13).
• Unlike some other ticks, which wait for their prey to pass by, Lone Star Ticks are active hunters (12).
• If you stand or sit near Lone Star Ticks, they will detect your odor and rapidly travel many yards to find you (12).

For more information about ticks and alpha-gal syndrome, including frequently asked questions, see Ticks and Alpha-gal Syndrome.

1. Commins SP, James HR, Kelly LA, Pochan SL, Workman LJ, Perzanowski MS, Kocan KM, Fahy JV, Nganga LW, Ronmark E, Cooper PJ. The relevance of tick bites to the production of IgE antibodies to the mammalian oligosaccharide galactose-α-1, 3-galactose. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2011 May 1;127(5):1286-93.

2. Hamsten C, Starkhammar M, Tran TA, Johansson M, Bengtsson U, Ahlen G, Sällberg M, Grönlund H, van Hage M. Identification of galactose‐α‐1, 3‐galactose in the gastrointestinal tract of the tick I xodes ricinus; possible relationship with red meat allergy. Allergy. 2013 Apr;68(4):549-52.

3. Mateos-Hernández L, Villar M, Moral A, GarcíaRodríguez C, Arias TA, de la Osa V, Brito FF, de Mera IG, Alberdi P, Ruiz-Fons F, Cabezas-Cruz A. Tick-host conflict: immunoglobulin E antibodies to tick proteins in patients with anaphylaxis to tick bite. Oncotarget. 2017 Mar 28;8(13):20630.

4. van Nunen S, O’Connor K, Fernando S, Clarke L, Boyle R. THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN IXODES HOLOCYCLUS TICK BITE REACTIONS AND RED MEAT ALLERGY: P17. Internal Medicine Journal. 2007 Nov 1;37.

5. Kwak M, Somerville C, van Nunen S. A novel Australian tick Ixodes (Endopalpiger) australiensis inducing mammalian meat allergy after tick bite. Asia Pacific Allergy. 2018 Jul 23;8(3).

6. Wickner PG, Commins SP. The first 4 Central American cases of delayed meat allergy with galactose-alpha-1, 3-galactose positivity clustered among field biologists in Panama. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2014 Feb 1;133(2):AB212.. 

7. van Nunen SA. Tick‐induced allergies: mammalian meat allergy and tick anaphylaxis. Medical Journal of Australia. 2018 Apr;208(7):316-21.

8. Chinuki Y, Ishiwata K, Yamaji K, Takahashi H, Morita E. Haemaphysalis longicornis tick bites are a possible cause of red meat allergy in Japan. Allergy. 2016 Mar;71(3):421-5.

9. Hashizume H, Fujiyama T, Umayahara T, Kageyama R, Walls AF, Satoh T. Repeated Amblyomma testudinarium tick bites are associated with increased galactose-α-1, 3-galactose carbohydrate IgE antibody levels: a retrospective cohort study in a single institution. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2018 Jun 1;78(6):1135-41.

10. Crispell G, Commins SP, Archer-Hartman SA, Choudhary S, Dharmarajan G, Azadi P, Karim S. Discovery of alpha-gal-containing antigens in North American tick species believed to induce red meat allergy. Frontiers in immunology. 2019 May 17;10:1056.

11. Stoltz LP, Cristiano LM, Dowling AP, Wilson JM, Platts-Mills TA, Traister RS. Could chiggers be contributing to the prevalence of galactose-alpha-1, 3-galactose sensitization and mammalian meat allergy?. The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice. 2019 Feb;7(2):664.

12. Commins SP. Diagnosis & management of Alpha-gal Syndrome: Lessons from 2,500 patients. Expert Review of Clinical Immunology. 2020 Jun 25. Forthcoming.

13. Kim MS, Straesser MD, Keshavarz B, Workman L, McGowan EC, Platts-Mills TA, Wilson JM. IgE to galactose-α-1, 3-galactose wanes over time in patients who avoid tick bites. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2020 Jan 1;8(1):364-7.

14. Araujo RN, Franco PF, Rodrigues H, et al. Amblyomma sculptum tick saliva: alpha‐Gal identification, antibody response and possible association with red meat allergy in Brazil. Int J Parasitol. 2016;46(3):213‐220.

15. Levin, M. 2019. Alpha-gal: a Fascinating Story. Presidential Plenary. ACAAI Annual Meeting.

16. Ohshita N, Ichimaru Y, Gamoh S, Tsuji K, Kishimoto N, Tsutsumi YM, Momota Y. Management of infusion reactions associated with cetuximab treatment: A case report. Molecular and Clinical Oncology. 2017 Jun 1;6(6):853-5.

17. Arkestål K, Sibanda E, Thors C, Troye-Blomberg M, Mduluza T, Valenta R, Grönlund H, van Hage M. Impaired allergy diagnostics among parasite-infected patients caused by IgE antibodies to the carbohydrate epitope galactose-α1, 3-galactose. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2011 Apr 1;127(4):1024-8.

18. Levin M, Apostolovic D, Biedermann T, Commins SP, Iweala OI, Platts-Mills TA, Savi E, van Hage M, Wilson JM. Galactose α-1, 3-galactose phenotypes: Lessons from various patient populations. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 2019 Jun 1;122(6):598-602.

19. 6. Platts-Mills TA, Li RC, Keshavarz B, Smith AR, Wilson JM. Diagnosis and management of patients with the α-Gal syndrome. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2020 Jan 1;8(1):15-23.

20.  I-TICK Surveillance. Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/ITickUIUC/status/1282799807996854278

21. Bickerton M, Toledo A. Multiple pruritic tick bites by Asian Longhorned tick larvae (Haemaphysalis longicornis). International Journal of Acarology. 2020 Aug 12:1-4.

22. Molaei, G. et al. “Bracing for the Worst — Range Expansion of the Lone Star Tick in the Northeastern United States.” (2019). N Engl J Med; 381:2189-2192

23. Monzón, J. D., et al. (2016). “Population and Evolutionary Genomics of Amblyomma americanum, an Expanding Arthropod Disease Vector.” Genome Biology and Evolution 8(5): 1351-1360.

24. Raghavan RK, et al. Peterson AT, Cobos ME, Ganta R, Foley D (2019).  Current and Future Distribution of the Lone Star Tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.) (Acari: Ixodidae) in North America. PLOS ONE 14(1): e0209082.

35. Lone Star Ticks in New Jersey: Risk, Ecology, and Prevention. Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

36. Paddock CD, Yabsley MJ. Ecological havoc, the rise of white-tailed deer, and the emergence of Amblyomma americanum-associated zoonoses in the United States. InWildlife and emerging zoonotic diseases: the biology, circumstances and consequences of cross-species transmission 2007 (pp. 289-324). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

37. Scott Norton, MD. Personal communication.

38. Platts-Mills TA, Commins SP, Biedermann T, van Hage M, Levin M, Beck LA, Diuk-Wasser M, Jappe U, Apostolovic D, Minnicozzi M, Plaut M. On the cause and consequences of IgE to galactose-α-1, 3-galactose: a Report from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Workshop on Understanding IgE-Mediated Mammalian Meat Allergy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2020 Feb 10.

39. Springer YP, Jarnevich CS, Barnett DT, Monaghan AJ, Eisen RJ. Modeling the present and future geographic distribution of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (Ixodida: Ixodidae), in the continental United States. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2015 Oct 7;93(4):875-90.

40. Sonenshine DE. Range expansion of tick disease vectors in North America: implications for spread of tick-borne disease. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2018 Mar;15(3):478.

41. Woodson MM. Retrieved from: The low-down on ticks. Part 1A, Biology Q&A. NY State IPM Progeam. Cornell University. 2018 June.

42.  CDC Ticks

43. University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter Resource Center

44. “lone star tick – Amblyomma americanum (Linnaeus)”. entnemdept.ufl.edu.

45. Tick-Borne Infections of North Carolina, Inc.

46. Valcárcel F, Elhachimi L, Vilá M, et al. Emerging Hyalomma lusitanicum: From identification to vectorial role and integrated control. Med Vet Entomol. Published online May 5, 2023. doi:10.1111/mve.12660

47. Stenger F, Seidel P, Schricker T, Volc S, Fischer J. Could cat flea bites contribute to alpha-gal serum IgE levels in humans? J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. Published online January 24, 2022:0.

48. Murangi T, Prakash P, Moreira BP, et al. Ascaris lumbricoides and ticks associated with sensitization to galactose α1,3-galactose and elicitation of the alpha-gal syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2022;149(2):698-707.e3.

49. Childs JE, Paddock CD. The ascendancy of Amblyomma americanum as a vector of pathogens affecting humans in the United States. Annu Rev Entomol. 2003;48:307-337.

50. White A, Gaff H. Review: Application of Tick Control Technologies for Blacklegged, Lone Star, and American Dog Ticks. J Integr Pest Manag. 2018;9(1):12.

51. Kondo M, Yamanaka K, Mizutani H. 575 Rapid changes in the red meat and α-Gal specific IgE-RAST level profile in the clinical course of a case with red meat allergy and Haemaphysalis longicornis bite. J Invest Dermatol. Published online 2017.

52. Valcárcel Á, Montero AB, Rodero M, et al. Alpha-Gal, epitope responsible for allergy to red meat, in the Mediterranean tick Hyalomma lusitanicum. Med Vet Entomol. Published online May 13, 2024. doi:10.1111/mve.12724

53. Saunders EF, Sohail H, Myles DJ, Charnetzky D, Ayres BN, Nicholson WL, Commins SP, Salzer JS. Alpha-Gal Syndrome after Ixodes scapularis Tick Bite and Statewide Surveillance, Maine, USA, 2014-2023. Emerging infectious diseases. 2025 Apr;31(4):809-13.

54. Butler WK, Oltean HN, Dykstra EA, Saunders E, Salzer JS, Commins SP. Onset of Alpha-Gal Syndrome after Tick Bite, Washington, USA. Emerging infectious diseases. 2025 Apr;31(4):829-32.

All the information on alphagalinformation.org is provided in good faith, but we, the creators and authors of the Alpha-gal Information website offer no representation or warranty, explicit or  implied, of the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this site. Under no circumstances should we have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by you as a result of relying on information provided here. We are not physicians or medical professionals, researchers, or experts of any kind. Information provided in this website may contain errors and should be confirmed by a physician. Information provided here is not medical advice. It should not be relied upon for decisions about diagnosis, treatment, diet, food choice, nutrition, or any other health or medical decisions. For advice about health or medical decisions including, but not limited to, diagnosis, treatment, diet, and health care consult a physician.
READ FULL DISCLAIMER>