Ticks in Utah

Wood Tick

• Wood ticks are among the most common species of tick found in Utah. These small, black arachnids live in brush and vegetation and you're most likely to find one of these ticks after a walk in the woods or through high vegetation. They prefer feeding in dark, protected areas so you're most likely to find them around your groin, in skin folds and in the armpits. Though some wood ticks carry Lyme disease, the disease is not common among this tick species.

Deer Tick

• The deer tick has one of the highest rates of Lyme disease infection of any tick species. The infection is frequently transmitted when ticks are improperly removed or feed on a human host for an extended period of time. These ticks take two years to mature into biting adults, and this extended life cycle means that deer ticks can be found year round in Utah. Deer ticks range in color from black to reddish brown and are most frequently transmitted from animals to humans. Deer ticks are occasionally referred to as black-legged ticks.

Moose Ticks

• Unlike most other ticks, moose ticks seek hosts in the winter months. They frequently infest large animals like elk, deer and horses. In extreme cases, animals may become so infested with these ticks that they suffer from malnourishment and die. People who work with animals are especially prone to bites from these ticks. Moose ticks remain attached to a single host for their entire life cycle.

Lone Star Ticks

• Lone star ticks are reddish-brown arachnids with faint star-shaped markings on their backs. They carry numerous diseases, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but they do not carry Lyme disease. They can also transmit some infections to their hosts. They are among the most common ticks in Utah and feed on numerous species of warm-blooded animals. Humans are frequently bitten by these ticks while walking through grassy, wooded areas.