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Wood Tick Facts

Wood ticks (Dermacentor variabilis), also known as the American dog tick, represent a common variety of ticks found in the United States. Ticks are arachnids that survive by sucking the blood of their host, a process that can take several days. This process often transmits diseases. Wood ticks do not carry Lyme disease, like some other ticks, but they do carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Appearance
- Wood ticks are reddish-brown and measure approximately 3/16 of an inch before feeding. After feeding, female wood ticks swell to a size of 1/2 inch. Males do not get much bigger after feeding. Females exhibit a silver-colored spot behind their head, while males display small silver lines on their back.
Habitat
- Adult wood ticks wait on tall grasses or shrubs, then crawl onto host animals. Adult wood ticks can be found on a variety of animals, including dogs, cattle, raccoons, opossum, deer and humans.
Life Cycle
- Wood ticks begin as eggs, which hatch into larvae. Larvae attach to small animals such as mice, squirrels and birds, where they molt into the next stage, called a nymph. Nymphs also feed on small animals, but then molt into an adult wood tick. Adult wood ticks feed on larger animals such as dogs and humans. The life cycle of a wood tick usually takes more than a year, but can be completed in as short as three months.
Time Frame
- Adult wood ticks are most active in April, May and June. However, they can be found throughout the year in some locations.
Warning
- Wood ticks do not carry Lyme disease, but they can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which is "the most severe tick-borne rickettsial illness in the United States," according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you experience an unexplained fever or a bull's-eye-shaped rash after a tick bite, contact a physician immediately. This disease can be treated with antibiotics, but treatment should be started as soon as possible.
Precautions
- Avoid tick-infested areas whenever possible. If you are spending time in areas with tall grasses or wooded areas, wear light-colored clothing, including long pants, long-sleeved shirt, boots and a head covering. Check for ticks every two to three hours and remove any ticks promptly. Remove ticks by grasping the tick with tweezers and pulling straight up.
Control
- Controlling wood ticks through insecticides is very difficult, although many insecticides are labeled for tick use. However, habitat modification can effectively decrease a tick population. Keep grass well-clipped and prune trees to ensure that sunlight can reach the soil. Removing excess brush also helps decrease a tick population.

Insects & Science