Tick-Borne Disease Primer

If you feel like you’re hearing about ticks earlier and more often than you did a decade ago, you aren’t imagining it. Many PMPs treat ticks as a seasonal “add on” — something to mention to clients who live near heavy woods or spend a lot of time outdoors. But as we move through 2026, the geography of risk is changing.

Ticks have been spreading. Their range is expanding, and climate change also is affecting their growth, survival and seasonality. With the spread of ticks, there is concern about tick-borne diseases. Recent data has shown that visits to the ER due to tick bites is much higher in most of the United States.¹ And that was through May!

THE BIG THREE. To protect clients (and yourself), it all goes back to Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Step one is always identification. There actually are hundreds of tick species in the U.S. However, three specific diseases are currently dominating national headlines.

Spread primarily by the blacklegged tick (often called the deer tick), Lyme disease remains the most well-known tick-borne disease to the public. The eastern blacklegged tick is found in the eastern half of the U.S.², while the western blacklegged tick is found in California, Washington and Oregon.³

What makes Lyme disease so dangerous is its ability to mimic other conditions; it often presents as general flu-like symptoms. Many people look for the classic “bullseye” rash. While that is the most famous symptom (appearing in about 70-80% of cases), it isn’t always a bullseye shape, and can take up to 30 days to develop.⁴ While Lyme disease is rarely fatal, long-term symptoms can persist for years in some cases.

One challenge when controlling ticks is they need host animals to feed on to get to the adult stage. To successfully treat a pest, IPM principles say to remove food sources. When the food source is small mammals (for larvae), reptiles, larger mammals (for nymphs and adults) and people, that’s not a possibility. We can reduce some of these pests, and homeowners can help do their part. Recommendations include:

• Making sure customers aren’t feeding the local wildlife. Attracting wildlife closer to structures brings all of their ectoparasites closer as well. Yes, this includes bird feeders!
• Identifying overgrown areas conducive to ticks and wildlife. Communicate with the customer why they should manage these areas.
• Employing rodent control methods. There are great traps, stations and other means of reducing rodents around a structure.

2. Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). The first time I heard about alpha-gal syndrome, I figured it was the latest internet hoax. It’s not. Lone star ticks are the culprits here. This tick is also in the eastern half of the U.S., and recent data show it has reached the Canadian border on the east coast.

AGS isn’t a virus or bacteria — it’s a sugar molecule that triggers a massive allergic reaction to red meat. Imagine being a lifelong steak lover and suddenly needing an EpiPen because you ate a burger. The alpha-gal sugar molecule is picked up by ticks and is in their saliva. When they feed on a human, they can transfer the molecule into the human bloodstream. Since we do not have alpha-gal in our blood, the body may have an immune response to this “foreign invader.” Unfortunately, alpha-gal is present in the red meat humans eat (even after cooking) and if the body encounters alpha-gal in the stomach after the development of AGS, it may engage the same immune response.⁵

Ticks present a unique problem when it comes to management because of their long life cycle. Many ticks take at least two years to develop from egg to adult. When talking about tick treatments, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• This is not a one-time service. In fact, tick service should be a multi-year program because treatments need to get to all the life stages that are continuously feeding and growing.
• Like mosquitoes, ticks don’t respect fences. Neither do the mice, deer and other animals that carry ticks. Multiple control methods must be used.
• Treating for ticks doesn’t mean customers are protected from tick-borne diseases. A treatment will never get all individual ticks and people go outside their yards in areas that haven’t been treated.

3. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). This is carried primarily by the American dog tick. These ticks are found in most of the eastern and central U.S., as well as the West Coast.

RMSF is one of the deadliest tick-borne diseases in the Americas. Unlike Lyme disease, which can take days to cause issues, RMSF can be fatal within the first eight days of symptoms if the correct antibiotic isn’t started. It starts with a high fever and a headache, followed by a distinct spotted rash on the wrists and ankles. It was originally called “black measles” because of the look of its rash in the late stages of the illness, when the skin turns black.

Some think that tick treatments are like any other, but “spray and pray” definitely won’t work. Back to IPM, understanding the habitat can help target treatments for maximum efficacy.

• Tick treatments are similar to mosquito treatments. The resting habitat is the ecotone zone — where the manicured lawn meets the more wild, unkempt vegetation. This is often at the backs and sides of properties. Focus sprays and fogs on those areas.
• It’s not just spraying. Other control options for ticks include tick boxes and tubes, rodent vaccine stations and more.
• Place rodent control devices around structures, outbuildings, and other areas with cluttered and overgrown plants. If you are using rodenticide, remember to always read and follow the label!

BONUS: CANINE EHRLICHIOSIS. Pets are part of our families, and they can be infected with diseases carried by ticks. Canine ehrlichiosis is caused by bacteria spread by the brown dog tick and the lone star tick. This infection attacks white blood cells, weakening the immune system and causing a range of symptoms that may appear weeks after exposure. Dogs with strong immune systems may fight off the infection, but others develop chronic illness and it can be fatal if untreated.

Ticks present a unique treatment challenge because they can be found in a wide range of environments that PMPs, customers, and pets may all frequent. This creates a difficult situation for pest management professionals (PMPs), as we are often asked questions about tick-borne illnesses but are not qualified to provide medical advice. PMPs are pest control experts — not medical professionals.

• For pets, customers need to go to their veterinarian for proper flea and tick medication. DO NOT recommend any products or treatments.
• For customers, remind them of proper PPE when they go out and to do tick checks when they come back inside. Don’t try to identify “bites.” Tell them to visit their medical professional if they are concerned.
• For those doing treatments, the same PPE is required, but you may want the additional protection of treated clothing. At the end of the day, make sure to do those tick checks and put clothes through the washer and dryer to prevent any hitchhikers.

BE THE EDUCATOR. With tick-borne diseases in the news, it’s a great time to get info to customers so they can be educated about the risks and understand what we can do from a treatment standpoint. Like any pest, it’s a partnership between what a PMP can do and what the customer needs to do. By combining smart landscaping, targeted treatments and some host reduction, we can protect against (but not completely eliminate) tick-borne diseases.

The author is consulting entomologist at 360 Pest and Food Safety Consulting.

References

¹ https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2026/2026-cdc-data-show-weekly-er-visits-for-tick-bites-higher-than-U.S.ual.html

² https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/data-research/facts-stats/blacklegged-tick-surveillance.html

³ https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/data-research/facts-stats/western-blacklegged-tick-surveillance.html

⁴ https://aldf.com/lyme-disease/#symptoms-of-lyme-disease

⁵ https://entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef656