TickEncounter

Thank you Michael, Beth, Maia, LeeAnne and the entire Daily Show team. One of the BEST experiences of my life. Never did I imagine we could get 200 people rolling with laughter talking about ticks!!

“Why do you often find these ticks on the top of your head?” Good question, and NO, they don’t jump or fall out of trees. In fact, we don’t know one tick biologist who thinks ticks fall out of trees onto heads. But they do crawl upwards after latching onto a host, and the head is where the skin is thinner and richer in blood capillaries on most hosts. Blood feeding success is the adaptation driving this tick behavior. Now you know. https://bit.ly/wrong_enough

HUH...just when you think you’ve seen it all, somebody comes along and proves you wrong. But hey, it worked!! Got a photo of the TOP SIDE and everything. https://bit.ly/tickspottersform

Here are 2 true statements about ticks:
- The longer a tick is attached, the easier it is to find;
- The longer a tick is attached, the more likely it is to transmit an infectious dose of germs.
There’s a caveat about the second statement. Some germs, like the Powassan virus are transmitted quickly after tick attachment, while some take longer to cause an infection as they need the nutrients of the blood meal in the tick's gut to increase in number to an infectious level (Lyme bacteria), or to transform into an infectious form (babesia parasite). By 4 days of feeding, if the tick is infected, it most certainly has transmitted an infectious dose. Don’t delay—have the tick tested and contact your PHP!
But the TAKE-AWAY from this post really is: DO A TICK CHECK DAILY!!

Memo from the Bad News/Good News Department: April 2026 ended with the highest number of April tick encounters submitted to since we started the program in 2014. So, start tucking, treating and wearing tight compression clothing when working or playing outside. We have tools to help--refer to our May ticks infographic and our TickFinder tool to see which ticks are likely to be active where you live. https://bit.ly/4te00gy

Thanks buddy, and HI from the TickGuy at the University of RI,
URI Day of Giving is today, Tuesday, April 28, and we are raising money for TickEncounter as part of the Day of Giving Cooperative Extension Challenge. The Extension program with the most individual donors today will receive an $800 bonus prize...and with your help, we can win.
My grandson and I hope you’ll consider supporting TickEncounter and the important work we do. You can make a gift to TickEncounter online at: https://give.uri.edu/campaigns/74761/donations/new?tc=84932
At that link, simply search for “Cooperative Extension" and then “TickEncounter Resource Center Fund” in the gift form. Gifts of any size (even $1 or $5) count toward the Challenge, and every donor helps move us closer to winning the bonus prize. WE CAN DO IT!
Found a tick? We’ve got you covered! Submit a photo to TickSpotters (https://bit.ly/tickspottersform).

TICK TRUTH: a blacklegged tick bite IS NOT the same as a Lyme disease bullseye rash. Lyme rashes are 5 cm or greater in diameter. Lyme rashes typically don’t appear until 5 days to 2 weeks after an infected tick bite—so if the tick is still attached and you see a rash, it’s not a sign of Lyme. All TICK BITES, especially after the first bite, often cause an immediate (1-3 days) hypersensitivity (allergic) response in the skin, usually the size of a dime-quarter. It’s worth watching since in much of the northeast, mid-Atlantic, and upper mid-west, 1 in 2 (50%) of adult female blacklegged ticks are carrying the Lyme germ. If this rash were to expand to >5 cm, then go to your PHP right away.

We know for a fact disease-transmitting ticks are found in EVERY state, red and blue. Implore your Senators and Representatives you want them to fully fund the Kay Hagan Tick Act. Find out more and how you can help (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2398)

Here's a fun tick ID fact: ONLY the adult female Lone Star tick has a white spot on its back. The nymph stage doesn't have any white pigment, so no wonder you didn't recognize it. Here's more about this dangerous tick https://bit.ly/see_the_star URI Cooperative Extension Cape Cod Times

DEFINITELY time to start protecting your pets from ticks...and your kids, and yourselves!! Here’s a few simple things the TickGuy starts doing in early Spring to keep ticks from biting...https://bit.ly/early_spring_ticks