Although tick season reaches its peak from April through September, ticks can be active on warm days at all times of the year for a variety of reasons including suburbanization, the abundance of deer, as well as climate change and land development.
Some experts believe that climate change could lead to a significant jump in the number of tick-borne illnesses reported this season.
Milder winters, which are expected to become more frequent, can result in more ticks surviving the cold season, which in turn can lead to population booms and the expansion of the geographic areas in which they survive.
That coupled with more people getting outdoors creates more opportunities for tick exposure.
“Ticks are terrible this year,†said Dr. Jenny Hall, associate professor of Public Health and Healthcare Leadership at Radford University at Carilion in Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø.
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Hall
“There is also growing evidence of more diseases circulating across the state (including Southwest Virginia), and that includes the rapidly emerging alpha-gal syndrome that we need to be aware of.â€
Alpha-gal allergy can be life-threatening, just like any other food allergy. Those diagnosed with the syndrome have to avoid eating anything with the alpha-gal sugar molecule in it, which is found in meat from hooved animals, and in some cases, dairy and some medications could cause a reaction.
According to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), there are four main types (species) of ticks that are most common in Southwest Virginia with three species being responsible for most tick-borne diseases in humans.
According to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), there are four main types (species) of ticks that are most common in Southwest Virginia with three species being responsible for most tick-borne diseases in humans:
Lone Star tick
The Lone Star tick can be found throughout Virginia but usually lives in areas below 1,600 feet in elevation. This tick is an aggressive biter and has the potential to transmit serious diseases such as alpha-gal syndrome, ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The adult female is best recognized by a white dot, or “lone star,†on the center of her back.
Blacklegged tick
The Blacklegged tick, often called the “deer tickâ€, is a tick of major public health importance for Lyme disease in Virginia and the Eastern U.S. The male ticks are dark brown or black in color and resemble a small watermelon seed. The females are red brown behind their black scutum (shield) that is just behind their head (on the tick’s back).
American dog tick
The American dog tick can be found throughout Virginia and can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which affects humans and dogs. The adult females can be identified by their off-white patterned scutum (“shield†that is on their back), just behind their head, and the dark brown color of their body.
Asian longhorned tick
The Asian longhorned tick (also known as a bush tick or cattle tick) is native to East Asia. It is unknown how long this tick has been in the U.S. (it has not been documented to transmit disease to humans in Virginia, at least not yet). However, in a study by Virginia Tech, Bourbon virus was found in this tick in Southwest Virginia and in another study, ehrlichiosis in the northwestern United States.
Although it has not been documented to transmit disease to humans in Virginia as of yet, the Asian longhorned tick is of great concern to state epidemiologists. The invasive tick has been found in Connecticut carrying a bacterium that can cause a deadly disease in humans and has spread to at least 38 Virginia localities. The tick reproduces rapidly and can transmit various pathogens, including one that has caused cattle deaths in Virginia.
Hall said she expects the number of cases to rise this year due to increased awareness and reporting.
“The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates 450,000 people in the United States have alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), but is likely an underestimate,†she said.
“In Virginia, it will become reportable in July of this year, so we do not have an accurate account of the problem. However, in a study from 2017-2022 of AGS test results, the number of suspected cases in the nation was the second highest in Bedford County with over 1500 suspected cases. In 2019, there was an analysis done of the major AGS Facebook Support Group pages and where followers were located, and Lynchburg was number one.â€
Virginia has also witnessed a dramatic spread of tick-borne illnesses in suburban neighborhoods, with the Virginia Department of Health noting a 45% rise in cases among children. Pediatricians are reporting not just more cases, but also more severe complications, including heart and neurological issues. The expansion of deer populations into suburban areas is believed to be a major factor, as deer carry the ticks that transmit several illnesses including Lyme disease.
Hall said the CDC estimates 476,000 cases of Lyme disease each year and there are an estimated 2 million people living with chronic or persistent Lyme in the United States, which is when Lyme symptoms last more than six months after antibiotic treatment.
Virginia Department of Health statistics show that Lyme disease has been reported in all Western region counties since 2017, with the highest rates in 2024 occurring in Floyd and Grayson counties.
Hall started the public health website in 2023 and is committed to translating research and developing evidence-based resources to increase awareness and advance tick-borne disease education and prevention.
Recently, Hall did a study in Southwest Virginia, where she took a One Health Approach, which combines human, animal and environmental evidence to analyze and map publicly available surveillance data and literature on tick-borne diseases reported in dogs, wildlife, livestock, ticks and people in Southwest Virginia counties.
The results included 12 types of TBDs found circulating among people, animals, and/or ticks in Southwest Virginia.
Hall’s research also found that the most common tick-borne diseases were Lyme disease, alpha-gal syndrome, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis.
However, she worries that cases of anaplasmosis and babesiosis are on the increase in the region. In 2023, Southwest Virginia reported 2 of the 11 cases of babesiosis, a protozoan parasite related to malaria. The states total cases rose to 16 in 2024, up from 11 in both 2022 and 2023 (regional data not available yet for 2024).
Reducing exposure to ticks is the best defense against tick-borne diseases.
Hall suggests always staying on a path or trail, and wearing permethrin treated clothing, or using a permethrin spray on shoes/boots, socks, and pants (an insect repellent containing either DEET, picaridin, IR 3535, 2-undercanone, or oil of lemon eucalyptus on the skin will also work but the VDH urges users to follow instructions on the product label).
A warning sign is posted at the entrance of the Jack-O-Lantern Branch Trail at the Booker T. Washington National Monument in Hardy as Chip Conway of Franklin County and his dog take their morning stroll.
According to the VDH, blacklegged ticks and lone star ticks, the two most important disease vectors to people in Virginia live mainly in the forest leaf litter or in shaded, grassy areas. Ticks do not climb high on vegetation or fly, so they must hitch a ride by first climbing up your shoes or socks.
Therefore, following the practice of tucking your pants legs into your socks will help prevent ticks from climbing up your shoe and sock and then climbing up your bare leg under your treated pants. Forcing ticks to climb up the outside of your clothing will help you spot and remove ticks before they can reach your upper body, and if your shoes, socks and pants are treated with permethrin, any tick that reaches your upper body will be too intoxicated to bite you.
Hall also suggests carrying tick-safety supplies (fine-pointed tweezers, magnifying glass, mini-flashlight or use your phone, a Ziplock bag to save the tick, and pen/notecard for taking notes). Putting double-sided carpenter tape around ankles/lower legs in high tick-infested areas is another tip.
She said lint rollers are perfect for removing larval/seed ticks and that putting your clothes in a hot dryer for 15 minutes will kill ticks.
Hall also suggests showering after being in tick-infested areas, and checking your body thoroughly, especially the groin, legs, back area and behind the ears and scalp where the skin is thinner (popular spots with children).
“If you have been bitten by a tick, safely remove the tick, and save it,†she said. “Tape it to a notecard or put it in a small Ziplock bag or vial and make note of the date, geographic location, estimated time it was attached, and where on the body you were bitten.â€
Hall said you can text or email a picture to for free tick identification, and once you know the type of tick it is, you can identify the types of diseases it can transmit and monitor yourself for those symptoms.
She added that if you experience flu-like symptoms such as chills, fever, extreme pain in joints, or extreme headaches after exposure to a tick, to get to a doctor immediately, as early diagnosis and treatment are critical and can prevent long-term impacts.
For more information about tick identification, prevention, removal and tick-borne diseases, go to .
For more information on Ticks in Virginia, go to .
