Western Black-Legged Tick
Ixodes pacificus
Color: Reddish brown body with black shield
Size: 3 – 5 mm
Shape: Oval and flat
Nutrition: Bloodsucking
Habitat: California, Oregon, Washington and parts of western British Columbia
General Behavior
They like coastal areas, woodlands, thickets and prefer high humidity and vegetation.
They are active in spring and early summer. They climb on grass and bushes.
They have a three-host life cycle. They find a different host in each life cycle.
Females have the potential to lay up to 2,000 eggs.
Feeding varies between 3 – 7 days depending on their life stage.
Threats
The diseases they transmit;
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi
Anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum)
Babesiosis (Babesia species)
Rarely, their saliva can cause tick paralysis, which resolves after the tick is removed.
The bites are painless but cause itching, local swelling and redness.
They have flu-like symptoms.
How Do We Recognize Infestation?
Ticks on Hosts
Environmental Presence
Bite Indicators
Diseased Hosts