Long Island is experiencing a lone star tick population explosion. These bloodthirsty arachnids (Yes, ticks are Arachnids!) have spread north and west from the American southeast, and are now a viable threat throughout nearly two-thirds of the country. They have been on Long Island for decades and are thriving due to a warming climate that allows for a longer breeding season. The East End is a hotbed of tick activity, and Suffolk County has one of the highest rates of tick-borne illness in the nation.
Female lone star ticks grow to approximately ¼ inch long, expanding to around twice that size after feeding. They are reddish-brown in color with a distinctive light-colored star on their backs. Adult males are a bit smaller, with whitish spots around the outside of their bodies. Female lone star ticks feed on blood meals and transmit diseases – including ehrlichiosis, alpha-gal syndrome, heartland virus, and an emerging bacterial infection called STARI.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been rethinking how diseases emerge and are transmitted to humans, oftentimes overlooking or ignoring scientific proof to the contrary. Fueled by its relatively recent identification in the 1970s and rapid growth since then, it has become fashionable in conspiracy-minded circles to suggest that 
It sounds like the plot of a horror movie: an innocent hiker is bitten by a bug, and suddenly they become violently ill every time they eat meat. Their skin erupts in hives, their throat swells, and they’re short of breath. It’s the stuff of nightmares.
With another Long Island winter in the rearview mirror, we can look forward to our days and nights staying above 40 degrees for the foreseeable future. While that’s great news for most of it, it’s also great news for ticks who 
You may have seen the 
When it comes to tick-borne illnesses, Lyme disease tends to garner the headlines with its long-term health consequences and high-profile sufferers. It’s easy to forget that there are other potentially debilitating infections transmitted by ticks.
Diagnosing 
Due to a changing climate, forest management issues, and other factors… tick habitats are expanding, and tick populations are booming. Unfortunately, more ticks mean more instances of 
Ticks are a problem from sea to shining sea. Even remote states like Alaska and Hawaii are home to one or more tick species. Unfortunately, New York state – including Long Island and, specifically, Suffolk County – is rife with ticks that transmit 
The dangers of tick-borne illnesses are well known. We’ve recently posted about Lyme disease, 
