1. Tick identification The Tick App Developed by:
University of Wisconsin - Madison, Midwest Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases
University of Columbia, Northeast Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases

2. What do you need?
A good pair of eyes, magnifying glasses help
Or, a camera that can take macro pictures
Or, your high resolution cellphone camera
Nerves of steel
(Light and tweezers are helpful too)

3. Body parts of female hard ticks
Legs (8 in nymphs and adults; only 6 in larvae)
Mouthparts/head (capitulum)
Shield (scutum)
Marginal groove
Image:

4. Ticks can be Big & Small
Their size is dependent on:
Life stage
Species & Sex
How much blood they have ingested

5. Ticks are Big & Small: Lifestage
Adult females are largest and larva are smallest.
Larva
Adult
Female
Adult
Male
Nymph
Image: CDC

6. Ticks are Big & Small: Engorgement
Engorged nymphs can become as large as an unengorged female adult
Engorged adults can be as big as a pea or a grape!

7. Ticks are Big & Small: Species

8. The shield (Scutum) The scutum of the male covers the whole body
The scutum of female and nymphs covers just the front part of the body
The patterns on the scutum help identify tick species
The scutum can be hard to see on engorged ticks

9. The shield (Scutum) Female adults Black to brown A lone dot
Mottled pattern

10. The shield (Scutum) Pattern Black to brown Mottled Lone dot
Common name
Black-legged tick
American dog tick
Lone star tick
Synonym
Deer tick
Wood tick
Scientific name
Ixodes scapularis
Dermacentor variablis
Amblyomma americanum

11. Festoons Cookie cutter pattern On the edge of the tick

12. Festoons: cookie cutter patterns
on the edge of the tick
Festoons
None
Visible
Common name
Black-legged tick
American dog tick
Lone star tick

13. Legs: 8 on adults and nymphs
Black to brownish
Brownish
Common name
Black-legged tick
American dog tick
Lone star tick

14. What is not a tick? Weevils Spiders Mites Bed bugs Fleas
Zak, Farmington, NY
Bed bugs
Fleas

15. Pick the Tick

16. Pick the Tick Yes, that was a 50/50 guess.
You will have to look much closer to be sure.