If you ask me “When are sticks most active?” I can barely give the exact answer because it depends on many factors such as the types of ticks, regions, and weather types.

In this post, I'll list the most common ticks in the US and tell you the most active time of each, as well as what to do to prevent them. Let's get started!

When Are Ticks Most Active?

Ticks' most active time is irrelevant to the season, but the temperature.

Most ticks become active when the temperatures are 39 degrees F or above, which means it can be all year round in tropical regions or just during spring-summer in the temperate zone.

As our goal when learning ticks' most active time is to find the right tick protection solutions, it's also good to know about the primary hosts of each life stage of each tick type. If you don't know it yet, each life stage of a tick has different host choices.

“Questing” is a term referring to the action of a tick seeking a host (such as a person or animal) to feed on.

Some types of ticks start questing in early spring while others seek hosts in cooler weather. There are some exceptions, too. They are the most active in the spring but continue questing during fall months. A few ticks find hosts during humid hours around dawn and dusk.

So, to find the right measure of tick protection, please read through the following section:

Active Timeframes And Feeding Habits Of Different Ticks

There are different types of ticks, but in this section, I will just dive deeply into the US's most common ones that are dangerous to humans.

Note: Ticks generally go through four life stages: eggs, larval, nymphal, and adult. Therefore, Eggs are the most harmless stage to humans and pets, so I won’t mention that in this post.

The American Dog Tick

This type of ticks carries many serious diseases like anaplasmosis, tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tick paralysis. These diseases will be transmitted to pets and humans through tick bites.

Here is the most active periods and primary hosts for each life stage of the American Dog Tick:

Notes:

The American Dog ticks commonly seek hosts by day because it’s warm and dry.

The Lone Star Tick

The Lone Star ticks are found commonly around animal resting areas and in woodlands with dense undergrowth.

While all of their life stages feed on humans, pets, large and small mammals, and ground-dwelling birds, only the nymphal and adult stages can transmit diseases like alpha-gal allergy, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tick paralysis (adult female).

The Blacklegged Tick

The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is also called the “deer tick”.

They are the primary carrier of seven human pathogens, consisting of Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Powassan virus, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease, and human anaplasmosis.

Of all their life stages, the nymphal is the most dangerous to humans as it is hard to detect due to the tiny size. So, if you're bitten by an infected nymphal blacklegged tick, you're at high risk of catching any of the mentioned diseases.

Note:

Adult black-legged ticks start questing in early spring and from late summer to late fall, or as long as the temperatures are not lower than 39 degrees F.

Their peak activity occurs in the fall because they like cool weather.

If adult black-legged ticks cannot find a host during the fall, they will enter a resting phase when the temperatures drop under 39 degrees F or below freezing (mostly during winter months).

But whenever the temperature is 39 degrees F or higher no matter if there's still snow on the ground or during the winter months, they are active again and continue questing. So, you should be vigilant to keep yourself and your pets protected.

What to do:

Pet owners should start to control ticks in early spring, then extend tick protection into the summer and fall season.

Conclusion

Ticks find hosts through vibrations and breath, as well as body moisture, heat, and odors. During ticks' most active time, the best measures against tick bites are:

• Check for ticks on each person's body after being outside
• Use insect repellents
• Wear long sleeves and pants when you're about to go to those places where ticks often live

We hope that through this article, you’ve got the best answer for “when are ticks most active?” and equipped yourself with information to avoid tick bites. Thanks for reading!