Bug FAQLone Star Tick
Amblyomma americanum · Order: Ixodida · Family: Ixodidae
Adult females have a distinctive silvery-white star-shaped spot on their back, while males show white streaks or spots along the edges. They live in wooded, second-growth forests and edge habitats where deer are common, and have even been found in parts of southern Ontario.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
The tick has been reported outside its usual range in southern Ontario, Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
It bites aggressively and can bite unnoticed if hidden. Ticks transmit disease-causing pathogens while feeding.
How to get rid of it
Many tick-borne illnesses share similar signs and symptoms.
Source: CDC
Where it lives
They are also common in ecotonal zones between forests and grasslands.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
All life stages take a blood meal on separate hosts; larvae can cling to discarded clothing and bite when the clothing is worn again.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species develops through egg, larva, nymph, and adult stages, with each stage feeding before molting. It is a three-host tick, meaning each stage feeds on a different host before dropping off to molt.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 44 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Maryland, Virginia, Missouri, New Jersey.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Do lone-star ticks bite humans?
Yes, they bite aggressively and can bite unnoticed if hidden.
Can a lone-star tick cause an allergic reaction?
Their bite can cause alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to mammalian meat.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are lone-star ticks commonly found?
In wooded, second-growth forests with deer and in edge habitats between forest and grassland, and they have been reported in southern Ontario, Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How many life stages does a lone-star tick have?
They go through four stages, egg, larva, nymph, and adult, each feeding on a different host before molting.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Ixodidae)
American Dog TickDermacentor variabilisCan spread germs or disease
Eastern Black-legged TickIxodes scapularisCan spread germs or disease
Gulf Coast TickAmblyomma maculatumCan spread germs or disease
Western Black-legged TickIxodes pacificusCan spread germs or disease
Brown Dog TickRhipicephalus sanguineusCan spread germs or disease
Rocky Mountain Wood TickDermacentor andersoniCan spread germs or diseaseSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyomma_americanum
- CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/about/index.html
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.