- Author: California Department of Public Health, Vector-Borne Disease Section
You might think ticks are found only on hiking trails or in wild, natural areas, but in some parts of California, ticks can also live in backyards and neighborhoods. Californians living near natural areas (such as open fields, parks, or urban hiking trails) should get to know their arachnid neighbors and learn how to avoid ticks at home.
Meet the Western Blacklegged Tick (Ixodes pacificus)
Ticks are found outdoors in brushy, wooded areas on plants, rocks, logs, and in leaves and twigs on the ground. Beginning in fall, adult western blacklegged ticks emerge in California, especially in northern coastal counties and the Sierra Nevada foothills. These ticks lurk on bushes, shrubs, and the...
![Life stages of the western blacklegged tick. [CA Dept Public Health]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/36433small.jpg)
May is Lyme Disease Awareness month, so what better time to tell you about the updated Pest Note: Lyme Disease in California.
This updated publication, by authors Robert S. Lane and Anne Kjemtrup, contains new information on incidents of Lyme disease in California.
You can read about the main carrier of Lyme disease, the western blacklegged tick, including the biology of the tick, specific habitats (dense woods and trails with leaf litter), places and times of the year where bites from disease-carrying ticks are...
