It’s (past) time to talk ticks. Which ones cause infectious disease? What should I do after I pick a tick off my body? What is there to prevent infection? What are the symptoms of disease? Which diseases are common here? Is there a vaccine for Lyme disease?

To start with, general information is provided by the town on its website and (until it’s shut down by the Trump administration) by the Centers for Disease Control .

“Deer” tick females (Ixodes scapularis) have black legs and a black/red crop top over a lighter red body. Lone Star ticks (females have multiple white spots around the sides) can also carry and transmit diseases like Lyme, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis and Powassan virus.

The ticks least unlikely to cause further disease are often called “dog” ticks and have a white lacy

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