TickZone

Tick risk in Manatee County, Florida

Manatee County covers 5 towns and carries the 5th-highest tick-borne-disease baseline of Florida's 67 counties, with a Lyme rate of 2 cases per 100,000 people a year (162nd of 1378 counties in the South). CDC surveillance lists American dog tick, Lone star tick, and Gulf Coast tick as established here. Pick your town below for today's score, a 7-day outlook, and what's driving it.

Highest and lowest tick risk in Manatee County

Peak-season modeled risk. Tick risk is local, even within one county.

At the summer peak, tick risk across Manatee County runs from Palmetto (moderate) at the high end to Holmes Beach (moderate) at the low end. The difference is habitat: forest cover across the county ranges from 6% to 33%, and more forest and woodland edge means more places ticks can quest for a host.

Tick species in Manatee County

CDC county surveillance (established or reported)

  • Deer tickReported
  • American dog tickEstablished
  • Lone star tickEstablished
  • Gulf Coast tickEstablished

Reported in this county for the deer tick, the main Lyme carrier. “Not established” means no CDC surveillance record for Manatee County, not that a town is tick free. Source: CDC tick surveillance (ArboNET Tick Module), 2025.

Diseases found in local ticks

No CDC tick-testing records for Manatee County. That is a surveillance gap, not a sign these diseases are absent. Lyme and other tickborne illnesses occur across the region.

Tick control in Manatee County, FL

Professional tick control across Manatee County usually means a barrier treatment along the lawn edge, leaf litter, stone walls, and shady borders where ticks wait for a host, applied two to four times a season by a licensed pest control company. It is the single most effective way to cut tick numbers in the part of the yard your family actually uses, and it matters most in Manatee County's more wooded towns.

How much does tick control cost in Manatee County?

Most Manatee County homeowners pay about $100 to $200 per visit for professional tick spraying, or roughly $350 to $600 for a full season of barrier treatments, depending on lot size and how wooded the property is. Quotes are free, so it costs nothing to get a real number for your yard.

Get a free tick control quote

From a vetted local tick exterminator serving Manatee County. No cost, no obligation.

Common questions about ticks in Manatee County

Which towns in Manatee County have the highest tick risk?

At the summer peak, Palmetto carries the highest modeled tick risk in Manatee County, followed by Bradenton, Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach. Risk tracks how wooded a town is: forest cover across Manatee County ranges from 6% to 33%, and the more forest and woodland edge a town has, the more habitat ticks have to quest from. Holmes Beach sits at the low end. Every town has its own daily score, so check the one nearest you.

What ticks live in Manatee County?

CDC surveillance records 3 established tick species in Manatee County: American dog tick, Lone star tick, Gulf Coast tick. The lone star tick is the tick most responsible for human bites here, and its bite causes alpha-gal syndrome; the blacklegged (deer) tick, the main Lyme carrier, is a minor factor this far south. "Not established" for a species means there is no CDC surveillance record for the county, not that the tick is absent.

Is Lyme disease common in Manatee County?

Manatee County reports about 2 Lyme cases per 100,000 people a year (U.S. CDC), the 162nd-highest of 1378 counties in the South and the 5th-highest of Florida's 67 counties. Lyme is a smaller factor here than in the Northeast, but TickZone still uses this county rate as part of the disease baseline behind every town's score, alongside local lone-star tick pressure.

Does Manatee County have lone star ticks that cause alpha-gal syndrome?

Yes. The lone star tick is established in Manatee County and is the tick most responsible for human bites in the county. Its bite can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, a delayed allergy to red meat and other mammal products, along with ehrlichiosis and STARI. Learn the symptoms and what foods to avoid.

All towns in Manatee County

Tick risk is local. Pick the town nearest you.