What types of ticks live in Hawaii?

Hawaii's one human-relevant tick is the brown dog tick, a peridomestic tick found around homes, yards, and kennels. None of the mainland's questing disease ticks (the deer tick, lone star, or Rocky Mountain wood tick) are established in the islands.

When does tick season start and end in Hawaii?

Hawaii's warm climate means its one tick, the brown dog tick, is active year-round rather than by season. Because it lives around homes and dogs, prevention is about pets and bedding rather than a calendar.

When is flea and tick season?

In Hawaii's warm climate, flea and tick prevention for pets is a year-round job rather than a seasonal one. The brown dog tick can stay active in and around the home in every month.

Which tick carries Lyme disease in Hawaii?

No tick in Hawaii carries Lyme disease, and there is effectively no local Lyme risk. The brown dog tick, the islands' one tick, does not spread Lyme.

Ticks in Hawaii

Ticks are active in Hawaii whenever the ground is not frozen, led by the Lyme-carrying deer tick. TickZone scores all 126 Hawaii towns every morning, so risk stays local: pick your town for today's number, a 7-day outlook, and what's driving it.

Tick season in Hawaii

Hawaii has none of the mainland's questing ticks and effectively no local Lyme risk. The one tick to know is the brown dog tick, which lives around homes, yards, and kennels rather than out in nature and stays active year-round in the islands' warm climate.

The brown dog tick is peridomestic and active all year in Hawaii.
Life stage	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Brown dog tick

Peak Active

The brown dog tick is peridomestic and active all year in Hawaii. Activity windows by life stage from TickEncounter (Univ. of Rhode Island) and the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. Any warm spell can wake ticks earlier than the calendar suggests.

The real precaution here is keeping dogs and their bedding tick-free rather than avoiding the woods.

Highest-risk towns in Hawaii (2026)

Hawaii's highest structural tick risk concentrates in Honolulu County, which holds 7 of the state's top 10 towns. The top 10 towns run 8 to 66 percent forest, ranked at peak season so the list stays stable.

1Waipio Honolulu CountyLow at peak
2Waipahu Honolulu CountyLow at peak
3Ewa Gentry Honolulu CountyLow at peak
4Kaiminani Hawaii CountyLow at peak
5Ocean Pointe Honolulu CountyLow at peak
6Ewa Beach Honolulu CountyLow at peak
7Kailua Hawaii CountyLow at peak
8Mililani Mauka Honolulu CountyLow at peak
9Urban Honolulu Honolulu CountyLow at peak
10Hanapepe Kauai CountyLow at peak

See the riskiest towns in every state →

All Hawaii towns, by county

Hawaii County · 35 towns

Honolulu County · 52 towns

Kauai County · 18 towns

Maui County · 21 towns

Hawaii tick questions

Are there ticks in Hawaii?: Hawaii has none of the mainland's questing ticks and effectively no local Lyme risk. The one tick to know is the brown dog tick, which lives around homes, yards, and kennels rather than out in nature, so the concern is keeping dogs tick-free rather than the outdoors.
What types of ticks live in Hawaii?: Hawaii's one human-relevant tick is the brown dog tick, a peridomestic tick found around homes, yards, and kennels. None of the mainland's questing disease ticks (the deer tick, lone star, or Rocky Mountain wood tick) are established in the islands.
When does tick season start and end in Hawaii?: Hawaii's warm climate means its one tick, the brown dog tick, is active year-round rather than by season. Because it lives around homes and dogs, prevention is about pets and bedding rather than a calendar.
When is flea and tick season?: In Hawaii's warm climate, flea and tick prevention for pets is a year-round job rather than a seasonal one. The brown dog tick can stay active in and around the home in every month.
Which tick carries Lyme disease in Hawaii?: No tick in Hawaii carries Lyme disease, and there is effectively no local Lyme risk. The brown dog tick, the islands' one tick, does not spread Lyme.