Are there ticks in Kansas?

Yes. Kansas has ticks in every county, led by the lone star tick, with the American dog tick, Gulf Coast tick, brown dog tick, and deer tick also present. Ticks here stay active nearly year-round, and today 386 of the state's 626 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.

What types of ticks live in Kansas?

Kansas has five human-biting ticks: the lone star tick (established statewide, the state's most common human-biting tick and the main cause of alpha-gal syndrome), the Gulf Coast tick (not established), the American dog tick, the brown dog tick, and the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease but bites people far less often this far south. See the Kansas tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.

When does tick season start and end in Kansas?

In Kansas, ticks are active nearly year-round: the region rarely gets a hard freeze long enough to fully shut them down. The lone star tick ramps up earliest in spring, peaks in midsummer, and its larval "seed tick" swarms hit hardest in late summer. Adult ticks can still quest on mild winter days.

When is flea and tick season?

Flea and tick season generally runs from early spring through late fall, peaking in the warm summer months. In Kansas, start prevention for pets and people in March and keep it up through November, since ticks can bite on any mild day.

Which tick carries Lyme disease in Kansas?

The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease, but it is a minor factor in Kansas. The lone star tick does not carry Lyme, but its bite causes alpha-gal syndrome, and it bites people far more often here than the deer tick does.

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

Yes. The lone star tick is established across Kansas and is the tick most responsible for human bites in the state. Its bite can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, a delayed allergy to red meat and other mammal products, along with ehrlichiosis and STARI.

Ticks in Kansas

Ticks are active in Kansas nearly year-round, led by the lone star tick. TickZone scores all 626 Kansas 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 Kansas

Tick season in Kansas effectively runs year-round: winters rarely stay cold long enough to fully shut ticks down. Lone star ticks ramp up first in early spring, peak from April through July, and their larval "seed tick" swarms hit hardest in late summer. American dog ticks are busiest from spring through midsummer, and adult ticks of every species can still quest on mild winter days.

Generalized for the South, where the season runs earlier and longer than the North.
Life stage	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Lone star tick
Seed ticks (lone star larvae)
American dog tick
Gulf Coast tick

Peak Active

Generalized for the South, where the season runs earlier and longer than the North. 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.

That means prevention never fully comes off in Kansas: the safer way to time it is by the day, not the month. The daily score on every town page folds the season, the weather, and local habitat into one number each morning.

Highest-risk towns in Kansas (2026)

Kansas's highest-risk towns are spread across several counties, led by Logan. The top 10 towns run 0 to 34 percent forest, ranked at peak season so the list stays stable.

1Russell Springs Logan CountyModerate at peak
2Richfield Morton CountyModerate at peak
3Wallace Wallace CountyModerate at peak
4Waldron Harper CountyModerate at peak
5McCracken Rush CountyModerate at peak
6Ramona Marion CountyModerate at peak
7Coldwater Comanche CountyModerate at peak
8Collyer Trego CountyModerate at peak
9Admire Lyon CountyModerate at peak
10Grenola Elk CountyModerate at peak

See the riskiest towns in every state →

All Kansas towns, by county

Allen County · 8 towns

Anderson County · 6 towns

Atchison County · 5 towns

Barber County · 7 towns

Barton County · 9 towns

Bourbon County · 6 towns

Brown County · 10 towns

Butler County · 13 towns

Chase County · 5 towns

Chautauqua County · 6 towns

Cherokee County · 7 towns

Cheyenne County · 2 towns

Clark County · 3 towns

Clay County · 7 towns

Cloud County · 6 towns

Coffey County · 6 towns

Comanche County · 3 towns

Cowley County · 8 towns

Crawford County · 10 towns

Decatur County · 4 towns

Dickinson County · 9 towns

Doniphan County · 8 towns

Douglas County · 4 towns

Edwards County · 4 towns

Elk County · 5 towns

Ellis County · 4 towns

Ellsworth County · 5 towns

Finney County · 2 towns

Ford County · 4 towns

Franklin County · 8 towns

Geary County · 3 towns

Gove County · 5 towns

Graham County · 3 towns

Grant County · 1 towns

Ulysses

Gray County · 5 towns

Greeley County · 3 towns

Greenwood County · 7 towns

Hamilton County · 2 towns

Harper County · 6 towns

Harvey County · 7 towns

Haskell County · 2 towns

Hodgeman County · 2 towns

Jackson County · 9 towns

Jefferson County · 8 towns

Jewell County · 7 towns

Johnson County · 19 towns

Kearny County · 2 towns

Kingman County · 7 towns

Kiowa County · 3 towns

Labette County · 8 towns

Lane County · 1 towns

Dighton

Leavenworth County · 6 towns

Lincoln County · 4 towns

Linn County · 7 towns

Logan County · 3 towns

Lyon County · 9 towns

Marion County · 12 towns

Marshall County · 9 towns

McPherson County · 8 towns

Meade County · 3 towns

Miami County · 4 towns

Mitchell County · 7 towns

Montgomery County · 9 towns

Morris County · 7 towns

Morton County · 3 towns

Nemaha County · 8 towns

Neosho County · 7 towns

Ness County · 5 towns

Norton County · 5 towns

Osage County · 9 towns

Osborne County · 5 towns

Ottawa County · 5 towns

Pawnee County · 4 towns

Phillips County · 8 towns

Pottawatomie County · 11 towns

Pratt County · 7 towns

Rawlins County · 3 towns

Reno County · 15 towns

Republic County · 8 towns

Rice County · 9 towns

Riley County · 5 towns

Rooks County · 6 towns

Rush County · 8 towns

Russell County · 8 towns

Saline County · 6 towns

Scott County · 1 towns

Scott City

Sedgwick County · 19 towns

Seward County · 2 towns

Shawnee County · 5 towns

Sheridan County · 2 towns

Sherman County · 2 towns

Smith County · 6 towns

Stafford County · 6 towns

Stanton County · 2 towns

Stevens County · 2 towns

Sumner County · 11 towns

Thomas County · 5 towns

Trego County · 2 towns

Wabaunsee County · 7 towns

Wallace County · 2 towns

Washington County · 11 towns

Wichita County · 1 towns

Leoti

Wilson County · 7 towns

Woodson County · 3 towns

Wyandotte County · 3 towns

Kansas tick questions

Are there ticks in Kansas?: Yes. Kansas has ticks in every county, led by the lone star tick, with the American dog tick, Gulf Coast tick, brown dog tick, and deer tick also present. Ticks here stay active nearly year-round, and today 386 of the state's 626 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.
What types of ticks live in Kansas?: Kansas has five human-biting ticks: the lone star tick (established statewide, the state's most common human-biting tick and the main cause of alpha-gal syndrome), the Gulf Coast tick (not established), the American dog tick, the brown dog tick, and the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease but bites people far less often this far south. See the Kansas tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.
When does tick season start and end in Kansas?: In Kansas, ticks are active nearly year-round: the region rarely gets a hard freeze long enough to fully shut them down. The lone star tick ramps up earliest in spring, peaks in midsummer, and its larval "seed tick" swarms hit hardest in late summer. Adult ticks can still quest on mild winter days.
When is flea and tick season?: Flea and tick season generally runs from early spring through late fall, peaking in the warm summer months. In Kansas, start prevention for pets and people in March and keep it up through November, since ticks can bite on any mild day.
Which tick carries Lyme disease in Kansas?: The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease, but it is a minor factor in Kansas. The lone star tick does not carry Lyme, but its bite causes alpha-gal syndrome, and it bites people far more often here than the deer tick does.
Does Kansas have lone star ticks that cause alpha-gal syndrome?: Yes. The lone star tick is established across Kansas and is the tick most responsible for human bites in the state. Its bite can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, a delayed allergy to red meat and other mammal products, along with ehrlichiosis and STARI.