Ticks in Nebraska
Ticks are active in Nebraska whenever the ground is not frozen, led by the Lyme-carrying deer tick. TickZone scores all 528 Nebraska 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 Nebraska
Tick season in Nebraska runs whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November, with two peaks. Nymph deer ticks, the poppy-seed-sized stage that causes most Lyme cases, peak from late May through July. Adult deer ticks make a second push in October and November, and on any winter day above about 40 F they can quest again. American dog ticks are busiest from April through July.
| Life stage | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer tick nymphs | ||||||||||||
| Deer tick adults | ||||||||||||
| American dog tick | ||||||||||||
| Lone star tick |
Those are averages, and any single week can run hotter or colder than the calendar suggests. The daily score on every town page folds the season, the weather, and local habitat into one number each morning, so it is the safer way to time yard work, hikes, and pet prevention.
Highest-risk towns in Nebraska (2026)
Nebraska's highest-risk towns are spread across several counties, led by Nemaha. The top 10 towns run 53 to 78 percent forest, ranked at peak season so the list stays stable.
- 1Brownville Nemaha CountyModerate at peak
- 2Peru Nemaha CountyModerate at peak
- 3Memphis Saunders CountyModerate at peak
- 4Dannebrog Howard CountyModerate at peak
- 5Walthill Thurston CountyModerate at peak
- 6Leshara Saunders CountyModerate at peak
- 7Alvo Cass CountyModerate at peak
- 8Washington Washington CountyModerate at peak
- 9Avoca Cass CountyModerate at peak
- 10Oakdale Antelope CountyModerate at peak
All Nebraska towns, by county
Adams County · 7 towns
Antelope County · 7 towns
Arthur County · 1 towns
Blaine County · 2 towns
Boone County · 5 towns
Box Butte County · 2 towns
Boyd County · 8 towns
Brown County · 3 towns
Buffalo County · 9 towns
Burt County · 5 towns
Butler County · 12 towns
Cass County · 15 towns
Cedar County · 10 towns
Chase County · 3 towns
Cherry County · 7 towns
Cheyenne County · 5 towns
Clay County · 10 towns
Colfax County · 6 towns
Cuming County · 4 towns
Custer County · 11 towns
Dakota County · 5 towns
Dawes County · 3 towns
Dawson County · 7 towns
Deuel County · 2 towns
Dixon County · 10 towns
Dodge County · 10 towns
Douglas County · 6 towns
Dundy County · 2 towns
Fillmore County · 8 towns
Franklin County · 7 towns
Frontier County · 5 towns
Furnas County · 8 towns
Gage County · 12 towns
Garden County · 2 towns
Garfield County · 1 towns
Gosper County · 2 towns
Grant County · 1 towns
Greeley County · 4 towns
Hall County · 5 towns
Hamilton County · 7 towns
Harlan County · 6 towns
Hayes County · 2 towns
Hitchcock County · 4 towns
Holt County · 8 towns
Hooker County · 1 towns
Howard County · 7 towns
Jefferson County · 9 towns
Johnson County · 5 towns
Kearney County · 5 towns
Keith County · 3 towns
Keya Paha County · 2 towns
Kimball County · 3 towns
Knox County · 11 towns
Lancaster County · 13 towns
Lincoln County · 7 towns
Logan County · 2 towns
Loup County · 1 towns
Madison County · 6 towns
Merrick County · 5 towns
Morrill County · 3 towns
Nance County · 3 towns
Nemaha County · 7 towns
Nuckolls County · 7 towns
Otoe County · 10 towns
Pawnee County · 6 towns
Perkins County · 4 towns
Phelps County · 5 towns
Pierce County · 6 towns
Platte County · 9 towns
Polk County · 4 towns
Red Willow County · 5 towns
Richardson County · 9 towns
Rock County · 2 towns
Saline County · 8 towns
Sarpy County · 5 towns
Saunders County · 15 towns
Scotts Bluff County · 10 towns
Seward County · 10 towns
Sheridan County · 4 towns
Sherman County · 5 towns
Sioux County · 1 towns
Stanton County · 2 towns
Thayer County · 11 towns
Thomas County · 2 towns
Thurston County · 5 towns
Valley County · 4 towns
Washington County · 6 towns
Wayne County · 5 towns
Webster County · 5 towns
Wheeler County · 2 towns
York County · 9 towns
Nebraska tick questions
- Are there ticks in Nebraska?
- Yes. Nebraska has ticks in every county, led by the deer tick (blacklegged tick) that spreads Lyme disease, along with the American dog tick and the lone star tick. They are active whenever the ground is not frozen, and today 114 of the state's 528 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.
- What types of ticks live in Nebraska?
- Nebraska has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease; the American dog tick; and the lone star tick, which is reported in the state and causes alpha-gal syndrome. See the Nebraska tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.
- When does tick season start and end in Nebraska?
- In Nebraska, ticks are active whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November. Nymph deer ticks peak in June and July and cause most Lyme cases, and adult ticks have a second peak in the fall. On any winter day above freezing, adult ticks can still bite.
- 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 Nebraska, 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 Nebraska?
- The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Nebraska. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme.