Ticks in Charleston, SC

Lone-star ticks are at their summer peak, the main local driver of alpha-gal syndrome and ehrlichiosis. Midsummer is when lone-star bite counts run highest region-wide. Gulf Coast tick adults are active in the same brushy, grassy habitat. American dog ticks are also out in open, grassy areas. Deer ticks remain a minor factor here compared with the Northeast.

Charleston is 87% natural land cover (56% forest, plus open and brushy areas) across its 115.05 sq mi, home to about 155,369 people. That makes it the 12th-most wooded of the 16 towns in Charleston County. Lone-star and Gulf Coast ticks favor brushy edges, overgrown fields, and open pine woods as much as deep forest: the more of that a town has, the more places ticks can quest.

Charleston County reports about 1 Lyme cases per 100,000 people a year, the 179th-highest of 1378 South counties. Lyme is a smaller factor here than in the Northeast, but lone-star tick bites (alpha-gal syndrome, ehrlichiosis) drive most local risk, and that combined pressure sets how high Charleston's daily score can climb when the weather and season allow.

Do I need tick control in Charleston?

Tick activity in Charleston is moderate today (47/100). Ticks are out, especially along yard edges, leaf litter, and shady borders. A seasonal treatment plan keeps numbers down before peak weeks hit.

Professional tick control in Charleston typically 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.

How much does tick control cost in Charleston?

Most 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.

Yes. Lone-star ticks are at their summer peak, the main local driver of alpha-gal syndrome and ehrlichiosis. In Charleston, today's risk reads moderate (47/100). Ticks are active. Use repellent, stick to trails, and do a tick check when you come inside.

Yes. The lone star tick is established in Charleston County and is the tick most responsible for human bites in South Carolina. Its bite can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, a delayed allergy to red meat and other mammal products, along with ehrlichiosis and STARI. Unlike the Northeast, Lyme disease is a minor factor here: the lone star tick, not the deer tick, is what actually drives local risk. Learn the symptoms and what foods to avoid.