Tick risk in Horry County, South Carolina
Horry County covers 8 towns and carries the 3rd-highest tick-borne-disease baseline of South Carolina's 46 counties, with a Lyme rate of 1 cases per 100,000 people a year (175th 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 Horry County
Peak-season modeled risk. Tick risk is local, even within one county.
At the summer peak, tick risk across Horry County runs from Briarcliffe Acres (moderate) at the high end to Myrtle Beach (moderate) at the low end. The difference is habitat: forest cover across the county ranges from 34% to 82%, and more forest and woodland edge means more places ticks can quest for a host.
- Briarcliffe AcresModerate risk
- ConwayModerate risk
- LorisModerate risk
- Surfside BeachModerate risk
- AynorModerate risk
Tick species in Horry 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 Horry 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 Horry 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 Horry County, SC
Professional tick control across Horry 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 Horry County's more wooded towns.
How much does tick control cost in Horry County?
Most Horry 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.
From a vetted local tick exterminator serving Horry County. No cost, no obligation.
Common questions about ticks in Horry County
Which towns in Horry County have the highest tick risk?
At the summer peak, Briarcliffe Acres carries the highest modeled tick risk in Horry County, followed by Conway, Loris, Surfside Beach, Aynor. Risk tracks how wooded a town is: forest cover across Horry County ranges from 34% to 82%, and the more forest and woodland edge a town has, the more habitat ticks have to quest from. Myrtle Beach sits at the low end. Every town has its own daily score, so check the one nearest you.
What ticks live in Horry County?
CDC surveillance records 3 established tick species in Horry 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 Horry County?
Horry County reports about 1 Lyme cases per 100,000 people a year (U.S. CDC), the 175th-highest of 1378 counties in the South and the 3rd-highest of South Carolina's 46 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 Horry County have lone star ticks that cause alpha-gal syndrome?
Yes. The lone star tick is established in Horry 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 Horry County
Tick risk is local. Pick the town nearest you.