Virginia · South

Tick risk in Clarke County, Virginia

Clarke County covers 3 towns. Its CDC Lyme rate of 68 cases per 100,000 people a year ranks in the top 12% of U.S. counties for reported Lyme disease. CDC surveillance lists Deer tick, American dog tick, and Lone star 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 Clarke County

Peak-season modeled risk. Tick risk is local, even within one county.

At the summer peak, tick risk across Clarke County runs from Boyce (moderate) at the high end to Shenandoah Retreat (moderate) at the low end. The difference is habitat: forest cover across the county ranges from 38% to 92%, and more forest and woodland edge means more places ticks can quest for a host.

Tick species in Clarke County

CDC county surveillance (established or reported)

  • Deer tickEstablished
  • American dog tickEstablished
  • Lone star tickEstablished
  • Gulf Coast tickNot established

Established in this county for the deer tick, the main Lyme carrier. “Not established” means no CDC surveillance record for Clarke County, not that a town is tick free. Source: CDC tick surveillance (ArboNET Tick Module), 2025.

Diseases found in local ticks

Borrelia miyamotoi (relapsing fever)

Pathogens detected in ticks tested from Clarke County (CDC tick-testing surveillance, 2025). This lists what has been found, not how common it is.

Tick control in Clarke County, VA

Professional tick control across Clarke 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 Clarke County's more wooded towns.

How much does tick control cost in Clarke County?

Most Clarke 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.

Get a free tick control quote

From a vetted local tick exterminator serving Clarke County. No cost, no obligation.

Common questions about ticks in Clarke County

Which towns in Clarke County have the highest tick risk?

At the summer peak, Boyce carries the highest modeled tick risk in Clarke County, followed by Berryville, Shenandoah Retreat. Risk tracks how wooded a town is: forest cover across Clarke County ranges from 38% to 92%, and the more forest and woodland edge a town has, the more habitat ticks have to quest from. Shenandoah Retreat sits at the low end. Every town has its own daily score, so check the one nearest you.

What ticks live in Clarke County?

CDC surveillance records 3 established tick species in Clarke County: Deer tick, American dog tick, Lone star 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 Clarke County?

Clarke County reports about 68 Lyme cases per 100,000 people a year (U.S. CDC), in the top 12% of U.S. counties for reported Lyme disease (the 17th-highest of Virginia's 132 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 Clarke County have lone star ticks that cause alpha-gal syndrome?

Yes. The lone star tick is established in Clarke 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 Clarke County

Tick risk is local. Pick the town nearest you.

Tick risk where you live

Tick activity is local and changes daily. Pick your state for tick season dates, the species that live there, and a daily tick-risk score for every town.