TickZone

Tick Identification in Kansas

The ticks you are most likely to find in Kansas, with photos and the size, color, and markings that tell them apart. Only the deer tick carries Lyme disease. Below the chart, see which types live in your county.

Female deer tick (blacklegged tick) on a green leaf, with a reddish-orange body, dark shield, and black legs, no white markings

Deer tick

Ixodes scapularis

Carries Lyme

Established in Kansas

Size:
Small, a sesame seed (nymph: a poppy seed)
Look for:
Reddish-orange body, solid dark shield, black legs, no pattern
Carries:
Lyme, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Powassan
Full deer tick guide →
Female American dog tick with an ornate off-white and brown mottled shield behind the head

American dog tick

Dermacentor variabilis

Established in Kansas

Size:
Larger, an apple seed
Look for:
Brown with an ornate off-white mottled shield
Carries:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia (rare)
Full american dog tick guide →
Female lone star tick on a green blade of grass, reddish-brown with a single bright white dot in the center of its back

Lone star tick

Amblyomma americanum

Established in Kansas

Size:
Medium, rounded
Look for:
Reddish-brown; female has a single white dot on the back
Carries:
Ehrlichiosis, STARI, alpha-gal syndrome
Full lone star tick guide →
Female brown dog tick, uniform reddish-brown with no distinct markings

Brown dog tick

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Found nationwide, the one tick that infests homes and kennels indoors

Size:
Medium, narrow body that tapers toward the head
Look for:
Uniform reddish-brown, no ornate markings
Carries:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, canine diseases
Full brown dog tick guide →
Female Gulf Coast tick with an ornate silvery patterned shield

Gulf Coast tick

Amblyomma maculatum

A southern tick spreading north into the mid-Atlantic

Size:
Large, bigger than a lone star
Look for:
Silvery ornate markings on the shield, no single dot
Carries:
Rickettsia parkeri spotted fever
Full gulf coast tick guide →
Female Asian longhorned tick, small and uniform reddish-brown with no markings

Asian longhorned tick

Haemaphysalis longicornis

A newer arrival, established in the mid-Atlantic and spreading north

Size:
Small and plain, often found in large numbers
Look for:
Reddish-brown with no markings
Carries:
Mainly a livestock threat; human disease risk under study
Full asian longhorned tick guide →

Kansas establishment is shown for the three ticks CDC tracks by county; the others carry a regional range note. Source: CDC tick surveillance (ArboNET Tick Module), 2025. County surveillance is coarse: “not established” is a lack of records, not proof a tick is absent.

Deer, dog and lone star ticks by Kansas county

These are the three ticks CDC maps county by county, not the only ticks in Kansas: the brown dog, Gulf Coast, and Asian longhorned ticks are in the chart above. Tap a county for its daily tick-risk detail.

CountyDeer tickAmerican dog tickLone star tick
Allen CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Anderson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Atchison CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Barber CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Barton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Bourbon CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Brown CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Butler CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Chase CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Chautauqua CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Cherokee CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Cheyenne CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Clark CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Clay CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Cloud CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Coffey CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Comanche CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Cowley CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Crawford CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Decatur CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Dickinson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Doniphan CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Douglas CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Edwards CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Elk CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Ellis CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Ellsworth CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Finney CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Ford CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Franklin CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Geary CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Gove CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Graham CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Grant CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Gray CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Greeley CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Greenwood CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Hamilton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Harper CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Harvey CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Haskell CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Hodgeman CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Jackson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Jefferson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Jewell CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Johnson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Kearny CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Kingman CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Kiowa CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Labette CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Lane CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Leavenworth CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Lincoln CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Linn CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Logan CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Lyon CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Marion CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Marshall CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
McPherson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Meade CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Miami CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Mitchell CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Montgomery CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Morris CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Morton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Nemaha CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Neosho CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Ness CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Norton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Osage CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Osborne CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Ottawa CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Pawnee CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Phillips CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Pottawatomie CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Pratt CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Rawlins CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Reno CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Republic CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Rice CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Riley CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Rooks CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Rush CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Russell CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Saline CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Scott CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Sedgwick CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Seward CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Shawnee CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Sheridan CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Sherman CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Smith CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Stafford CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Stanton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Stevens CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Sumner CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Thomas CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Trego CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wabaunsee CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wallace CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Washington CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wichita CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wilson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Woodson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wyandotte CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished

Lone star ticks and alpha-gal syndrome

The lone star tick is established in Kansas in 105 of 105 counties (see the table above). Its bite can cause alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat.

Do not overlook the tiny ones

Nymph deer ticks are the size of a poppy seed and cause most Lyme cases in Kansas because they are so easy to miss. When you check for ticks, look for the small ones too, especially in June and July.

Kansas tick risk by town

A daily 0–100 tick-risk score for every town in Kansas.

See Kansas →

Tick identification chart

The national chart, plus identification for other states.

All states →

Frequently asked questions

What types of ticks live in Kansas?
Kansas has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease and is established across the state; the American dog tick, which is established; and the lone star tick, which is established and causes alpha-gal syndrome. County-level presence is shown in the table above.
Which Kansas tick carries Lyme disease?
The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Kansas. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme, though they can transmit other illnesses.
Are there lone star ticks in Kansas?
Yes. The lone star tick is established in Kansas, in 105 of the state's 105 counties (Allen County, Anderson County, Atchison County and more, listed in the table above). It causes alpha-gal syndrome, a red-meat allergy.
How can I tell these ticks apart?
Use size, color, and legs. The deer tick is small with a reddish-orange body, a solid dark shield, and black legs. The American dog tick is larger and brown with an ornate off-white mottled shield. The female lone star tick has a single white dot on her back. The chart above shows each one.