Lone Star Tick

Wooded areas, dense brush, and tall grasslands with high humidity and deer populations.

Obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that feed exclusively on vertebrate blood.

Aggressive questing behavior where larvae, nymphs, and adults actively climb vegetation to latch onto passing hosts.

Transmits pathogens causing Ehrlichiosis and STARI, and its bite can induce alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy.