Medically reviewed by Emelia Arquilla, DO — Written by Kimberly Holland and Corey Whelan — Updated on March 30, 2022
Tick bites are often harmless and don’t cause any symptoms. However, ticks can cause allergic reactions, and certain ticks can pass diseases on to humans and pets when they bite. These diseases can be dangerous or even life threatening when not treated promptly.
Ticks are common in the United States. They live outdoors in:
- grass
- trees
- shrubs
- leaf piles
They’re attracted to people and their four-legged pets, and can move between the two with ease. If you’ve spent any time outdoors, you’ve likely encountered ticks at some point.
In this article, we help you identify ticks and tick bites, along with the symptoms of tick-borne illnesses, and what to do if a tick bites you.
Ticks are small, blood-sucking bugs. They range in size from as small as a pin’s head to as large as a pencil eraser. Ticks have eight legs. They’re arachnids, which means they’re related to spiders.
The different kinds of ticks can range in color from shades of brown to reddish-brown and black.
As they take in more blood, ticks grow. At their largest, ticks can grow to about the size of a marble. After a tick feeds on its host for several days, it swells up and can turn a greenish-blue color.
Check out this image galley for pictures of ticks.
Ticks prefer warm, moist areas of the body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), once a tick gets on your body, it’s likely to migrate to the following areas:
- armpits
- groin
- hair
- back of your knees
- inside your belly button
- around your waist
- inside and around your ears
However, ticks don’t always migrate. If you’ve been in a situation where you might have gotten a tick bite, be sure to check your entire body.
When a tick reaches a desirable spot, it bites into your skin and begins drawing blood. Unlike most other bugs that bite, ticks typically remain attached to your body after they bite you.
If a tick bites you, you’ll likely know because you’ll find a tick on your skin. You probably won’t feel the tick biting you as the bite is occurring.
After a period of up to 10 days of drawing blood from your body, an engorged tick will detach itself and fall off.
Ticks can remain attached to the skin for up to 10 days after they first bite. They get bigger and easier to spot as time goes on.
Ticks typically bite once, instead of in clusters or lines. Most harmless tick bites cause no physical signs or symptoms.
Some cause a red or discolored bump to appear that looks similar to a mosquito bite.
A Lyme disease bullseye rash can appear anywhere from 3 to 30 days after you’ve been bitten. You may also see more than one rash. The rash may get larger over the course of several days, reaching 12 inches in width.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction to a tick bite
Tick bites are usually harmless and may produce no symptoms. But if you’re allergic to tick bites, you may experience:
Symptoms of tick-borne diseases
Ticks can pass potentially severe diseases to human hosts. Most signs or symptoms of a tick-borne disease will begin within a few days to a few weeks after a tick bite.
Potential symptoms of tick-borne diseases include:
Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever
People who suspect they may have Rocky Mountain spotted fever should seek treatment as soon as they suspect it. Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever include:
- vomiting
- a sudden high fever around 102 or 103°F (38 to 39°C)
- headache
- abdominal pain
- rash
- muscle aches
The most important thing to do when you find a tick is to remove it. This may help stave off a tick-borne illness. Don’t remove it if you have an allergic reaction, this may release more of the allergen and cause a worsening reaction.
Make sure to clean the area thoroughly with antibacterial cleanser or ointment after the tick has been removed. Your doctor may wish to send the tick to a laboratory to analyze what type it is, and to determine if it is carrying any pathogens.
Place the tick into a lidded jar or sealed ziplock bag and bring it with you to your doctor’s appointment.
Treatment will depend on whether you’re experiencing an allergic reaction to the tick bite, or have a tick-borne disease.
Contact your doctor as soon as possible after you’ve been bitten by a tick. A doctor can determine if any treatment is necessary, based on the type of tick that bit you.
Different parts of the country have different risks when it comes to diseases from tick bites. If you live in an urban area without many ticks and get bitten elsewhere, your usual doctor may not readily identify the tick. If that is the case and you’re uneasy, seek another opinion about treatment.
Let your doctor know if you were bitten in a geographical location known for severe tick-borne diseases, like the Western or Northeastern United States.
You should also let your doctor know if you developed any of the following symptoms after your tick bite:
- erythema multiforme rashes
- fever
- drowsiness
- aching muscles
- headache
Preventing tick bites is the best way to avoid a tick-borne illness. Here are some prevention tips:
- Wear a long-sleeved shirt and pants when walking in the woods or grassy areas where ticks are common.
- Walk in the center of trails.
- Use tick repellent that’s at least 20 percent DEET.
- Treat clothing and gear with 0.5 percent permethrin.
- Take a shower or bath within 2 hours of being outdoors.
- Check skin closely after being in tick-prone areas, especially under arms, behind ears, between legs, behind knees, and in hair.
It typically takes more than 24 hours of feeding for a person to get a tick-borne disease. So, the sooner you can identify and remove a tick, the better.
A tick bite can cause immediate, intense itching in some people due to the toxins and irritants in tick saliva. However, itching doesn’t always occur. For this reason, if you spend time in a tick-infested area, it’s important to check your whole body for ticks after you leave.
If a tick bite leads to Lyme disease, it can also lead to the development of lesions on the skin known as erythema migrans (EM). These often don’t trigger any further symptoms, but some people report that they feel itchiness and burning around the area of the lesion.
Can you get Lyme disease if you don’t see a ring around the tick bite?
Yes. The EM rash is often a surefire sign that you’ve been bitten by a tick carrying Lyme disease. However, not everyone gets the rash. Since it doesn’t itch or hurt, it may also be possible to get the rash and not notice it.
Can ticks carry diseases other than Lyme disease?
Yes. Ticks can carry many diseases such as Rocky Mountain Fever. The diseases ticks carry vary from geographic region to region.
Where do ticks live?
Ticks live outdoors. They hide in grass, trees, shrubs, and underbrush.
If you’re outside hiking or playing, a tick might attach itself to you or your pet. Ticks may stay attached to your pet, or they can migrate to you while you’re touching or holding your pet. They can also leave you and attach themselves to your pets.
Various kinds of ticks live in large populations throughout the country. Most states have at least one type of tick that lives there. Ticks are at their peak population in the spring and summer months, typically April through September.
Tick bites are often symptom-free and harmless. However, ticks can carry harmful diseases like Lyme disease.
If you notice a bullseye-shaped rash, fever, chills, and body aches, it’s vital that you ask a doctor about the next steps.
You can prevent tick bites by using 20 percent DEET or 0.5 percent permethrin, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants while in tick-prone areas, and staying away from the edges of any walking trails where ticks hide.
Last medically reviewed on March 30, 2022
Ticks are parasites that feed on human and animal blood. A tick bite is usually harmless, but sometimes it can cause an allergic reaction or serious illness. If you have a tick bite, it is very important to remove the tick as soon as possible.
What are the different types of tick bites?
There are about 70 different sorts of tick in Australia. They are especially common along the east coast. Some have a flat body and a long mouth, while some look wrinkly and leathery.
In Australia, most tick bites are caused by the paralysis tick Ixodes holocyclus (sometimes called a grass tick, seed tick or bush tick). They grow from an egg to a larva (about 1mm long and brown) and then to a nymph (about 2mm long and pale brown). An adult paralysis tick is about 1cm long and a grey-blue colour.
Ticks need blood to grow. They crawl up grass or twigs and drop onto passing animals or humans, attaching themselves to the soft skin to feed. They inject a substance to stop the blood clotting. Their saliva can also be poisonous.
Some people are allergic to tick bites. Others, usually children, can develop a condition called tick paralysis. It is also possible for ticks to pass on several illnesses to humans.
Tick bites infographic — how to identify ticks and remove them safely.What are the symptoms of tick bites?
If you have been bitten, usually you will just notice redness and swelling around the tick bite. This will disappear once you remove the tick.
Symptoms of tick paralysis include:
Symptoms of an allergic reaction to tick bites include:
- swollen throat
- difficulty breathing
- collapsing
What should I do after a tick bite?
If you have been outdoors and you have an itch, try not to scratch it. Look at the area first. Ticks in the larvae or nymph stages can be very small – they might look like just a black dot.
Unless you are allergic to ticks, there is no need to see a doctor. Remove the tick as safely and quickly as possible and keep an eye out for symptoms of tick-related illnesses (see below). Don't scratch or pick at the tick.
If you are allergic to ticks, it is best to have a doctor remove the tick. You should have your emergency adrenaline autoinjector on hand and go to the nearest emergency department.
Remember that symptoms of other illnesses caused by the tick can develop or become worse after the tick has been removed.
Some people develop a serious allergy to meat and products containing gelatin after they have had a tick bite, known as mammalian meat allergy. This will need to be diagnosed by a doctor who specialises in allergies (called an allergist or immunologist).
If you have mammalian meat allergy, you will need to avoid eating any form of meat at all and anything containing gelatin. Consider wearing a medical bracelet since you might also be allergic to some products used in hospitals.
If you are not allergic to ticks, you should remove the tick as soon as possible. Do not squeeze, agitate or forcibly remove the tick since it will be more likely to inject its saliva into you.
First, kill the tick by spraying it with a product that contains ether. Hold the ether containing spray about 1cm above the tick and spray the tick 5 times.
The tick should die and drop off in about 5 minutes. After a few minutes, check to see if the tick is still moving its legs, by using a magnifying glass. If the ticks legs are not moving it is dead.
If you don’t have a magnifying glass or the tick isn’t dead, spray the tick 5 times again.
If the tick does not drop off, or you can’t freeze the tick, leave the tick in place and seek urgent medical assistance to remove the tick.
Do not jerk or twist the tick. Don't use methylated spirits, kerosene, petroleum jelly, nail polish, oil or alcohol, or use a lighted match. These don't work and may cause the tick to burrow deeper into your skin.
If you are allergic to ticks, do not try to remove the tick — kill it with a spray that contains ether. Follow the advice on your ASCIA action plan. If it's your first allergic reaction, go straight to a hospital emergency department. If you have had allergic reactions before, talk to your doctor about how to remove the tick and whether you will need to see a doctor every time. Always carry your adrenaline autoinjector.
Watch this video from the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) on how to safely remove a tick.
When should I see my doctor?
See your doctor if you can't remove a tick properly and part of it is still left in your skin. You should also see a doctor if you develop signs of an infection, such as:
- increasing pain, swelling and redness
- red streaks leading from the area
- pus
- fever
Tick bites can sometimes cause other illnesses such as rickettsia infections, Queensland tick typhus, Flinders Island spotted fever and possibly Lyme disease or Lyme disease-like conditions. However, whether these are linked to a tick-born illness in Australia is still being investigated.
See your doctor if you have had a tick bite and you experience any of these symptoms for more than a week:
- flu-like symptoms
- a new rash
- pain in your joints
- tiredness
How can I prevent tick bites?
- Keep your skin covered in areas where there might be ticks. Wear a long-sleeved shirt, tuck your trousers into your socks and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Avoid bush and long grass, especially after rain.
- Use an insect repellent that contains DEET or picaridin.
- You can put an insecticide that contains permethrin onto your clothes.
- Brush your clothes and check your skin for ticks when you come inside.
- Place clothes in a hot dryer for 20 minutes to kill ticks.