PATHWAY 01 urgent
I just found one
A tick on you, on a kid, or on the dog. Don't panic — there is a right way and a wrong way to remove it.
How to remove a tick safely →Vol. I · Issue 4 · May 2026 · Michigan edition
A field guide to ticks
in your part of the country.
Identify the species, remove the bite, protect the dog, treat the yard — without the alarmism. Reviewed by a medical doctor and a veterinarian. Sources cited.
Build my tick kit
or jump to tick identification
5 U.S. species · 50 state guides · 11 articles · medically & veterinarily reviewed
Find your pathway
What brought you here today?
PATHWAY 02
I have a dog
Prevention products, weekly tick checks, what to do after a bite, and the truth about isoxazolines.
Best flea & tick prevention for dogs → PATHWAY 03
I'm going outside
Permethrin on clothing, picaridin on skin, gaiters in the woods. Plus what to skip.
Best tick repellent for humans → PATHWAY 04
My yard has them
Habitat changes do most of the work. Sprays and tubes are second-line. Real evidence, real tradeoffs.
How to keep ticks out of your yard →Tick Watch · curated
What's changed lately
5 items, hand-picked from CDC, FDA, EPA, state health, and university extension. Editorial team approves each.
● recallMay 21, 2026
Manufacturer recall on a topical dog spot-on tick preventive (lot-specific).
FDA Animal & Veterinary
advisoryMay 19, 2026
Updated EPA repellent guidance: picaridin 20% added to recommended-for-children list.
EPA Insect Repellents
season alertMay 15, 2026
Blacklegged nymph activity now confirmed in 14 Upper Midwest counties.
CDC TickNET surveillance
researchMay 09, 2026
Lone star tick range expansion documented along New England coastal corridor.
Journal of Medical Entomology
label changeMay 02, 2026
Isoxazoline class label updated with revised neurological adverse-event language.
FDA CVM
Where ticks are right now
National overview, updated weekly
A composite of CDC TickNET, state health surveillance, and university extension reports. Hover any region to read the species mix, peak window, and dominant disease context for that area.
REGIONAL OVERVIEW MAP
PLACEHOLDER · commission
U.S. tick activity overview · {month/year}
CDC TickNET + state surveillance + extension reports
SRC · composite — multiple state agencies
Cluster · Tick basics
The five U.S. ticks worth knowing
Each species is identified from commissioned macro photographs, sized against a scale bar, cross-referenced with extension & CDC sources, and reviewed by an entomologist.
I
MACRO · BLACKLEGGED
3–5 mm
Blacklegged
Ixodes scapularis
Lyme-associated. Northeast + Upper Midwest. Hardest to spot as a nymph.
Identify →
II
MACRO · WESTERN BLACKLEG
2–4 mm
Western blackleg
Ixodes pacificus
Pacific Coast counterpart. Oak woodlands and chaparral.
Identify →
III
MACRO · AMERICAN DOG
3–5 mm
American dog
Dermacentor variabilis
Ornate scutum. RMSF-associated. Across most of the U.S.
Identify →
IV
MACRO · LONE STAR
3–4 mm
Lone star
Amblyomma americanum
Single pale dot on adult female. Alpha-gal-associated. Expanding north.
Identify →
V
MACRO · BROWN DOG
2–3 mm
Brown dog
Rhipicephalus sang.
Survives indoors. Kennel and home infestations.
Identify →★ THE CORE TOOL
Build a tick kit for your
state, your pet, your yard.
Six questions, two minutes. We start with your state, your situation, and who needs protection — then route around the things that would actually hurt you. Save the result.
Start the quiz ~2 min · no signup required
EXAMPLE OUTPUT · ACREAGE OWNER, MISSOURI
- ESSENTIALFine-tipped tweezers · Tick Check Checklist
- USEFULTick tubes · permethrin clothing spray
- SITUATIONALYard-spray category · regional lone-star briefing
- SUPPRESSEDCat-toxicity rules removed permethrin spot-ons.
The trust standard
What every page on this site carries
01
Named human author
No anonymous bylines. Author bio, credentials, and prior published pieces on every byline page.
02
Medical or vet reviewer
Tier-2 medical, Tier-3 veterinary. Reviewer name, credentials, and last-reviewed date visible above the fold.
03
Primary sources cited
CDC, EPA, state health, university extension, peer-reviewed. Inline citations, not a footer link dump.
04
FTC disclosure first
Affiliate links appear only after the answer. Never inside symptom, removal, or veterinary copy.