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Ticks in New Hampshire

Common species, seasonal activity, exposure scenarios, what to do after a bite, and the state’s tick-identification options. Sourced from the state conservation + health + extension agencies.

Common species in New Hampshire

New Hampshire follows the shared source pattern. The species below are drawn from the state-authority sources listed in the sidebar Data Row.

III
4-6 mm
Macro photo of an unfed adult american dog tick with a millimeter scale
American dog tick
Dermacentor variabilis
Identify →
IV
4-6 mm
Macro photo of an unfed adult lone star tick with a millimeter scale
Lone star tick
Amblyomma americanum
Identify →
V
3-4 mm
Macro photo of an unfed adult brown dog tick with a millimeter scale
Brown dog tick
Rhipicephalus sanguineus
Identify →
SECONDARY
EMERGING WATCH

When ticks are most active

Blacklegged tick: nymph activity May through July is the highest-risk window for human Lyme exposure, with adult activity in spring and fall. American dog tick: most active spring through mid-summer, with May to early July as the practical peak. Broad prevention caution spring through fall, with adult blacklegged tick activity continuing on any day above freezing.

Status:source caveated editorial

Where you're most likely to encounter ticks

White Mountain and southern NH forests, wooded and grassy trail edges, low forest vegetation along leaf litter, stone walls and brushy yard edges, dog walking, hiking, hunting, and yard/garden work near woods.

Disease context

Each disease named below carries an evidence tag per the Data Row policy. Pills indicate the strength of state-specific evidence, not the severity of the disease. Symptoms should always be routed to a clinician; this is orientation, not diagnosis.

  • Lyme diseasestate surveillance confirmed
  • Anaplasmosisstate surveillance confirmed
  • Babesiosisstate surveillance confirmed
  • Powassan virus diseasestate surveillance confirmed
  • Ehrlichiosisregional pattern
  • Rocky Mountain spotted fevernon diagnostic mention only
  • Tularemianon diagnostic mention only
  • Borrelia miyamotoi diseaseregional pattern
  • Alpha-gal syndromeregional pattern

If you find a tick — what to do

Tick-ID program status:no state id program

Map resolution notes

mixed resolution.NH DHHS, UNH Extension, and CDC sources support state-level and some regional statements, but not all species, disease, density, or expansion claims are county-supported. Use county-level claims only where an official county-level source supports that exact field; keep general species/range claims at state or regional level when the source resolution is broader.

State sources

Primary species source
NH DHHS Bureau of Infectious Disease Control tick and tickborne disease pages for state species framing; UNH Cooperative Extension tick resources for seasonal, habitat, and expansion nuance.
Primary health source
NH DHHS tickborne disease pages and clinician reference materials for disease and clinician-routing context; CDC tickborne disease pages for national context.
Primary extension source
UNH Cooperative Extension tick fact sheets and yard/landscape guidance for species activity, habitat, prevention, and removal detail.
Surveillance
NH DHHS tickborne disease surveillance summaries, CDC NNDSS for Lyme/anaplasmosis/babesiosis/Powassan counts, CDC Where Ticks Live, and UNH Extension tick resources where map or surveillance context is used.