What to Do If You're Bitten by a Tick in New York City

A cold winter has failed to protect New Yorkers from ticks, which bit large numbers of people in New York City and the Northeast in March. Lohud tells you what to do if you are attacked by this tiny parasite.

Ticks are a nuisance to people and dogs who venture outdoors as conditions slowly warm up after a cold winter. Together, human behavior, weather, and population trends of these dangerous arthropods determine rates of diseases like Lyme disease.

Tick ​​Season 2025

In March 2025, emergency departments in the north-east saw 53 tick bite visits per 100 routine visits. This is higher than the average for that month in the previous nine years (000 visits per 48).

Current figures for bites from these parasites in March may increase as additional reports are completed. The figure is already the fifth highest in the past nine years.

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Information about bites April's tick counts reflect the severity of the current season. Historically warm winters in New York City in recent years have helped the arachnids survive the current season. The warming climate has allowed tick populations to thrive, including an explosion in the population of one of their primary sources of parasitism: deer.

What do ticks look like?

The three most common species in New York are the American dog tick, the lone star tick and the black-legged tick, state health officials said.

The latter carries the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, as well as the microbes that cause babesiosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis. Young black-legged ticks are brown and about the size of a poppy seed. Adult females are red-black, and males are black. Adult black-legged ticks are about the size of a sesame seed.

American dog ticks carry the bacteria that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They are reddish-brown and larger than black-legged ticks. The two species are most active in the spring, early summer, and fall.

How to remove a tick

When you find a parasite on your body, the first thing you should do is try to safely delete it. To do this:

• Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible;
• Pull upward with a constant, even force. Do not twist or tug the tick - this may cause its tentacles to break off and remain in the skin. In this case, remove them with tweezers. If you do not succeed, do not irritate the skin even more and let it heal;
• After removing the tick, thoroughly wipe the bite site and your hands with alcohol or soap and water.