Lone Star Ticks. Alpha-Gal, Diseases and Ohio Range

Go by size and place. An unfed adult female lone star tick is about 3/16 inch long. A fed female swells to about 7/16 inch.¹ That makes her larger than an unfed blacklegged female at about 3/32 inch.¹

CDC calls it a very aggressive tick that bites humans. Nymphs and adult females bite people most often and spread disease.² The tick is widely distributed in the Northeast, South and Midwest.³

Save the tick in alcohol or a sealed container so you can have it identified. Compare it with the Ohio ticks in the ticks and fleas hub and the blacklegged tick guide.

Like every tick, the lone star goes through egg, six-legged larva, eight-legged nymph and eight-legged adult, and it must feed on blood at each stage after the egg.¹ All stages are active throughout the warm months in Ohio.¹

White-tailed deer are a keystone host. CDC says the tick reached across the eastern United States by the 1750s, receded as forest was cleared and deer declined, then returned as deer numbers recovered after the 1940s.²

That history explains the spread. More deer meant more lone star ticks, and the tick has repopulated its historical range.² Some counties change status only because they were sampled for the first time, so do not read a new map color as proof the tick moved.²

You will usually find the tick before you feel sick.

• A larger tick attached to skin after time in shady areas, woods or meadows.
• A rash or fever in the weeks after a bite.⁶
• Hives, itching, stomach pain or swelling hours after eating red meat or dairy, which can be alpha-gal syndrome.⁴
• Symptoms that start weeks to months after the bite.⁴

Alpha-gal reactions come hours after the meal, not right away, so people often miss the link. If you get hives or stomach pain 2 to 6 hours after red meat or dairy, tell a doctor about any tick bites.⁴

Alpha-gal syndrome is the big one. It is a potentially life-threatening allergy that can occur after a tick bite, with symptoms such as hives, vomiting, severe stomach pain, trouble breathing and anaphylaxis. Reactions usually start 2 to 6 hours after red meat or dairy, and can also come from products like gelatin-coated medicines.⁴

CDC counted 90,018 positive alpha-gal tests among 295,400 people tested from 2017 to 2022. It estimates that 96,000 to 450,000 people in the United States may have been affected since 2010.⁵ Suspected cases are mostly in areas where the lone star tick is established or reported.⁵

The lone star tick can also transmit ehrlichiosis, southern tick-associated rash illness, tularemia and Q fever.¹ Ohio State ties Lyme disease to blacklegged ticks, not lone star ticks.¹

Remove the tick fast and do it right. Grip it as close to the skin as you can with fine-tipped tweezers, then pull straight out with steady pressure. Do not twist, and do not use petroleum jelly, heat or nail polish.⁶

Clean the bite and your hands. Seal the tick in a container, wrap it tightly in tape, flush it or drop it in alcohol. Do not crush it with your fingers.⁶

See a doctor if you get a rash or fever. Tick testing is generally not recommended.⁶ If you get hives or stomach pain after a steak or a glass of milk, tell your doctor about the bite, and go to the ER for a severe reaction.⁴

For the yard, mow and remove brush, leaf litter and tall weeds, and remove rodents near the house.¹ A pro spray works best on shady edges where the grass meets woods.

A one-time yard tick treatment costs $100 to $500, with a national average of $200. A full-season package of 5 to 6 visits from April to September costs $200 to $450.⁹

Prices by yard size are $100 to $200 up to a quarter acre, $150 to $350 from a quarter to one acre, and $300 to $500 or more above one acre.⁹ Monthly seasonal visits run $40 to $80.⁹

Yard size is the main driver. Tick species, terrain and wooded borders matter too.⁹ Ask any pro which ticks they target and where they spray.

Use the same steps that work for every Ohio tick.

• Use a repellent with at least 25 percent DEET on skin and permethrin on clothes only.¹
• Wear light-colored long sleeves and pants and tuck pants into socks.¹
• Stay on paths and away from tall grass and weeds.¹
• Check yourself and your pets after being outside.¹
• Mow and clear brush and leaf litter so deer and rodent hosts lose cover.¹
• Remove ticks promptly, because prompt removal reduces infection risk.¹

Ohio State says all lone star tick stages are active throughout the warm months.¹ The grid reflects that, rising in spring, peaking in summer and fading in fall.

Check for ticks after outdoor time from spring through the warm months. The nymph and adult female stages bite people most.²

Alpha-gal syndrome adds a twist. The reaction can show up weeks to months after a bite, so a late-summer bite can mean a winter allergy.⁴ For California, CDC's range for this tick does not name the state, so no grid is shown.³

Ohio State calls the lone star tick a serious pest, especially in southern Ohio. Unfed females are about 3/16 inch long.¹ CDC puts the tick across the Northeast, South and Midwest, and says its range has rebuilt as white-tailed deer returned.^2,3

CDC's alpha-gal map shows the highest prevalence in a nearly contiguous band that includes Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. Those states are close to Ohio, but the CDC article does not mention Ohio.⁵

Ohio law requires pest management companies to be licensed through the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Ask for the license, proof of insurance and workers' compensation, and get at least three bids.¹⁰

Also see the blacklegged tick guide for the Ohio Lyme tick.

Here is what the sources say, and nothing more. CDC describes the lone star tick as widely distributed in the Northeast, South and Midwest. California is not named for this tick.³ California's health department poster of common ticks lists the western blacklegged tick, Pacific Coast tick, American dog tick and brown dog tick. The lone star tick is not on it.⁸

For alpha-gal in the West, a CDC journal report describes one Washington patient whose reactions followed Ixodes pacificus bites. It says evidence linking alpha-gal syndrome to bites from ticks found in the western United States is lacking.⁷

California pest companies are licensed by branch. Branch 2 covers household pests without fumigation.¹¹ See the blacklegged tick guide for the California Lyme tick.