Long Island’s Eastern End Tick Population Moving Disease Threats West

Experts: Long Island’s Eastern End Tick Population Moving Disease Threats West

(LONG ISLAND, NY) The tick population on Long Island is changing from the Deer Tick also known as the Black Legged Tick, to a lesser known species called the “Lone Star Tick”. Although the Lone Star Tick does not carry Lyme disease, it is known to carry other bacteria that is similar to Lyme disease, said Laura C. Harrington, Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology at Cornell University. “The Lone Star tick is increasing as far as complaints go on Long Island,” she said. “It’s different from the deer tick in that it attacks en masse and people often think they have chiggers, but chiggers are not prevalent in this part of the state.” Read more