A Lone Star tick is placed next to a dime for size comparison. The Lone Star carries several diseases, and its bite can cause a long-lasting allergy to red meat in some people. (Submitted photo / Joe Boggs)

We are seeing people in our clinic just about every week this summer with questions about ticks. Although ticks are active year around, even in the winter, this is the time of year when most tick encounters happen.

There are now five types of ticks found in Ohio. The four established Ohio ticks are the American dog tick, black-legged tick (also known as the deer tick), Lone Star tick and the uncommon brown dog tick.

The American dog tick can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

The black-legged tick is the one that carries Lyme disease, and it is a small tick and is usually found in wooded areas.

The Lone Star tick, which was once rare in Ohio, is now the most common tick in the southern part of the state. The Lone Star carries several diseases, and its bite can cause a long-lasting allergy to red meat in some people.

The brown dog tick is the only tick that can live indoors and is found around pets.

If you have had a tick on you, contact your medical provider for information on potential diseases.

The new tick in Ohio is the Asian longhorned tick. This is an invasive tick originally from Asia and was first found in the United States in 2017. This tick is so new it is not known if it can transmit human diseases in our country.

But the tick does have one superpower that can cause its population to explode — according to Cornell University, females of this tick can reproduce asexually (parthenogenetically). One female can produce thousands of new ticks in a single season dramatically increasing its population.

Ticks do not jump, fly or drop from trees. What they do is wait on the ground, on low shrubs or grass for a potential host (deer, dog, gardener or a hiker) to pass by. When something brushes against where the tick is, the tick moves to the host.

To protect yourself against ticks, an Ohio State University factsheet says to wear light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and to tuck your pant legs into your socks for extra protection. The light-colored clothing makes ticks easier to see.

Repellents also are part of your personal protection strategy. DEET is a common insect repellent, but to be effective against ticks, the percentage of DEET in a product must be at least 25 percent.

A product containing permethrin can be used to repel / kill ticks on your clothes, but don’t use it on your skin. A good repellent combination is Deet on exposed skin and permethrin on clothing. Read and follow all application directions on the products before using them.

To reduce the chances of ticks being around your home, mow any tall grass areas, trim back the shrubs and clean out any underbrush.

If you find a tick and want it identified, you can bring it to the Plant and Pest Clinic at the OSU Extension Office in Canfield.

For more information, The University of Rhode Island has an excellent website called TickEncounter at https://web.uri.edu/tickencounter/, or see our photos and details for removing at tick at http://go.osu.edu/ticks.

Sprague is an Ohio State University Mahoning County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.