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Blacklegged Tick Habitat <br />Where do we find blacklegged ticks? <br />• Blacklegged ticks live in wooded, brushy areas that provide food and cover for white-footed mice, <br />deer and other mammals. <br />■ This habitat also provides the humidity ticks need to survive. <br />• Exposure to ticks may be greatest in the woods (especially along trails) and the fringe area between <br />the woods and border. <br />• Blacklegged ticks search for a host from the tips of low-lying vegetation and shrubs, not from trees. <br />■ Generally, ticks attach to a person or animal near ground level. <br />• Blacklegged ticks crawl; they do not jump or fly. They grab onto people or animals that brush against <br />vegetation, and then they crawl upwards to find a place to bite. <br />• White-tailed deer live throughout Minnesota, but blacklegged ticks are not found everywhere that <br />deer live. <br />What can be done to control tick populations? <br />There are measures you can take to reduce the number of ticks around your home. In general, drier <br />conditions mean fewer blacklegged ticks: <br />• Keep lawns mowed, brush trimmed, and leaf litter away from the home. <br />• Keep trails or paths in wooded areas on your property clear of vegetation. <br />• For more information: <br />Minnesota Ticks and Their Control <br />Minnesota Extension Service, U of MN <br />Attention: Non-MDH link <br />• Tick Management Handbook (PDF: 7,153KB/71 a es <br />Tick management handbook with information on protecting yourself from ticks, The Connecticut <br />Agricultural Experiment Station, Attention: Large file advisory, this document may load slowly. Non- <br />MDH link <br />Tick Photos <br />Blacklegaed Tick <br />Iowa State's Deer Tick page has photos of the female, male, nymph and larva. <br />Attention: Non-MDH link <br />• American Dog Tick (often called "Wood Tick" in Minnesota <br />Iowa State Entomology Image Gallery <br />Attention: Non-MDH link <br />