Know your ticks

Ticks are small blood-feeding relatives of spiders. Most UK species stay in nests and burrows, but a few wait on vegetation for a passing dog or walker. Here is how to tell them apart and stay safe.

When ticks are active

Ticks are most active from March to October, but can feed on mild winter days. Choose a place and year to see when sightings were reported there.

PlaceYear

No sightings were reported in the UK in 2024.

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Avoiding bites

Out walking

Keep to clear paths and avoid brushing through long grass and bracken.
Wear long trousers tucked into socks, in a light colour so ticks are easy to spot.
Use an insect repellent; products containing DEET work best on skin and clothes.

Back home

Check yourself, children and pets when you get home. Children are often bitten around the hairline and scalp.
Brush off clothing and pets before going indoors.
Ask your vet about tick treatments for dogs and cats, especially in spring and autumn.

Removing a tick

Use a tick-removal tool or fine-tipped tweezers. Don't use eyebrow tweezers, which can squash the tick.
Grip the tick as close to the skin as you can.
Pull upwards slowly and steadily, without twisting hard or crushing it.
Clean the bite with antiseptic, or soap and water.

Contact your GP or NHS 111 if you feel unwell with flu-like symptoms, or notice a round or oval rash, within three months of a bite. Tell them you may have been bitten.

Species guide

The species found in the sighting data, most reported first. Many look alike, so if you're not sure, report it as “Unknown species”.

Passerine tick Ixodes frontalis

226 sightings in the data

Looks like: A small Ixodes tick, usually seen attached to a bird's head.
Feeds on: Songbirds, picked up while feeding on the ground under roosts.
Found in: England, with newer records in Wales.
Why it matters: Sometimes bites people, and is linked to a bleeding disorder in birds.

Fox/badger tick Ixodes canisuga

210 sightings in the data

Looks like: Small and reddish-brown, with no markings on its shield.
Feeds on: Badgers, foxes and pet dogs.
Found in: Widespread across the UK. It lives mostly in dens rather than out in vegetation.
Why it matters: Mainly a pest of dogs and wildlife.

Southern rodent tick Ixodes acuminatus

192 sightings in the data

Looks like: A small Ixodes tick; hard to tell from its relatives without a microscope.
Feeds on: Small rodents such as mice and voles.
Found in: Rodent burrows, mainly in southern England, including Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly.
Why it matters: Rarely meets people or pets because it stays in burrows.

Tree-hole tick Ixodes arboricola

186 sightings in the data

Looks like: A small Ixodes tick, usually found engorged on birds.
Feeds on: Birds that nest in tree holes, such as great and blue tits.
Found in: Tree holes and nest boxes, mostly in England, with a few records in Wales and Scotland.
Why it matters: Very rarely meets people or pets.

Marsh tick Ixodes apronophorus

186 sightings in the data

Looks like: A small Ixodes tick that is hard to tell from its relatives without a microscope.
Feeds on: Water voles (and, in the past, coypu).
Found in: Wetlands. UK records come from Kent, the Norfolk Broads and Wicken Fen.
Why it matters: A rare wetland tick that seldom meets people or pets.

Other ticks found in the UK (7)

Sheep tick Ixodes ricinus

Looks like: Dark reddish-brown with a small black shield behind the head. Unfed adults are about 3 mm; nymphs are the size of a poppy seed.
Feeds on: Almost anything: deer, sheep, small mammals, birds, dogs and people.
Found in: The UK's most widespread tick: woodland, heath, moorland, rough grassland and urban parks.
Why it matters: The main UK carrier of the bacteria behind Lyme disease, and of tick-borne encephalitis virus.

Hedgehog tick Ixodes hexagonus

Looks like: Similar to the sheep tick, but its shield is six-sided, which gives it its Latin name.
Feeds on: Hedgehogs, and an important parasite of pet cats and dogs.
Found in: Wherever hedgehogs live, including gardens and towns.
Why it matters: Common on pets, and reports of it biting people are increasing.

Seabird tick Ixodes uriae

Looks like: An Ixodes tick specialised for seabirds, rarely seen away from their colonies.
Feeds on: Colonial seabirds such as puffins and guillemots.
Found in: Seabird colonies on cliffs and islands.
Why it matters: Can bite people who visit or work at colonies.

Ornate cow tick Dermacentor reticulatus

Looks like: The easiest UK tick to recognise: its shield has a pale, enamel-like pattern. Also called the ornate dog tick.
Feeds on: Sheep and cattle, and occasionally dogs and people.
Found in: Mostly Wales and south-west England, and recently established in Essex.
Why it matters: Can carry canine babesiosis, a serious blood disease in dogs, which has caused a UK outbreak.

Red sheep tick Haemaphysalis punctata

Looks like: Reddish-brown, with no eyes and a short, broad mouth.
Feeds on: Sheep, cattle and other livestock, and birds.
Found in: Coastal grassland, mainly in southern and eastern England and Wales.
Why it matters: Mostly a livestock tick. It can carry blood parasites of cattle and sheep.

Brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Looks like: Plain reddish-brown with a six-sided base to its mouthparts.
Feeds on: Dogs, almost exclusively.
Found in: Not established outdoors in the UK. It arrives on dogs that have travelled and can infest homes and kennels.
Why it matters: Carries serious dog diseases from abroad. Check dogs carefully after travel.

Pigeon tick Argas reflexus

Looks like: A soft tick: flat, oval and leathery, with no hard shield.
Feeds on: Pigeons.
Found in: Pigeon roosts in buildings.
Why it matters: Can bite people living near abandoned roosts.

Sources

This page is general information, not medical or veterinary advice.