Tag: tick prevention Nantucket

ticks | Nantucket, MA
Island Science

Island Risks of Lone Star Ticks & Alpha Gal

I first encountered lone star ticks on Tuckernuck Island in 2015. I had one adult female hitchhike back to Nantucket on me. At the time, it was only the second report from Nantucket with many more known from Tuckernuck. Of course, it was just a matter of time before Nantucket, and all of its available habitat, became the next place for lone star ticks to populate. Since then, lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) have established and become dominant in parts of Nantucket starting in the western end and are now found throughout the island. And, yes, they are found all the way to the eastern end.