How to Identify Ticks and Distinguish Them From Lookalike Bugs

Ticks vs Lookalikes - How to Tell the Difference

Ticks are small parasitic organisms that feed on the blood of mammals, birds, and reptiles. When you spend time outdoors in tick habitat, it's important to check your skin and clothing for any attached ticks. However, there are many other bugs that resemble ticks, so how do you know exactly what's on you?

Learning to identify ticks and distinguish them from lookalikes allows you to respond appropriately. True tick bites may require medical attention, while similar bugs are merely nuisances. Here is a guide to recognizing ticks and the most common tick mimics.

What Do Ticks Look Like?

Ticks go through four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. The larvae and nymphs are extremely small (the size of a poppy seed or pencil point). Adults range from 3-5mm when unfed, swelling up to 10-20mm after attaching and feeding on a blood meal host.

Ticks have eight legs like spiders, but their body shape is unique. Their oval bodies are flattened and headless when unfed, expanding into a rounded sac as they fill with blood. Their mouths have visible barbed feeding parts.

Common Tick Species

While all ticks have a generally similar look, common tick species include:

• Blacklegged tick - Deer tick that spreads Lyme disease. Small with black legs and reddish body.
• Lone star tick - Aggressive biter found in the Southern US. Named for white spot on females.
• American dog tick - Common in Eastern US and Rocky Mountains. Brown body with spotted abdomen.
• Rocky Mountain wood tick - Western US tick that spreads Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Dark brown body with pale stripes.
• Brown dog tick - Feeds on dogs but will bite humans. Reddish-brown color all over.
• Gulf Coast tick - Common in Southern coastal states. Active year-round. Brown with white markings on back.

Where Are Ticks Commonly Found?

Ticks reside in moist, humid environments in shady, wooded areas, tall grass, brush, and leaf litter. They cling to vegetation and wait for a potential host to brush by. Then they quickly climb aboard the passing animal or person.

When outdoors in tick-prone areas, be sure to wear repellent and protective clothing and check carefully for ticks after.

Bugs Often Mistaken for Ticks

Many small insects share superficial similarities with ticks but are harmless rather than parasitic. Learn to recognize these tick lookalikes:

Spider Beetles

Spider beetles are tiny oval-bodied beetles with long spindly legs. Their body shape and dark coloration cause them to resemble ticks. However, beetles have six legs rather than eight and have visible heads with antennae.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are wingless, flat-bodied insects that feed on human blood, leaving itchy red welts like tick bites. However, bed bugs have six legs and rounder, segment-shaped bodies rather than the oval shape of ticks.

Fleas

Fleas are tiny, dark-colored insects that also feed on animal blood. They have six legs and can jump long distances, unlike ticks. Their bodies are completely round and lack the flattened, elongated shape of ticks.

Mites

Mites are extremely tiny relatives of spiders and ticks. Some mites attach to animals and bite, causing itching and skin irritation. Mites only have six or eight legs though, while ticks have eight legs.

Lone Star Nymphs

Lone star tick nymphs look nearly identical to spiders, with oval bodies and six legs. However, all tick nymphs are extremely small, the size of a poppy seed or pencil point. Spider bodies are typically larger.

Clover Mites

Clover mites are reddish eight-legged mites that feed on plants, not animals. They crawl onto surfaces in homes in large numbers. Although they resemble ticks, they don't attach to bite. Their bodies are rounder than the elongated shape of ticks.

Chiggers

Chiggers are six-legged red mites that attach to skin and inject enzymes that destroy cells. This causes intensely itchy welts. They look like reddish ticks on the skin but have different body structures.

Scabies Mites

Scabies mites burrow into human skin and cause severe itching and rashes that resemble tick bites. But these mites are microscopic in size, too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Spider Mites

Spider mites are nearly invisible pests that attack plants, damaging leaves and killing them. They aren't parasites. Under magnification, their oval bodies and eight legs can resemble ticks but they are much smaller.

How to Safely Remove and Identify Ticks

If you find something attached to your skin that could be a tick, remove it carefully for identification:

1. Use fine-tipped tweezers and grasp the tick close to the skin surface.
2. Pull upward slowly and steadily without twisting until the tick releases its bite hold.
3. Kill the tick by placing it in rubbing alcohol or flushing it down the toilet.
4. Clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water.
5. Inspect the tick closely to identify the species and life stage.
6. Contact your doctor if concerned about possible tickborne diseases.

Identifying characteristics like markings, size, and number of legs will help distinguish ticks from other arthropods. Your doctor can also test for tickborne diseases if needed.

Protecting Yourself From Ticks

Preventing tick bites in the first place is the best line of defense. Here are some key tick safety precautions:

• Wear light-colored clothing so you can spot ticks more easily.
• Tuck pants into socks and shirt into pants to keep ticks on the outside of clothing.
• Use permethrin insecticide on clothes and gear for extra repellency.
• Walk in the center of trails to avoid overgrown vegetation.
• Apply EPA-registered tick repellent such as DEET or picaridin.
• Perform regular tick checks when outdoors and immediately after coming inside.
• Shower and wash clothes promptly when home to rinse off unattached ticks.
• Keep lawns mowed, leaves raked, and brush trimmed to reduce tick habitat.

What to Do About Possible Tick Bites

If you find an embedded tick, first have it identified if possible. True tick bites warrant medical attention:

• Monitor for symptoms like rash, fever, chills, fatigue or joint pain for 30 days.
• Save the tick in a plastic bag or jar for possible testing.
• Contact your doctor to discuss testing and treatment options.
• Common tests look for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
• Antibiotics can treat tickborne diseases, especially when given promptly after a bite.

By knowing how to identify ticks and protect yourself, you can enjoy the outdoors with more peace of mind. Quickly remove and identify any suspicious bugs to determine if medical care is required.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.