Late March is when it starts. Not in July when you're thinking about it — now, as soon as daytime temperatures hit the 40s and 50s. The blacklegged tick, the species that transmits Lyme disease, becomes active at 35°F. By the time most New Yorkers realize tick season has arrived, they've already been walking through prime habitat for weeks.

New York City has a real and documented tick problem. This is not a suburban issue that occasionally bleeds into the boroughs. Ticks are established, year-round residents across all five boroughs, and Lyme disease cases tied to in-city exposure have been confirmed by the NYC Department of Health.

Here's what you need to know heading into the most active stretch of the year.

Where the Ticks Actually Are

Every borough has tick habitat. The misunderstanding is that "ticks = woods," but in New York City, ticks are also found in unmaintained grass along fence lines, in ivy and ground cover, in leaf litter in backyards, and along trail edges in parks that see regular foot traffic.

Staten Island has the highest tick density of any borough. The Staten Island Greenbelt — over 3,000 acres of contiguous natural area — is documented tick habitat. The NYC Health Department has conducted tick dragging studies in the Greenbelt for years; the results consistently show established blacklegged tick populations with Lyme-positive individuals.

The Bronx has documented tick populations in Pelham Bay Park, the largest park in NYC, as well as in Van Cortlandt Park. Pelham Bay's salt marsh and woodland edges are exactly the habitat blacklegged ticks prefer.

Queens — Alley Pond Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and the Forest Hills area. Any green space with leaf litter and unmaintained edges is viable habitat. The Jamaica Bay corridor, managed by the National Park Service, has documented tick populations.

Brooklyn — Prospect Park, Marine Park, and the Salt Marsh edges near Canarsie. Prospect Park's Ravine — the only remaining forest in Brooklyn — has documented tick habitat.

Manhattan — Inwood Hill Park and the northern edge of Central Park. Lower density than the outer boroughs, but not zero.

The Species That Matter

Two ticks are responsible for most NYC health risk:

Blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) — also called the deer tick. This is the Lyme disease vector. It's also capable of transmitting anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus. Nymphs (the most dangerous life stage, because they're the size of a poppy seed) are most active May through July, but adults are active from now through early summer and again in fall.

American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) — larger and easier to see. Primary vector for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Less common than the blacklegged tick in NYC, but present.

What Lyme Disease Actually Looks Like

The classic presentation is the bullseye rash — a red, expanding ring around the bite site that appears 3 to 30 days after a tick bite. The rash is diagnostic. If you see it, see a doctor immediately. Early Lyme responds well to antibiotics. Late-stage Lyme — when it's been missed or untreated — involves joint pain, neurological symptoms, and cardiac issues that can persist for years.

About 20–30% of infected people do not develop the bullseye rash at all, which is why tick awareness and early removal matter more than waiting to see if a rash develops. If you find an attached tick and it has been feeding for more than 36–48 hours, contact your doctor. The 36-hour transmission window for Lyme is an important benchmark.

Tick Removal: One Method, Done Correctly

Use fine-tipped tweezers. Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure — no twisting, no jerking. Clean the bite area with alcohol or soap and water. Do not use petroleum jelly, heat, or any folk remedies that involve suffocating the tick.

The NYC Health Department recommends saving the tick in a sealed plastic bag with the date noted, in case symptoms develop and your doctor wants to send it for testing.

Protecting Yourself — Practical, Not Paranoid

Before you go outside:

After you come back:

For Dog Owners

Dogs are extremely efficient tick carriers. A dog that runs through tall grass in Pelham Bay can bring dozens of ticks back into your home. Talk to your vet about a tick preventive — oral or topical treatments are now highly effective. Check your dog after every outdoor excursion, especially around the ears, between the toes, and at the tail base.

Your Backyard Can Be Treated

If you have a yard with leaf litter, unmaintained edges, or areas where wildlife (deer, rabbits, raccoons) are present, you can significantly reduce the tick burden through:

Tick tubes — cardboard tubes filled with permethrin-treated cotton that mice use for nesting — interrupt the tick-mouse transmission cycle and can reduce tick populations on residential properties significantly over one to two seasons.

Where to Get More Information

The NYC Department of Health publishes tick surveillance data and borough-specific guidance at nyc.gov/health. The CDC's Lyme disease resources at cdc.gov/lyme are current and well-organized. If you want to have a tick identified or tested, the TickReport lab at UMass Amherst accepts mail-in samples.

Don't wait until July to start thinking about this. The season started this week.

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