Reviewed by William "Willy" Vizcarrondo, NYS DEC Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator C1825832. Updated September 23, 2026.
Short answer
Not yet, but act. Remove the tick right away with tweezers, write down the date, and watch the bite and how you feel for the next few weeks. Most bites don't lead to illness, and the CDC notes a blacklegged tick usually needs more than 24 hours of attachment to transmit Lyme disease. A rash or fever within several weeks is the signal to see a doctor.
Speed. The CDC notes that in most cases a tick must be attached for more than 24 hours before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted, so a tick you found after an afternoon outside and pulled off that evening is a low-risk bite. Get it out now, properly: fine-tipped tweezers close to the skin, steady pull, no twisting, no petroleum jelly or heat. Then look the tick over. A flat, small tick was probably attached a short time; a swollen, engorged one has been feeding for a day or more, and that's the one to mention to your doctor.
A rash, a fever, or feeling like you have the flu. The CDC lists fever as a symptom of every tickborne disease, along with headache, fatigue and muscle aches, and it notes that Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis and several others cause distinctive rashes. Rashes vary by disease and don't show up in everyone, so don't wait for one. The CDC's rule is simple: if you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor and tell them when the bite occurred and where you likely picked up the tick. Don't wait for a rash to be sure; fever and aches after a known bite are enough.
Skip the tick test, and ask your doctor about you. The CDC recommends against testing removed ticks: the labs aren't held to clinical standards, a positive tick doesn't mean you're infected, a negative one can be false reassurance, and symptoms usually show before results come back. Blood tests for Lyme in a person are a decision for your doctor based on symptoms, the tick, how long it was attached and where you were. On Long Island, that conversation is worth having early, because the New York State Department of Health notes babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are found most often here and in the lower Hudson Valley.
The nymph-stage blacklegged tick is the one people miss. The CDC describes it as about the size of a poppy seed and most active from April through July, which is exactly when Long Island yards, trails and ballfields are busiest. Check kids and pets after time outside, especially behind the knees, at the waistband, in the hair and around the ears. If you're finding ticks on people in your own yard, that's a yard problem, and Bobby Bugs treats yards across Nassau and Suffolk; tick work doesn't carry a guarantee, and the estimate is free.
Related
Judge by its size. A flat tick the size it was when it climbed on has been attached hours, not days. One that's rounded and swollen with blood has been feeding for a day or more. If you were outside once and checked that night, it's been on you less than a day.
That's a doctor's call. Call your doctor, describe the tick, how long it was attached and when you removed it, and let them decide whether any treatment is needed. Don't wait for symptoms to make that call if the tick was engorged.
No. Tickborne diseases spread through a bite, while the tick is feeding. A tick crawling on your clothes or skin that never attached can't infect you. Brush it off, and the CDC suggests a lint roller over skin and clothing to pick up ones you can't see.
Still not sure? Call (516) 509-6001 and we'll tell you what you're dealing with.