Cases of babesiosis, a tick-borne illness, are on the rise throughout the northeast, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getty Images/Getty Images hide caption
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This photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a blacklegged tick, also known as a deer tick, a carrier of Lyme disease. James Gathany/AP hide caption
Six common types of adult female ticks. Top row, left to right: Lone Star, black-legged, Asian long-horned. Bottom row, left to right: Gulf Coast, American dog, Rocky Mountain wood (Top row, left to right) Public Health Image Library, Wikimedia Commons, James Gathany/CDC (Bottom row, left to right) Public Health Image Library, Patrick Gorring/iNaturalist, Public Health Image Library hide caption
Black-legged ticks carrying the bacterium that causes Lyme have been found in the coastal chaparrals surrounding California beaches. James Gathany/CDC via AP hide caption
Two ticks in their nymphal stage: At left, the longhorned tick, native to Asia and a recent arrival in the U.S. At right, the lone star tick, found in the eastern United States and in Mexico. Graham Hickling, Center for Wildlife Health, University of Tennessee hide caption
A blacklegged tick like this one can be hard to spot. Scott Camazine/Science Source hide caption
Time outdoors leaves you vulnerable to tick bites and the diseases they can transmit. New research seeks to a better picture of the geographic spread of ticks that carry dangerous pathogens. Ascent/PKS Media Inc. via Getty Images hide caption
"Don't come near me until the permethrin on your clothes has dried." Manuel Breva Colmeiro/Getty Images hide caption
When ticks come into contact with clothing sprayed with permethrin, research shows, they quickly become incapacitated and are unable to bite. Pearl Mak/NPR hide caption
To Repel Ticks, Try Spraying Your Clothes With A Pesticide That Mimics Mums
If you are bitten by a Lone Star tick, you could develop an unusual allergy to red meat. And as this tick's territory spreads beyond the Southeast, the allergy seems to be spreading with it. Robert Noonan/Science Source hide caption
Black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks, can carry Lyme disease. Kenneth H Thomas/Science Source/Getty Images hide caption
A tick nymph, or young tick, has dug its mouth into a human arm. Left to its own devices, this western blacklegged tick nymph will stay attached for three to four days, during which time it will drink enough blood to later molt and grow into an adult. Josh Cassidy/KQED hide caption
A tick grasping a dinosaur feather is preserved in 99 million-year-old amber from Myanmar. Peñalver et al/Nature Communications hide caption
Amber-Trapped Tick Suggests Ancient Bloodsuckers Feasted On Feathered Dinosaurs
The Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia in California includes a comprehensive collection of Pez dispensers. Flickr user Doctor Popular/Flickr Creative Commons hide caption
From Pez To Ticks, 'Atlas Obscura' Discovers 'Wonderfully Specific' Museums
The black-legged tick, ixodes scapularis, can spread Lyme disease. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images hide caption
The culprit: Lyme disease is caused by the bite of a blacklegged tick. Stephen Reiss for NPR hide caption
An Afghan boy carries a sheep on his shoulder at a livestock market on September 22, 2015, just ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Kabul. Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Reducing the number of deer ticks in a yard can reduce the risk of Lyme disease. But no strategies are a sure thing. Scott Bauer/USDA/Flickr hide caption
The black-legged tick can spread both species of bacteria known to cause Lyme disease. James Gathany/CDC hide caption
A mosquito lurks, eager to score some Halloween candy. Ben de la Cruz/NPR hide caption
The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) is spreading north, carrying bacteria with it. James Gathany/CDC hide caption
Scientists think the lone star tick (center) likely transmits Heartland disease to people. And the virus probably also circulates in deer and coyotes. iStockphoto; CDC; iStockphoto hide caption
An adult deer tick, or Ixodes scapularis. The taiga tick is nearly a clone — only a tick expert could tell the difference. Courtesy of Graham Hickling hide caption