A Species Of Tick That’s New To New Jersey Was Just Found Here

We're all familiar with the deer tick that carries the potentially deadly Lyme disease.

You've probably heard of the dog tick, too.

But, the bat tick?

Yes, the bat tick.

Bat ticks haven't been a problem in New Jersey, with no specimens being found in the Garden State before. That is, until now.

In multiple articles this week, the Rutgers Center for Vector Biology says that the pests have been found in a number of New Jersey counties for the first time since last year.

The discovery brings the number of states where bat ticks have been found to 29.

The Rutgers study says that the pests that are found on bats (just in case you hadn't figured that part out yet) can carry microbes that can pose a health risk to both animals and humans as well.

If this story seems familiar, by the way, it's eerily similar to one that we brought you only two years ago when the longhorned tick was discovered in our neck of the woods for the first time ever.

The new discovery of the bat tick here in the Garden State brings the number of tick species that have been spotted and confirmed in New Jersey to a full dozen.

The new discovery also comes just as we're getting into peak tick season, too.

This would definitely be a good time to make sure that you're stocked up on bug spray for yourself and your family as well as a good tick preventative for your pets, too.

You can click here for more on the Rutgers bat tick report from the Philadelphia Inquirer.