San Mateo County: Nymphal Tick Surveillance

Entomology Report May 2007, San Mateo County Mosquito Abatement District

Testing nymphs, the juvenile stage, is an integral part of the Lyme disease surveillance program. Their extremely small, hard to see, size of this stage contributes to their role in transmission of Lyme disease. Nymphs are collected by dragging white flannel sheets over forest floors with dense leaf litter, the preferred habitat of nymphal ticks. Lab and field staff regularly monitor, collect, and test ticks in these areas to determine prevalence of Lyme disease in nymphal ticks. So far, surveys for nymphs have been carried out in Los Trancos Woods, Costanoa Resort in Pescadero, Skyline Ridge Open Space, Edgewood Park in Redwood City and Laurelwood Park in San Mateo.

Previous related entries:

San Mateo County: Tick Flagging with Santa Clara County Vector Control District, April 2007