The Tick App: Studying human behavior, tick exposure and the risk of Lyme disease using a citizen science approach via a smartphone application.

picture titled The Tick App has a picture of the app open on a cell phone
Concerned about ticks? Download The Tick App for free to join our research efforts and report your tick encounters.

If you have heard any NYS IPM Program staff talk about ticks, you have probably heard us mention that there is a lot we don’t know about ticks. Or exactly how our actions impact our risk of getting a tick-borne disease. So it is with great pleasure that we announce that we have partnered with the Diuk-Wasser lab at Columbia University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison who created The Tick App.

By downloading the app through GooglePlay or the AppStore, you will have access to information about:

  • ticks biology and identification
  • tick activity in your area
  • tick prevention
  • how to remove a tick

It will also help you identify ticks that you find through the Report a Tick button.screen shots from The Tick App

That’s a lot of information at your fingertips. The most important part of the app, however, is the daily log where you share with the team how you spent your time, what steps you took to prevent tick encounters (if any), and if you found a tick on you, a family member, or a pet. Your information is confidential and will only be shared as aggregated data based on zip code.

I have been using the app for two years and have made entering my data a daily routine, along with my daily tick check. It takes only minutes to complete.

The more people entering data, the better the team will be able to connect the dots between what we do and how that brings us in contact with ticks. We will then be able to better create recommendations to keep New Yorkers safe.

And there’s no better time as The Tick App is launching the #BattleOfTheDailyLog this June, pitching NY against other northeast and midwest states. C’mon New York! We can do this!

Don’t worry. We’ll still continue to provide tick information through the Don’t Get Ticked NY Campaign via our website, blog posts, and presentations.