This undated photo provided by Rutgers University shows three Longhorned ticks: from left, a fully engorged female, a partial engorged female, and an engorged nymph. A hardy, invasive species of tick that survived a New Jersey winter and subsequently traversed the mid-Atlantic has mysteriously arrived in Arkansas. No one is sure how the Longhorned tick, native to East Asia, arrived in the country, nor how it made its way to the middle of the continent. (Jim Occi/Rutgers University via AP)
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Public health and agriculture officials are warning New York residents, farms and visitors to take precautions outdoors as a new tick species has been found in the state.
The Departments of Health and Agriculture and Markets issued a warning Tuesday for an insect commonly known as the “longhorned tick,” which was recently discovered in multiple locations in Westchester County.
Health experts worked with researchers at Fordham University in the Bronx and at New York Medical College to identify the new species. The identifications were confirmed by researchers at Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Officials say the tick can also pose a threat to livestock. The tick is native to the Pacific region but has been found recently in New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Arkansas.
