The deer tick or black legged tick inhabits the eastern 2/3rds of the US, and its close relative, Ixodes pacificus, is found on the west coast. These ticks are the main vectors of Lyme disease, human anaplasmosis and babesiosis. Lyme disease signs and symptoms include a ring-shaped rash at the point of the bite, which usually appears within a few days to a month after the bite. They prefer wooded areas, feeding on a wide variety of birds, mice, deer, domestic animals and man. They are a 3-host tick, the adult reaching only the size of a sesame seed.