Study finds some ticks can survive weeks on home flooring

Ticks that hitchhike indoors on dogs or people may not die off quickly once they reach the floor. That’s the practical takeaway from a new Ohio State University study, published online March 13, 2026, in the Journal of Vector Ecology, showing that lone star ticks and Gulf Coast ticks can survive from roughly one to three weeks on common household flooring. (eurekalert.org)

The study addresses a familiar client question with data that had been largely missing: if a tick drops off in the house, how long can it remain a threat? Investigators tested five flooring types, tile, vinyl, wood, short-pile carpet, and long-pile carpet, under laboratory conditions. Overall, Gulf Coast ticks outlived lone star ticks on most surfaces, but lone star ticks survived longer on long-pile carpet, an unexpected finding the authors said may reflect a microenvironment that reduced water loss. (eurekalert.org)

The species-level details matter. In the study, mean survival for Gulf Coast ticks was 20.4 days on tile, 25.4 on vinyl, 16.1 on wood, 20.8 on short-pile carpet, and 10.4 on long-pile carpet. For lone star ticks, mean survival was 7.3 days on tile, 10.4 on vinyl, 12.2 on wood, 10.8 on short-pile carpet, and 14.9 on long-pile carpet. In total, researchers evaluated 180 ticks, 90 from each species. (bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com)

Ohio State researchers framed the work as a public health and veterinary prevention issue, not just an entomology curiosity. In the university announcement, first author Afsoon Sabet said ticks can pose a risk “even in the places you least expect,” and co-senior author Risa Pesapane said the goal is to reinforce that ticks brought into the home on pets or people “could be a risk.” The release also pointed to practical mitigation steps: use tick prevention products for people and pets, check animals carefully after exposure, and bag clothes or put them in the dryer after coming indoors. (eurekalert.org)

The broader backdrop is a changing tick landscape. Susan E. Little, DVM, PhD, DACVM, speaking with dvm360 in 2025, described a boom in tick populations over recent decades and stressed that “it’s always tick season” in many settings. At the same time, CDC and peer-reviewed surveillance reports have documented the expanding relevance of the two species examined here: lone star ticks are linked to human ehrlichiosis and STARI, while Gulf Coast ticks are an important vector of Rickettsia parkeri and have shown range expansion into parts of the Northeast. (dvm360.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, the study gives firmer footing for a message many already deliver: prevention shouldn’t stop at the clinic door. If a pet parent removes only attached ticks, or misses one crawling in the coat, that tick may remain viable in the home for days to weeks. That raises the stakes for consistent isoxazoline or other veterinarian-recommended prevention, thorough post-walk exams, and counseling that includes the home environment, especially in households with children, older adults, or immunocompromised family members. The findings may also help clinicians explain why year-round prevention remains reasonable even when clients think the main risk ends once the pet is back inside. (eurekalert.org)

The study has limits. It examined two species under laboratory conditions, not real-world homes with variable humidity, temperature, cleaning frequency, sunlight, or host access. Even so, the authors argue the core message is durable: indoor environments can support tick survival long enough to matter. For practices, that likely translates into more precise client education rather than alarm, with advice centered on prevention, prompt removal, laundering, and environmental awareness. (bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com)

What to watch: The next step is whether similar work expands to other medically important species, including blacklegged and brown dog ticks, and whether veterinary and public health groups begin incorporating indoor-survival data into standard tick-prevention messaging. (bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com)