Found a Tick? Get It Tested for Free

This is the season to be on the lookout for ticks, and as we remain vigilant to our family members and pets there is a great free resource available to assist us when you locate a tick. The Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab offers free testing of any tick found in Pennsylvania. This basic testing service is free to all residents, there are also options for upgraded more extensive testing.

The process is simple and easy to use. Remove the tick, place it into a small ziplock bag, and mail it to the lab. The basic test looks for the most common diseases carried by the species of tick tested. Participants will receive an email notification with the test results, the proper identification of the species of tick, and other useful information.

We submitted about 6 ticks for testing last year and received results within a week.

The website also features an interactive map showing where the specimens were received from and the diseases they have discovered upon testing. Kind of cool in the science geek kind of way.

Take these steps to keep informed