Buncombe County residents urged to fight rising ticks, prevent bites

Ticks are turning up where Buncombe County people actually spend time: in backyards, on dog walks, along greenways and on the edges of wooded trails. In 2024, North Carolina logged all five of its reportable tick-borne diseases, with ehrlichiosis leading at 278 confirmed and probable cases among residents.

Where Buncombe County residents run into ticks

North Carolina has about 25 tick species, but only a few commonly bother people or spread disease. Most ticks in the state do not pose problems for humans, but the ones that do can cause serious illness. The invasive longhorned tick was introduced to the U.S. mainland in 2010 and had been found in 30 North Carolina counties by July 2024, including Buncombe.

People commonly pick up ticks in their own yard or neighborhood, while walking a dog, gardening, camping or spending time in grassy, brushy or wooded areas. For Buncombe families, that means the risk can start at the fence line, along a neighborhood path or on the way home from a Saturday hike.

The illnesses to watch in North Carolina

The state’s main tick-borne illnesses are ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other spotted fever rickettsioses, and STARI, the rash illness tied to ticks in the South. The most common warning signs often overlap, including rash, fever, headache, muscle aches and joint pain. Prompt medical attention is important if symptoms appear after a bite or after time in the woods.

Ehrlichiosis was the most frequently reported tick-borne disease in the state in 2024, and most tick-borne cases were reported in summer, when tick activity and outdoor time both rise. Hospitalizations were common among the less frequent anaplasmosis and babesiosis cases.

One condition getting more attention is alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-bite-triggered allergy that can cause reactions to red meat and, in some cases, dairy. It is especially prevalent in a belt stretching from North Carolina and Virginia to Oklahoma, where the lone star tick is dominant, and the reaction can be serious enough to send people to the hospital.

The lowest-effort ways to cut your risk

The easiest yard fix is also one of the most effective. Ticks need a moist environment to survive, so removing leaf litter makes a yard less hospitable by drying out the soil. In places like Buncombe County, shady edges, brushy borders and damp ground can give ticks the cover they need.

When you head outside, a few habits do most of the work: use an EPA-registered repellent, wear long pants, tuck pant legs into socks when you are in tick-friendly areas, and stay in the center of trails instead of brushing against high grass and leaf litter. Permethrin-treated clothing or gear also helps, even for routine outings like walking the dog or spending time in the yard.

What you do after coming inside matters just as much. A thorough tick check should focus on the scalp and tight clothing lines such as waistbands, groin and armpits, because ticks like to hide there. If you find one, remove it with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out, then wash the bite and your hands with soap and water. Prompt removal helps because transmission takes several hours, and showering soon after being outdoors can help wash off unattached ticks before they attach.

Why the county extension office matters

Buncombe County’s Cooperative Extension office is a practical resource for this kind of prevention work, not just for gardeners but for anyone trying to make a yard, farm edge or neighborhood landscape less inviting to ticks. The Buncombe County Center at 49 Mount Carmel Rd. in Asheville is part of N.C. Cooperative Extension, a network that staffs local offices in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.