This presentation will cover information on the most common ticks in Maine as well as potential new species. We will discuss the ecology of ticks, including their complex relationship with various hosts, host-seeking behavior, off-host activity, and life history. Additionally, we will discuss the Maine Forest Tick Survey- a community science project that was created to understand how land management impacts ticks.
Elissa Ballman
grew up in Texas where she received her bachelor of science in biology before moving to California to get her master of science in entomology. Her graduate research was on vibrational communication in insects and biological control. After realizing California was not for her, she fell in love with Maine's wilderness and settled here in the beautiful state of Maine. Elissa has spent the past 10 years working for the University of Maine studying invasive insects and pathogen vectors.