Ticks in Maine: Behavior, Ecology, and Pathogens by Elissa Ballman

Ticks in Maine: Behavior, Ecology, and Pathogens webinar by Elissa Ballman which was hosted on Thursday, April 14th, 2022.

This presentation covers information on the most common ticks in Maine as well as potential new species. We discuss the ecology of ticks, including their complex relationship with various hosts, host-seeking behavior, off-host activity, and life history. Additionally, we 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.