Welcome to the Fort Knox Tick Safety and Management page. Because Fort Knox is located in the southeastern U.S. and features heavily wooded terrain, humid climate and abundant wildlife, ticks are a natural part of our environment. Protecting our community from tick-borne illnesses requires a combination of environmental management, education and personal responsibility. This page outlines what you need to know about ticks, how to protect yourself, and the specific actions to take if you encounter them on the installation.
Understanding the Threat: Ticks in Kentucky
Ticks are small, blood-sucking parasites closely related to spiders. Depending on their life stage, they can range in size from a grain of sand (larvae or "seed ticks") to an apple seed (adults). Kentucky’s climate and dense natural habitats make it an ideal breeding ground for these pests, meaning they are fully endemic to our region.
It is not realistic, safe, or environmentally responsible to attempt total eradication of ticks on Fort Knox. Broad-scale chemical spraying of the woods would cause devastating harm to the local ecosystem, killing beneficial insects like pollinators, contaminating waterways, and negatively impacting wildlife. Instead, we rely on targeted mitigation, personal protection, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
| Tick Species | Primary Threat/Disease | Common Characteristics |
| Lone Star Tick | Ehrlichiosis, Alpha-gal syndrome (red meat allergy) | The most common and aggressive tick in Kentucky. Finding dense clusters of larvae ("seed ticks") is common in late summer. |
| Blacklegged (Deer) Tick | Lyme disease | The primary vector for Lyme disease. Often found in wooded areas and leaf litter. |
| American Dog Tick | Rocky Mountain spotted fever | Frequently encountered in tall grass, pastures, and along trail edges. |
Protect Yourself: Prevention Best Practices
The most effective way to combat tick-borne disease is to prevent the bite from happening in the first place. When working, training, or recreating outdoors, follow these guidelines:
| Action | Best Practice Description |
| Dress Defensively | Wear light-colored clothing so ticks are easier to spot. Tuck your pants into your socks or boots to prevent ticks from crawling up your legs. |
| Use Repellents | Apply DEET- or Picaridin-based repellents directly to exposed skin. For clothing and military uniforms, use Permethrin, which kills ticks on contact (never apply Permethrin directly to the skin). |
| Stay on the Path | Avoid traversing heavily wooded areas, leaf litter, and tall grass. Walk in the center of designated trails. |
| Maintain Your Yard | Keep the grass cut short around your home and remove brush or leaf piles where ticks like to hide. |
| Do a Tick Check | Always perform a thorough full-body tick check on yourself, your children, and your pets after spending time outdoors. |
What to Do if Bitten
If you find a tick attached to your skin, do not panic, but act quickly.
| Step | Action Required | Details |
| 1 | Remove it Carefully | Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick, and do not use folk remedies like matches or nail polish. View CDC tick removal video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4Ny5YJh6Ws |
| 2 | Save it for MilTick | Place the tick in a small ziplock bag or sealed container. Fort Knox participates in the MilTick Program, a free service that tests ticks pulled from DoW personnel and their dependents for diseases. NOTE: The MilTick Program cannot test for the presence of Alpha-gal. |
| 3 | Seek Medical Care | Wash the bite area thoroughly with soap and water. If you develop a fever, severe fatigue, joint pain, or a rash (especially a bullseye-shaped rash) within 30 days of a bite, seek medical attention immediately and mention the tick bite. |
Taking Action & Reporting: Where did you find it?
How you handle a tick problem depends on where you are on the installation. Please follow the specific guidance below based on your location:
Scenario A: In On-Post Housing (Knox Hills)
Efforts to mitigate ticks in residential areas are largely a resident responsibility (just as they would be living off post). Any costs associated with treating a residential lawn are at the resident's expense, not the government (e.g., Fort Knox Garrison) or housing partner (Knox Hills).
| Mitigation Option | Instructions & Conditions |
| Do-It-Yourself | Residents may treat their own designated yards using premixed, consumer-grade lawn pesticides from large-scale retailers. Always wear appropriate personal protective equipment when applying these pesticides and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Treating a neighbor's lawn is strictly prohibited. Commercial-grade chemicals or those requiring mixing are prohibited without a license. |
| Contact Knox Hills for any additional consultation | Residents wishing to explore further mitigation options must contact Knox Hills for additional guidance. Reminder: Any approved tick control/mitigation measures will be at the resident’s individual expense. |
Scenario B: Elsewhere on Fort Knox (General Installation)
If you encounter a significant amount of ticks elsewhere on the installation (within cantonment-maintained areas), report it to the Army Maintenance (ArMA) system:
How to file a report:
1. Visit https://maintenance.army.mil.
2. Either use a DOW Common Access Card (CAC) or create/register an account without a CAC.
3. Once in ArMA, click “Maintenance Support” and then “Pest Control” to submit a report.
Once a report is submitted, personnel will conduct an on-site assessment of the area. Please note: By law, regulation and policy, we are required to minimize chemical use to protect our local ecosystems, water resources and the health of the community. Every chemical application must be justified and compliant with environmental protection protocols. Tick density, human traffic patterns and ecological considerations are all part of the evaluation process.
Fort Knox’s Tick Management Plan
Because Fort Knox consists of vastly different environments, a "significant population" of ticks cannot be defined by a single number. Fort Knox utilizes a stepped Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to cause minimal environmental harm. Treatment (such as localized spraying or habitat modification) is only authorized when tick populations exceed our strict, site-specific action thresholds.