COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - Summer break has arrived, and so has tick season across the country.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomologist Pete Teel told KBTX that tick activity is in full swing, and children could be at the highest risk as they head to summer camps, play in backyards and hit the trails.

Teel, who has researched ticks since 1975 and has been with Texas A&M AgriLife Research since 1978, said knowing what to watch for is the first step to staying safe.{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "VideoObject", "name": "Tick season safety: What Brazos Valley families need to know", "description": "KBTX Brazos Valley This Morning EXTENDED(Recurring)", "thumbnailUrl": "https://gray-kbtx-prod.gtv-cdn.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fdo0bihdskp9dy.cloudfront.net%2F06-12-2026%2Ft_51b91ab85f7a42308364010caae2ce0b_name_file_1280x720_2000_v3_1_.jpg?auth=39d64a443d4c563efdba032660abda81254c5728e4f5ab9cfe4e00a9acc08154&width=1920&height=1080&smart=true", "uploadDate": "2026-06-12T13:15:11Z", "duration": "P0Y0M0DT0H1M54S", "contentUrl": "https://d1l66zlxaqpl1u.cloudfront.net/wp-gray/20260612/6a2bf2f92a4b0419a974e8cb/file_1920x1080-5400-v4/file_1280x720-2000-v3_1.mp4" }Understanding local tick speciesTexas has about 50 species of ticks, but Teel said two species require special attention in the Brazos Valley: the lone star tick and the Gulf Coast tick.