The BlackLegged Tick

• The black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), also known as the deer tick, will feed on a variety of hosts including humans according to the Illinois Department of Public Health and Oregon State University Extension Service. Found in many northeastern states in the United States, the bite from the black-legged tick can transmit Lyme disease, and possibly Ehrlichiosis, to humans.
  
  

The Lone Star Tick

• The tiny lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) most commonly bites humans when in the nymph young adult stage, no larger than a pin head according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. This tick is most active between April and July, and may transmit tularemia and Ehrlichiosis to humans through their bite.
  
  

The American Dog Tick

• The American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), also known as the wood tick, is one of the most frequently encountered ticks according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The adult American dog tick commonly bites humans and dogs; the nymph stage prefers other mammals such as raccoons according the North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Through their bite they can pass on such diseases as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and Ehrlichiosis.