Tick Season in Spain 2026: How to Stay Safe This Spring

March marks the start of tick season in Spain. As temperatures climb above 7–8°C and vegetation thickens with spring growth, the ticks that spent winter dormant become active again — questing for a blood meal from any warm-bodied animal or person that brushes past.

For expats and property owners in Spain, ticks are worth understanding properly. The risks are real, the geography matters, and a small amount of knowledge dramatically reduces your exposure.

Which Tick Species Live in Spain?

Spain hosts several tick species, but three are most relevant to residents and their pets:

Ixodes ricinus — The Castor Bean Tick

This is the most medically important tick in Europe and the primary vector of Lyme disease in Spain. It dominates in the humid, green regions of the north and northwest — Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarra, and the Pyrenees. Studies in Galicia found Ixodes ricinus makes up almost 58% of collected ticks in those regions.

It is small — nymphs are roughly the size of a poppy seed — which makes them easy to miss. It prefers woodland edges, tall grass, bracken fern, and areas where deer or small mammals are active.

Hyalomma marginatum — The Large, Aggressive Tick

This is the tick you hear about in Spanish health news. Hyalomma ticks are significantly larger than Ixodes, with striped legs that make them identifiable. More alarmingly, they can actively pursue a host — moving towards movement and body heat rather than simply waiting on vegetation.

Hyalomma is the primary vector of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), a severe viral disease confirmed in Spain since 2016. The tick is most prevalent in central and southwestern Spain — Extremadura, Castile-León, and parts of Castile-La Mancha — and is strongly associated with pastureland, cattle, and migratory birds that carry it across wide areas.

Rhipicephalus sanguineus — The Brown Dog Tick

Common throughout Spain, this tick lives primarily on dogs and can establish itself indoors in kennels and cracks in walls. It rarely bites humans but can transmit canine ehrlichiosis and babesiosis to dogs — serious diseases that require veterinary treatment. If your dog brings ticks home, this is most likely the species involved.

What Diseases Can Ticks Transmit in Spain?

Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)

The infection rate in Ixodes ricinus ticks in Spain is approximately 5.9%. Not every bite leads to infection, and the tick generally needs to feed for more than 24 hours before transmitting the bacteria — which is why prompt tick removal matters so much.

The classic early symptom is an expanding red rash (erythema migrans) at the bite site, sometimes with a pale centre. Flu-like symptoms — fatigue, fever, muscle aches — may follow. If caught early, Lyme disease responds well to antibiotics. Left untreated, it can cause serious joint, neurological, and cardiac complications.

Spain’s highest Lyme hospitalisation rates are in the north. If you walk, hike, or work outdoors in Galicia, Asturias, the Basque Country, or the Pyrenees, Lyme risk should be on your radar.

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF)

This is the more severe disease. CCHF virus can be fatal in up to 30% of hospitalised cases. There is no approved vaccine in Europe. The good news is that it is relatively rare: since 2013, Spain has reported 15 confirmed cases across six provinces, mostly in Castile-León and Extremadura.

Cases are concentrated among people with occupational exposure to livestock — farmers, veterinarians, slaughterhouse workers. But hikers and rural property owners in affected provinces face a real, if low, risk.

Who Is Most at Risk?

Anyone spending time outdoors in Spain during spring is potentially exposed, but your risk profile depends on where and what you do:

• Rural property owners in Extremadura, Castile-León, or Castile-La Mancha: elevated Hyalomma/CCHF risk, especially near farmland or areas with deer and cattle
• Hikers and walkers in Galicia, Asturias, or the Pyrenees: highest Lyme disease risk
• Dog owners across Spain: your dog is a tick transport vehicle; Rhipicephalus can establish in the home
• Children playing in tall grass or woodland: more likely to be unaware of tick attachment

How Can You Prevent Tick Bites?

Prevention is straightforward and effective:

Clothing choices:

• Wear long trousers and tuck them into socks in tick-prone areas
• Light-coloured clothing makes ticks easier to spot before they attach
• Shirts with long sleeves tucked in reduce skin exposure

Repellents:

• DEET (20–30% concentration) is the most effective chemical repellent for skin
• Icaridin (also called Picaridin) is an effective DEET alternative with less skin irritation — widely available in Spanish pharmacies
• Permethrin can be applied to clothing and gear (not skin) and kills ticks on contact; a single application lasts several washes
• Natural options like eucalyptus and citronella oil have limited evidence; they are better than nothing but not reliable in high-risk areas

After outdoor activity:

• Do a full-body tick check within 2 hours of coming indoors — check behind knees, groin, armpits, scalp, and behind ears
• Shower promptly; this washes off unattached ticks and gives you a chance to check your skin
• Tumble-dry clothing on high heat for 10 minutes — this kills ticks that may have hitched a ride in fabric

How Do You Remove a Tick Correctly?

Speed matters. The sooner you remove an attached tick, the lower the risk of disease transmission.

1. Use fine-tipped tweezers or a dedicated tick removal tool (widely available in Spanish pharmacies)
2. Grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible
3. Pull upward with steady, even pressure — do not twist or jerk
4. After removal, clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water
5. Dispose of the tick by submerging it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag, or flushing it

How Do You Protect Your Dog From Ticks in Spain?

Dogs in Spain face tick exposure year-round, but spring is particularly high-risk. Talk to your vet about an appropriate combination of:

• Oral tick preventives (isoxazoline class — afoxolaner, fluralaner, sarolaner): highly effective and widely prescribed by Spanish vets
• Spot-on treatments: applied monthly; effective but requires consistent use
• Tick collars: provide ongoing protection and are useful as a complement to other treatments

Check your dog after every walk. Run your fingers through their coat, paying particular attention to ears, around the collar, between the toes, and under the tail. If you find a tick on your dog, remove it with tweezers using the same technique as for humans. Watch for signs of tick-borne illness — lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, pale gums — in the days following.

For more on protecting pets from parasites during Spain’s warm seasons, see our guide to mosquitoes in Spain and the fleas in Spain guide.

When Should You See a Doctor After a Tick Bite?

See a doctor promptly if any of the following apply:

• You develop a spreading red rash at the bite site (possible Lyme disease)
• You have fever, muscle aches, or fatigue within 2–4 weeks of a bite
• You were bitten in central or southwestern Spain by a large, striped-leg tick (Hyalomma) and develop fever within 1–4 days
• You cannot remove the tick cleanly, or part of the tick remains in the skin

Tell your doctor when and where the bite occurred. In Spain, GPs and hospital A&E departments are familiar with both Lyme disease and CCHF, but providing this context helps them triage correctly.

Why Are Ticks Expanding Across Spain?

Climate change is driving tick range expansion across Spain. Rising temperatures extend the active season, allow ticks to survive at higher altitudes, and accelerate their reproductive cycles. Rhipicephalus sanguineus — historically confined to Mediterranean regions — has now been detected in northern Spain and Tenerife, areas where it was previously rare.

For context on how changing climate is reshaping the pest picture in Spain more broadly, see our guide on climate change and pests in Spain.

The practical takeaway: spring 2026 is not unusual. This is now the normal level of tick activity. Building basic tick awareness into your outdoor habits — checking yourself and your pets after walks, using repellent in rural areas, keeping a tick remover in your first-aid kit — is the right long-term approach.