do nymph ticks carry lyme
About 25 to 30 percent of nymph-stage deer ticks in the Northeast are naturally infected with the Lyme disease bacterium. Nearly all of these infected ticks will cause Lyme disease if they are not removed [emphasis added]. Ticks in this stage are about the size of a poppy seed, making them very difficult to find.
A deer tick nymph is the size of a poppy seed. Unlike the larva, which are universally Lyme disease-free (they donât hatch pre-infected), nymphs can become Lyme vectors if the larva attaches to a Lyme disease-bearing host (mice are a common culprit).