DOVER, N.H. (AP) – A handful of Lone Star ticks are finding their way into New Hampshire and Maine from points further south.

The ticks, which are named for a small white spot on their backs, used to be found only in the Southeast, but they have been reported in growing numbers in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Cape Cod in recent years.

Scientists don’t believe they are established in Maine and New Hampshire yet: The few that have been found are probably straying travelers, and there’s no clear evidence yet that they are surviving the winter and living out their entire life cycle in northern New England.

But as the climate grows warmer and the ticks advance northward, that is likely to change, said Eleanor Lacombe, a research associate at the Vector-borne Disease Lab of the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in South Portland.

“It’s only a matter of time,” she said.

Lone Star ticks are more aggressive than native New England ticks, such as the dog tick and black-legged tick, and their bites are more painful and leave bigger welts.

They do not carry Lyme disease, but they can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick paralysis, tularemia, ehrlichiosis and rash illness, which has symptoms similar to Lyme disease.

A dog apparently contracted Rocky Mountain spotted fever in June. The disease is extremely rare in northern New England.

Lacombe said that of 1,000 to 1,500 ticks collected in Maine each year, about 10 are Lone Star ticks.

New Hampshire state entomologist Tom Durkis said the state examines about 200 ticks in its lab each year, and only two Lone Star ticks have been found in the past two years.

But there’s a good chance they will become more common, since they’re already in southern New England, he said.

“New Hampshire is just as susceptible and likely to see more activity and possible establishment in the near future,” Durkis said.

Alan Eaton, a professor of entomology with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, said he has only seen a handful of specimens in the past few years, but that’s enough to get his attention.

“It’s still enough reports turning up that we’re beginning to wonder if it’s surviving in New Hampshire,” he said. “It’s a critter we’re still learning about.”

Eaton said people walking in wooded or grassy areas can avoid most tick bites by wearing long pants tucked into their socks, bug repellent and light-colored clothing.

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Information from: Foster’s Daily Democrat, http://www.fosters.com

AP-ES-07-16-06 1531EDT