Q: Can you help us identify this beetle? We found it on the front steps.

A: It’s not a beetle…it’s a tick! A very well-fed tick at that. It is engorged after feeding on an animal and has dropped off to look for a place to deposit her eggs.

Dr. Nancy Hinkle says it’s probably a lone star tick, the most common one found outdoors in spring.

See Tick Identification and Control