If you've been spending some time outside this summer, you probably know to look out for ticks. But there's another bug out there that you may confuse for a tick.

A weevil, sometimes called a snout beetle, is a small black insect that feeds on plants, and unlike the black legged tick, they are harmless to people and animals.

"If you do get one on you, one of the main differences between the tick and the weevil is the weevil is not going to be looking to attach. They are very quickly going to leave," explained Mary Vibostok, Director of Vector Control for Cambria County.

There is not much of a difference between the tick and weevil in shape and size, but there area a few small differences in appearance between the two.

"The differences being that they have antenna, ticks will not. 6 legs versus 8 legs, because the ticks are arachnids, so they are not the same genus that the weevil would be," said Vibostok.

Also, the weevil and male black legged tick are black, but the female black legged ticks, which are the ones of main concern are red in color. This time of year, the biggest concern with the tick is the nymph stage.

"Which is all black, but much smaller in size, not larger than a poppy seed or black pepper. It is a concern if you happen to find something very small and all black on you, it could be a black legged tick," explained Vibostok.

Even though the weevil has caused some confusion, there is a positive aspect to having it in the area.

"The one good thing about the weevil being in our area is that it does draw attention to the fact that people need to be cautious when they're outside and they need to protect themselves against tick bites," said Vibostok.

If you do find a small bug on yourself and it ends up being a tick, it's best to remove it as soon as possible and get checked by a doctor if you do not know how long it's been on you.

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