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We report for the first time that squalene is attractive to adult ticks, Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis. In addition, this is the first report of any single chemical to attract >60% of ticks (vs. 30-40% for well-known tick attractants methyl salicylate, nonanoic acid and o-nitrophenol), and the first demonstration of attraction to nymphs and larvae. Attraction studies using ticks of which their legs and palps are removed indicate that squalene is detected by the tick by using the front pair of legs. The strong attraction response to squalene indicates that this chemical's use in pheromone traps could be of extreme value in tick monitoring. The fact that squalene is a major lipid present in the blood and on the skin of many mammals strongly indicates that squalene is involved in attracting ticks to hosts.