A method and apparatus for the collection of parasitic arthropods. In one specific example, the parasitic arthropod is a tick, which prefers to cling to the tops of foliage, while waiting for a passing host. The apparatus collects the tick. In one example the apparatus is a roller that includes a cylindrical carrier that is covered with a cloth-like material designed to have a tick attach itself thereto, so that when the roller is passed over a surface where ticks are believed to be present, the ticks attach to the roller. The cloth-like cover material is disposable, as is the cylindrical carrier. The disposable cover material may be conveniently disposed in a refuse container. An advantage of the invention is the mitigation of ticks and the diseases, such as Lyme disease, that the ticks may be carrying, without exposing a user to chemical insecticides.