As the warmer weather emerges this spring, a perennial threat comes with it: disease carrying ticks. In several regions of the country, forecasters say the threat of ticks is above average this season.
Experts say that higher temperatures and wetter conditions are creating a larger-than-usual tick population.
And unlike past years when we could count on a finite season when ticks were most active — late spring and summer — ticks are now on the hunt throughout the year, according to biologists and researchers who track infectious diseases. That combination of more ticks at the exact time more of us are outside longer — cutting the grass and working on the landscape — increases our risk of being bitten by a disease-carrying tick.
Adult ticks who didn’t get a so-called “blood meal” before winter will be hungry now. What that means for anyone out mowing grass and working in wooded areas is to be especially on the lookout for ticks.
Ticks can carry viruses and bacteria that cause diseases, the most common of which is Lyme disease, but also Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and tularemia.
Nearly a half-million people are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. And that number does not include the cases that are either not detected or not reported.
There is no vaccine against Lyme disease. The only way to protect yourself from ticks and their diseases is to avoid tick bites. The usual advice applies: wear clothes that cover exposed skin, use insect repellant, and always inspect yourself after being outdoors.
To find out about the specific threat level in your area, contact your local health department. It’s also good practice to frequently ask what your independent lawn and outdoor power equipment dealer is hearing about how ticks are biting this and every season.