The start of the new season isn’t just bringing warmer weather but ticks, too.
The start of the new season isn’t just bringing warmer weather but ticks, too.
With the snow gone and the grass starting to show again, you can expect to find ticks hiding in wooded areas.
“The areas that are right next to pathways or hiking trails or kind of right off the road edges, those are like ideal tick habitats,” Quinnipiac biology professor Sarah Lawson said.
She said spring typically brings more tick activity, but warmer winters in our state could create a shift.
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“Warmer winters will definitely correlate to higher tick populations,” Lawson said.
Quinnipiac nursing professor Jennifer Wethje said ticks can carry all sorts of diseases, including Lyme disease.
“So, it kind of bites, it embeds on the body. And typically, if it's embedded for over 24 to 36 hours, the risk for developing one of those diseases is definitely higher,” she said.
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She said if you’re bitten and experiencing symptoms, contact your medical provider as soon as possible.
“The sooner you can get treatment, the less risk for ongoing or chronic issues with these diseases,” Wethje said.
While some tick-borne diseases are benign, some could be fatal which was the case in 2022 when a woman in New London County died from the Powassan virus.
To prevent those bites from happening, Lawson said people should do tick checks when you get home, tuck your socks into your pants and not wear shorts.
“It prevents them from getting into you, and onto your leg. You can also encourage people to tuck in their shirts,” she said.
If you happen to find a tick, make sure to send it to the state lab so they can track any diseases it may be carrying and spreading.
