When Ticks Are Active

Now that the new year has come and gone and we may very well be seeing milder temperatures in the “tick belt”. (What I call the area comprising New England, Mid-Atlantic, Mid-West and upper Mid-West) The warmer days means a day or two here or there that ticks might be active, followed by the beginning of spring when ticks are very active.  Hopefully, you were able to keep up with the falling leaves in the fall of the year and were able to remove them from most common areas around your property.  Ticks overwinter in leaf litter and lawn debris and these areas will be the first place you will see ticks emerge in the spring.  Like humans, ticks like to get out of hiding and stretch their legs at the first sign of spring weather.  In fact, unless there is an abundance of snow, ticks will poke their heads out when ambient air temps reach 35 degrees and will stay out once ground surface temperatures remain at 45 degrees.  In areas like the Mid- Atlantic, where there is typically more time without snow cover than with snow on the ground throughout the winter, this may mean most of the winter ticks are active and seeking a host.  It is true that extremely cold temperatures can kill a small percentage of ticks.  However, an extended period of snow cover insulates the ground and soil surface and actually exacerbates tick activity.  Durning a warmup last February in Pennsylvania, we personally removed 16 deer ticks from our yellow lab Huckleberry after a small hike through our neighboring woods.  Ticks lay dormant for the coldest winter months in leaf litter and are hungry and very eager to find a host once a brief weather reprieve is seen. 

Treat these days just like you would the summer.  Wear higher socks and tighter (long underwear) clothing as a base layer.  If hiking, take rests on logs or rock structures to limit the time you sit motionless on leaf litter and underbrush.  Tuck socks into pant legs and is sure to check yourself once returning home.  Fortunately, there are no leaves on deciduous trees and most underbrush this time of year meaningless hang out areas for ticks to wait for a host.  It is also never too early to spray EcoGuard Plus on your property to keep you and your pets safe while enjoying your personal outdoor areas.  An application during spring warmup will knock down all active ticks and help repel until the weather finally warms up.