As the weather gets cooler, we grab our hiking boots and apple picking baskets and enjoy the New England terrain. While many people think tick season ends with the summer season- sadly they are incorrect. One type of tick becomes active in the fall months that is especially dangerous – adult blacklegged ticks.
Adult blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, carry pathogens. The TickEncounter Resource Center out of URI reported that more than 50% are likely carrying Lyme disease bacteria.
During the fall, these ticks prefer larger hosts such as deer, humans, and dogs.
Often these ticks are found about knee-high on the tips of branches of low growing shrubs. The female blacklegged ticks need the blood meal in order to lay thousands of eggs in the spring.
Even further, adult males and females are active October-May, as long as the daytime temperature remains above freezing. That means even in the winter time, we could be susceptible to tick bites.
Here are some tips from our team and the TickEncounter Resource Center to stay safe this fall:
- Tick Checks! After being in tick habitat like wooded areas, perform a tick check on yourself, your family, and your pets. Ticks tend to be in protected or creased areas of the body such as the arm pit, scalp, and the back of knees. However, you should complete a full body check just in case.
- Wear the right gear. Dress to protect yourselves from ticks when hiking and enjoying other outdoor activities. Long sleeved shirts and long pants protect the skin from tick bites. Tuck your pants into your socks to keep ticks from crawling up your legs and wear light color clothing to make ticks easier to spot.
- Pick up a free tick key. If you are local to the Weston area, stop by our office in Weston Town Center on Boston Post Road and ask for a tick key. These keys easily and effectively remove ticks from humans and animals. We love tick keys because you can keep the key on your key chain and have it with you wherever you go.
- Treat your yard. Continue property treatments through November or later if the temperatures remain above freezing. Especially if you have an outdoor pet, eliminating ticks around your home will reduce the risk of tick bites. By eliminating the adult blacklegged ticks in particular during the fall, you also reduce the number of eggs that will be laid in the spring and help control the growing population.
So whether you are trick or treating, apple picking, or hiking Mt. Washington this fall- be tick alert!