Tick reports on the rise as temperatures warm up this summer
Tick season usually runs from April to October, but the Department of Health in Pennsylvania has received tick-related complaints since March.
Mild winter to blame for increase in ticks
Scientists are receiving more tick reports than usual this time of year. FOX Weather multimedia journalist Katie Byrne reports. June 23, 2023.
Scientists are receiving more tick reports than usual this time of year and are blaming the warmer, milder winter.
Tick season usually runs from April to October, but the Department of Health in Pennsylvania has received tick-related complaints since March.
This early start is linked to warmer-than-usual temperatures during the winter, which allowed vegetation that houses ticks to keep growing over the season.
Rising tick sightings and reports
A closeup of a tick.
(Getty Images)
In addition to seeing an earlier start of tick season, scientists have also received more tick reports.
"It is about 30-40% higher than what we received for this time of the last year," said Dr. Goudarz Molaei, chief scientist at the Tick and Tickborne Pathogen Surveillance Program.
DOCTORS WARN OF INCREASE IN TICKS, LYME DISEASE AFTER MILD WINTER
According to Molaei, the program usually receives about 3,000 ticks in the mail per year for testing, with that number doubling in recent years. This year, however, they have already received 3,000 tick submissions with about five more months of tick season to go.
Growing tick territory
![The blacklegged tick is commonly found in the yellow area. It is responsible for spreading Lyme and Powassan virus disease.]()
Image 1 of 7The blacklegged tick is commonly found in the yellow area. It is responsible for spreading Lyme and Powassan virus disease. (CDC)
![American dog tick distribution.]()
Image 2 of 7American dog tick distribution. (CDC)
![The lone star tick transmits a protein that causes an extreme meat allergy.]()
Image 3 of 7The lone star tick transmits a protein that causes an extreme meat allergy. (CDC)
![The Gulf Coast tick spreads Rickettsia - a form of spotted fever.]()
Image 4 of 7The Gulf Coast tick spreads Rickettsia - a form of spotted fever. (CDC)
![The Rocky Mountain wood tick transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever.]()
Image 5 of 7The Rocky Mountain wood tick transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever. (CDC)
![The Western black legged tick also transmits Lyme disease.]()
Image 6 of 7The Western black legged tick also transmits Lyme disease. (CDC)
![The brown dog tick spreads Rocky Mountain spotted fever.]()
Image 7 of 7The brown dog tick spreads Rocky Mountain spotted fever. (CDC)
This increase in tick reports may also be due to a winter that saw the range of warmer temperatures expand. This expansion helped broaden the territory where ticks live.
The early start to tick season, along with increased tick sightings, has resulted in homeowners requesting more tick pest control services.
According to Mosquito Shield of Southeastern Pennsylvania owner Rick Brogan, his team is nearing a 30% increase in sales for tick services this year.
"We're getting calls from people that say that they've lived in the area all their life, they've never seen a tick," Brogan told FOX Weather multimedia journalist Katie Byrne. "Now, they're becoming inundated with that, and that's not an exaggeration."
The dangers of tick bites
A tick crawling on the hairy arm of a man before going for blood.
(Patrick Pleul / picture alliance / Getty Images)
Apart from being pests, ticks carry pathogens that cause diseases. The disease most commonly transmitted by a tick bite is Lyme disease, which the CDC said strikes an estimated 476,000 Americans each year.
Ticks may latch onto individuals moving through grassy and wooded areas.
HOW TO STAY SAFE DURING TICK SEASON
In addition to humans, pets are also a prime target for ticks, with dogs being particularly susceptible to tick bites and tickborne diseases, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommended checking your pets for ticks daily, removing ticks on your pet immediately and reducing the tick habitat in your yard to reduce your pet’s chances of becoming infected from a tick bite.