We all love ticks (he says entirely facetiously). These little parasitic arachnids suck, literally, and if you thought we might get a break from them to some degree this early spring, you are sorely mistaken... at least here in southern New England, where heavy snow has blanketed the ground for most of the last few months.
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| The unmistakable and devilish lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum |
It is generally understood that harsh winter kills ticks. Why, then, have I already picked more than one off of my pants? It was certainly colder than average, and though it felt snowier than average it barely was at just two inches more than the statewide average. We've gotten all too used to mild winters in recent years. That snow, ironically, was the ticks' savior. In a dry stretch of extremely cold conditions, it is true that there is a higher tick mortality through the winter leading to a lower number around come spring. When a heavy snow blankets the ground, though, it provides an insulating layer that gives ticks a shot. Think of it like the ticks all having some sort of mega-igloo. They remain alive under that protective shelter, just waiting to come out once things do finally thaw. Yayyy.
Unfortunately, that provides us outdoorsman no hope of a break from tick precautions, something everyone should be taking seriously. I've been diagnosed with Lyme a number of times. Lyme is a nasty disease that takes many forms. Mine came with severe muscle aches, joint pain, and a fever bad enough to spur hallucinations. It isn't worth acquiring Lyme. Lyme isn't alone, though. Powassan, tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and plenty of other diseases all find their way around within ticks. Unfortunately, human activity has worsened this to an exceptional extent. Suburban sprawl reduces predator populations while allowing dear, rodents, and other small mammals that are ideal tick hosts to continue to thrive, not only increasing the total volume of ticks and increasing the odds that humans come in contact with them, but increasing the percentage of ticks that are carriers of these diseases. Climate change has expanded north and eastward the ranges of tick species like lone star ticks, which were not historically abundant in New England. They are becoming increasingly common as the conditions become more similar in climate to their historic range. Since not every tick species is a vector for every tick borne illness, this really does matter.
So, treat your pants with permethrin and cuff sleeves with tick tape. Do regular checks and pay very close attention to symptoms of potential tick borne illnesses. Medicate your pets and make sure they don't carry any arachnid hangers on home.
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