Ticks & Tickborne Illnesses

Click here for everything you need to know about ticks, keeping them out of your yard, off you and your pets, preventing tick-borne diseases, and what to do if you find one on you or your pets.

WHEN IS TICK SEASON IN MASSACHUSETTS?

While tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Powassan virus occur year-round in the state, the height of tick activity occurs when the temperatures are warmer.

There are two main seasons during the year:

·  The first peak starts in spring (March or early April) and continues through the summer, with most activity between June and August. These are often the top months for ticks in Massachusetts as these
    insects thrive in warm, humid weather.

·  The second peak happens in fall, between October to November, when the weather is rainy, and the air is moist but not yet cold.

If average temperatures continue to climb due to climate change, there is some concern that the peaks will last for longer in the future, increasing Lyme disease rates.In fact, studies show that climate change contributes to the expanded range of ticks, making it more possible for ticks to thrive in areas that used to have colder average temperatures, such as Canada and the northeastern U.S.
From https://greenhow.com