You Won’t Be Happy To Hear That Maryland Is Experiencing A Major Surge Of Ticks This Year

Ah, springtime. The magical time of year when many people thaw out from winter and finally get back outdoors. Along with humans getting back outside for adventures, ticks also make their comeback. Unfortunately, tick season for 2019 is expected to be even worse than previous years. Read on for the details below, and be careful out there!

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Flickr / Lauren Rauk Have you already put together a spring and summer bucket list? So have the ticks, and the top priority on their to-do list is search for blood. Flickr / Fritz Flohr Reynolds According to pests.org , ticks are most active in late spring, summer, and early fall. In 2019, they're predicting an even worse season than usual. Flickr / psychmike Because of a milder winter and wetter season all-around, ticks will arrive earlier and stay longer. That's especially bad news for Marylanders, as the area is already a top state for Lyme disease. Flickr / R. Kriatyrr Brosvik Maryland is home to the deer tick, brown dog tick, American dog tick, and the lone star tick. Although nobody wants any sort of tick stuck to them, it's the deer tick that you need to be especially wary of. It's the one that that carries the Lyme disease bacteria, borrelia burgdorferi. Flickr / John Brandauer Protect yourself from ticks by wearing insect repellents containing DEET. You can also wear clothing treated with permethrin, which is said to be even more effective, killing ticks within 5 to 30 seconds of exposure. Flickr / Ken Mayer Along with thoroughly checking your body after a day outdoors, be sure to also check your pets. Ticks usually find their way into your home by hitching a ride -- especially on dogs and cats.

Don’t let this news deter you from partaking in outdoorsy adventures this year. Just be on the lookout, and protect yourself as much as possible.