The Northeast and upper Midwest are the highest-risk regions. Connecticut, where Lyme disease was first identified in 1975, is one of the most affected states in the country.
If you live in Hartford, it’s reasonable to have some fear and concern about Lyme disease. You are in one of the highest-risk zones in the US, and that’s worth taking seriously whether you are an avid outdoor enthusiast or you simply let your kids play in the yard.
The CDC reported over 89,000 cases of Lyme disease in 2023, but the true count is likely higher, closer to half a million. The Northeast accounts for roughly 70% of reported cases nationally. The states with the highest incidence rates are Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Suburban and rural areas with wooded land, leaf litter, and deer populations tend to have more ticks. Properties that border woods or have stone walls, brush piles, and shaded landscaping are especially attractive to blacklegged ticks, which are the only species that transmit Lyme disease in the Northeast.
Among adult ticks, a recent Dartmouth study found that about half carry Lyme disease bacteria. But the nymphs are arguably even more dangerous. The infection rate is only about 20%, but nymphs are tiny, about the size of poppy seeds, and they’re active in late spring and early summer. They’re small enough to go unnoticed during tick checks (if you aren’t aware of them).
But you can reduce your risk a lot with some simple actions. When you (or your kids or pets) spend time outdoors, do daily tick checks. It takes 24 hours or more for ticks to spread Lyme disease, so if you remove them early, your odds of infection go down dramatically.
You can also treat your yard to lower the tick population where your family spends time the most. This is why Mosquito Squad of Hartford provides barrier treatments that help reduce tick and mosquito populations by up to 85-90% throughout the active season. A trained technician will first check your property for high-risk areas (yard edges, leaf litter, and wooded borders). Then they’ll apply targeted treatments that continue working for up to 21 days.
