When the winter is mild, more ticks survive and then they get an early start in spring where they produce more often. Ticks already have ways to survive winter and even slightly warmer-than-usual seasons greatly improve their survival odds.
If it seems like ticks show up earlier and stick around longer than they used to in Michigan, it’s not in your head. Ticks are coming out earlier and more of them are making it through the Michigan winters.
First, it’s important to understand how ticks get out of the cold. They don’t need warmth so much as shelter. They can ride out winter dormant in leaf litter, and the snow cover acts as insulation. Much like igloos, being under packed snow can keep you warm. Ticks only need to stay out of the bitterly cold open air.
Milder winters change the math a bit because more ticks survive. Then when the spring comes a little earlier, what happens is more surviving ticks have more offspring and you end up with a massively increased population by late spring and summer. And to make matters a little worse, warmer temperatures are also more hospitable to blacklegged ticks, and it’s why their population has increased in recent decades. They’re the ones that carry Lyme disease.
For you, what this means is that you can’t always count on the winter to fix tick problems. Instead of waiting until midsummer to think about ticks, you need to think about them earlier. If you find ticks on yourself, remove them promptly. If the tick population is out of hand on your property, consider hiring some help.
If you're tired of ticks getting a head start on you every spring, Mosquito Squad of Metro Detroit can help. Mosquito Squad can start treating the leaf litter and brushy edges where ticks shelter and emerge, helping protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
