Ticks are very active in the fall and they can actively latch onto hosts any day the temperatures are above freezing.
Some people think of ticks as being a “June problem.” But reality is messier and you need to be on guard for more of the season than you might expect.
Blacklegged ticks are the ones that carry Lyme disease. They have two activity peaks. One happens with nymphs, which are about the size of a poppy seed. The other happens with adult ticks. The first peak happens from May to July and is responsible for the majority of Lyme disease transmission precisely because they are so small and easy to miss. Then adults emerge again in fall and stay active through November.
Adult females are easier to spot, roughly sesame-seed sized and dark with a reddish-brown body. They are no less capable of transmitting Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis.
These ticks also do not necessarily need warmth so much as they need an absence of serious cold. When the temperature is above freezing and the ground is clear of snow, they can climb on vegetation and wait for a host. This is bad news because fall is when people are outdoors most: hunting, hiking, cutting firewood, closing up camps, and raking leaves. Leaf litter is the exact material ticks shelter in, and it gets handled by hand all October.
Even when the weather starts to turn, keep up good tick prevention habits. Use permethrin-treated clothing if you plan to spend long hours in brush and tuck pants into socks. If you’re going out on a trail, consider using a repellent with DEET or picaridin in it. And when you go back inside, check all the places where ticks tend to go like the hairline, ears, waistband, groin, and behind the knees. Check your kids and pets too.
If you are finding ticks well into the fall, Mosquito Squad of New Hampshire Lakes can help. Mosquito Squad treats the shaded edges and leaf litter where ticks wait for a host. This will help you protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring cycle.
