Yes, hard winters don’t do as much to tick populations as people hope. Ticks survive the cold by sheltering under snow and leaf litter, which insulates them from the worst of the cold weather found in climates like northeastern Minnesota.
The winters of Minnesota are notoriously trying, so you might comfort yourself with the belief that it’s at least getting rid of the ticks. But that’s not quite so.
Blacklegged ticks carry Lyme disease, and they, as well as other common species of ticks, can ride out the winter in a number of ways. One of the common ones is to hide in leaf litter on the forest floor. They don’t need to avoid the cold so much as avoid the open air. Once snow falls, the snowpack acts like a blanket. It's the same concept as an igloo.
Ticks also wake up easily. They don’t go away so much as they pause. Any day the temperature climbs above roughly forty degrees, including a midwinter thaw or an early-spring stretch before the snow fully melts, ticks can become active and start looking for a host. People are often surprised to pick up a tick in March.
What knocks down tick numbers is harder to come by than cold air alone. You need a long stretch of deep cold with no insulating snow. But that’s not how it usually works across the Arrowhead. If anything, summer drought does more to limit them than winter ever does.
Northeastern Minnesota has plenty of woodland and brush, as well as deer and rodents for tick hosts, which means the area is able to support a strong blacklegged population. That’s why, despite the incredibly cold winters, the region still sees, every year, cases of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and sometimes even the rare but serious Powassan virus.
For you, the fact to walk away with is that ticks are active as soon as the snow stops, and not weeks later. It’s good to establish a habit of checking for ticks after going out in the woods, regardless of the time of year.
If you're tired of counting on the cold to handle your ticks, Mosquito Squad of NE Minnesota can help. Mosquito Squad offers tick control that treats the leaf litter and wooded edges where ticks shelter and emerge, helping protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
