Tick populations have grown for a number of reasons including milder winters, expanding herds of deer, and suburban development that is pushing deeper into the woods. Awareness is now more important than ever, and more people are checking for ticks and finding them where they wouldn’t have before.
You might wonder if there are more ticks, and the short answer is yes. But that’s not the whole picture, and people are also bumping into ticks more often because of how we live and where we live.
Residential development in Rhode Island has been pushing into the woods and semi-rural land for decades. With each new subdivision, a little bit of forest is cleared and new homes sit against forested areas, the kinds where ticks thrive. These transition areas are particularly bad about having blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme disease.
Meanwhile, deer populations in suburban areas have also taken off. White-tailed deer are the primary reproductive host for blacklegged ticks and they move freely throughout Rhode Island and southern New England. They browse through gardens and cross into yards, shedding ticks all the while.
Winters have also been milder as of late, which means hard frosts are not coming around as often and tick populations can remain unchecked. Even a few degrees can make a difference in how readily ticks can overwinter under warm yard debris like decaying piles of leaves.
Beyond all the above, there is also the detection factor. People have become more aware of Lyme disease, and that awareness is a good thing. But it does mean people are checking for ticks more often and finding ones that they would not have seen a generation ago. That means a greater proportion of tick encounters are being reported relative to the ones that have merely happened. (If you don’t already, it’s a good idea to check for ticks after coming inside, as quickly removing them can greatly reduce your risks of getting sick.)
If you're finding ticks on your Rhode Island property more often than you'd like, Mosquito Squad of Rhode Island can help. Mosquito Squad treats the shaded edges and ground cover where ticks wait for hosts, reducing populations by up to 90% with treatments every 21 days.
