Blacklegged tick populations have expanded, warming has lengthened the active season, suburban development has put more people into tick habitat, and new species and multiple diseases per tick all add to the risk.
Rising tick-borne illness isn't down to a single cause. It's several trends stacking up at once, and together they add up to more human cases. That doesn’t mean the worry has to crowd out your outdoor fun or that you have to take unnecessary risk.
More people are getting sick from ticks because there are simply more ticks, in more places, active for longer. Blacklegged tick populations have expanded their range, moving into areas that had few ticks a generation ago, including suburban neighborhoods that people don't think of as tick country.
The seasons are also running longer now. Winters are a bit shorter and summers a bit longer, which means ticks are active for longer and have more chances to reproduce each season. Whenever it’s above freezing, ticks can be active.
Suburbia has been pushing into the woods for a while. That means more homes are in the wooded, brushy areas that ticks have called home for a long time. Add to that the fact that more people are spending time outdoors, hiking, gardening, walking dogs. All together, it means more people next to ticks.
In Minnesota, the lone star tick has been increasing alongside the established deer tick, and different species carry different diseases. On top of that, a single tick can carry more than one pathogen, so one bite can sometimes lead to a co-infection, making illness more complex.
And lastly, part of the increase in tick disease comes down to reporting. This is good, because it means improved awareness and testing. That still doesn’t change the fact that you are genuinely more likely to fall ill with a tick-borne illness than a generation ago.
If you're tired of the growing worry about ticks and the diseases they carry, Mosquito Squad of South Metro Minnesota can help. Mosquito Squad treats the brushy, shaded zones where ticks gather. This can help you protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
