Ticks can stay active well into the late fall. The first frost or first cold night won’t necessarily end tick activity for the season.
Tick behavior varies a lot based on species and local conditions. But one thing that people often don’t realize is just how long ticks can be active. And this is partly because air temperature doesn’t necessarily tell you what the conditions are where ticks spend most of their time.
Ticks hide in places like leaf litter and brush. All of these can hold moisture and moderate temperature, especially when close to the ground. So in practice, this means that if you go outside on a mild day following a cold snap, you can still find ticks on you. Even a stretch of cold nights can reduce tick activity, only for a milder afternoon or warm spell to wake ticks back up.
The other thing to consider is that normal fall activities can put people directly into tick habitat. Raking leaves, cleaning up brush, stacking firewood, hiking, hunting, walking pets, and working along wooded property edges all create opportunities for contact. If you plan to do any of these things, wear long pants and consider using a repellent with DEET or picaridin in it. After going inside, check yourself for ticks and remove any you find.
Around the home, you can reduce the tick population by keeping the lawn mowed and blowing or raking leaf litter around places where people spend time. It’s a good idea to thin out dense vegetation too. Eventually, it will get cold enough to render ticks dormant, but it might take longer than you expect and last for less time than you’d hope.
If ticks are active around your Waukesha County & Milwaukee North Shore property, Mosquito Squad of Waukesha County & Milwaukee North Shore can help with pest control based on current conditions. Call (262) 333-0395 or request a free quote online.
