Don’t Let Ticks Ruin Your Family’s Outdoor Enjoyment

As the weather starts to improve, our inclination to get outside and do a little outdoor work or activity is on the rise. For many of us, spending time in our back yard can be our favorite place to be. It’s a time to enjoy our plants and flowers, socialize with family and friends over a spot of alfresco dining or perhaps do those items of D.I.Y that have been on our list. However, as lovely as our outside enjoyment may be, the months of spring bring tick season! See the below link about current tick activity in your area.

Current Tick Activity – New England Region – April 1 – 15

Please let us know if you do find a tick in on you, your family, or your pet by completing the form to the right. Your submission will help monitor tick population trends and tickborne disease risk! You can use our tick identification chart for your region of the country to find out what kind it was, and then let us know about your find by filling out the short 2 question form.

As we are now in early April, this is the time when the adult Lone Star ticks begin to show their aggressive ‘bitey’ faces and if you’re fond of a steak on the BBQ during your precious outdoor time, these are the ones you really want to avoid because they have been known to cause an allergic reaction to red meat.

Of course, it’s not just the Lone Star tick that you need to protect yourself from. Deer ticks, Blacklegged ticks, American Dog ticks can all carry their own tick borne viruses and they can all be hiding away in the perimeter of your yard. Do you have your tick control up to date to protect you, your family and visitors to your home from them? Here’s a chart to help you identify any of these critters that may be lurking nearby (let’s hope they’re not, but just in case you spot one!)

Tick Identification

Move the mouse pointer over each tick for zoomed view. Left-click a tick for more information about seasonal activity, known diseases transmitted, and larger images. Change the current region by left-clicking a region name to the right of the chart. Ticks are arranged from high (top) to low (bottom) relative abundance in the selected region.

We hope that you’ve found these resources informative and they have helped to heighten your awareness of how important it is to be on the look out for ticks during your outdoor enjoyment.