As the weather inches toward cool, crisp fall days, many people love to put on their boots and go for a hike. But there will still be ticks out ready to bite.
Humidity this summer has been high at times, which means the tick population in Connecticut has not been bothered. Tick experts told NBC Connecticut there needs to be hot, dry weather in the summer months to increase tick mortality.
“I had a scare once that I thought I had Lyme disease because I had the telltale ring around,” said Meaghan Linn Grasso.
The Groton resident enjoys her time outside. But Grasso is always tick alert, especially since her sister had a severe case of Lyme disease.
“She ended up in the hospital. She had partial paralysis of part of her face. It was quite serious,” Grasso said.
“This year we have had hot summer, however we have had good humidity as well. As a result, I do not believe that we will have less tick population,” said Dr. Goudarz Molaei, a research scientist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
Molaei said he’s seen about 3,800 ticks submitted from January to September. That number is lower than the 4,600 ticks submitted during the same time frame last year but higher than the average of 2,400 from 2013 to 2016.
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“Two peak activities for adult ticks occurs somewhat around May, June and another that occurs around October, November,” Molaei said.
He expects to see even more ticks coming into his office.
Both Roberta and Stan Walinsky have had Lyme disease before. They said in Connecticut, people shouldn’t take any chances when it comes to ticks.
“It only takes one deer tick,” Stan Walinsky said.
Molaei warns people to be aware of their surroundings, especially in wooded or grassy areas. He advises people to wear long pants and tuck them into their socks, even spray clothing with pesticides and, of course, do a thorough tick check.
