It varies by region, but tick season generally stretches from April to October.

Ticks pick up disease-causing germs by biting infected wildlife, usually rodents. American dog ticks can spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The lone star tick, mainly located in southern, eastern and midwestern states, can carry ehrlichiosis and Heartland virus disease. They can also spread babesiosis, anaplasmosis and Powassan virus disease. Black-legged ticks, also called deer ticks, can carry more than Lyme-causing bacteria. An estimated 476,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection in the U.S., mostly in the Northeast and Midwest. Infected ticks spread bacteria, viruses and parasites that make people sick.

“It’s going to be an above average year for tick activity and abundance,” Molaei said. Ticks can transmit multiple diseases that sicken humans, and deer ticks, which spread Lyme, are a day-to-day fact of life in the warm months in New England and the Midwest. Ticks will be more active than usual early in spring 2023, and that means Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections could spread earlier and in greater numbers than in a typical year. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a blacklegged tick, which is also known as a deer tick. The state typically sees a lot of Lyme disease, which got its name from a Connecticut town. So far, more than 700 ticks have been sent in for a testing program that normally would have gotten 200 to 300 by now. In Connecticut, ticks are showing up in greater numbers this year, according to Goudarz Molaei, a tick expert for the state. This year’s mild winter and early snow melt, though, could mean more ticks earlier than usual and a wider spread of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, scientists said. Researchers say it is hard to predict how the tick season will play out. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - After a mild winter in the U.S., will there be an uptick in ticks this year?

Anxiety by Danny Winter