Ticks are out for the season, how to be safe

The warm season often entices people out into the woods for hiking, along bodies of water for fishing and swimming, or just out into their yards to work and socialize. However, a higher tick population this year comes with an increased cause for concern. Within the Monadnock Region, the deer tick is top concern — which is known to carry lyme disease among other potential infections. However, the lone star tick has moved into nearby parts of New Hampshire, now officially considered established in the Merrimack County. These ticks can transmit microbes associated with alpha-gal syndrome — a severe allergy to red meat. Ticks in New Hampshire are primarily active from April to November, with May and June as peak times. They are active any time the outside temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and they are not covered by snow. Theories around the increased population this year include the mild 2025 winter meant more adult and adolescent ticks survived and a thriving white-tailed deer population provides ample hosts. Ticks aren't insects but arthropods — more closely related to spiders and mites. New Hampshire is mostly home to hard ticks, which have a tough shield-like structure on their backs. New Hampshire with Extension Diagnostic Service Program Manager Shyloh Favreau said on a recent episode of the podcast Shared Soil, ticks are "blood feeders," which means they require an animal host to survive and develop. Humans and pets often end up as hosts. "They transmit more types of pathogens than any other blood feeding arthropod in North America," Favreau said on Shared Soil. Ticks are also a food source for animals like wild turkeys. University of New Hampshire Extension offers a tick testing service. Anyone can submit a tick for testing. Once a tick is removed, place it in a Ziploc bag or sealed container and mail it to the Durham campus. Scientists will test the tick for top pathogens. For more information, visit unh.how/tick. However, there's several things people can do beforehand to prevent a tick getting on their skin to begin with. Susie Spikol, community programs director and naturalist at Harris Center for Conservation Education, said a lot of prevention is based on what people wear. For example, the dark speck of a tick shows up more on lighter colored clothes like khaki or white. "If I'm out in the field hiking around on unmaintained trails, I do wear long pants," she said. "They sell a lot of great lightweight long pants that are light colored, we always recommend that and close-toed shoes with light colors socks. I know it sounds not that fashionable but tucking your socks up over your pants or wearing kind of tall boots." It's common for people who work in nature like environmentalists to wear clothes treated with pyrethrin — a class of organic compounds found naturally in some chrysanthemum flowers. These are natural pest deterrents, making it so ticks don't want to go on the wearer. While people can get their clothes treated, it also comes in a spray similar to bug spray. "It's a neurotoxin. They don't come on you or if they come on you, they don't stay," Spikol said. Once outside, she said, ticks are more common off the beaten path, in tall grasses and shadows. They don't like drying out in the sun so keeping grass short can help keep ticks out of yards. Sticking to maintained trails will help, but that's still not a guarantee. "I'm a big fan of the tick check," she said. "One great to do if you have young children is to really check them. They're going to be lower to the ground and the grass, and they don't always stay on the path." Main places to check when looking for tick is places like the waistband of pants or socks where clothing constricts; and nooks and crannies such as behind the ear, nape of the neck, armpits, between toes and private areas. Spikol said along with looking for ticks themselves, keep an eye out for rashes or bumps. Since it is also mosquito season, there's more reasons than ticks skin irritation may happen. Along with kids, it's important to check pets after they go outside as well. A more recent recommendation is also to put clothes in the dryer on high for 20 minutes right after getting home to knock off any ticks that could be hiding in them. People will also use lint rollers to check clothes. "Then showering," Spikol said. "it's not going to wash the tick away, but when you shower, you're paying attention to your body in a different way. Touch your body, feel for any bumps or lumps that you might have that weren't there before you went out." If somebody finds an attached tick, Spikol said, it's best to call a doctor and see what they have to say. Tick removal tools are also available. Once removed, a tick can be placed between two pieces of tape, sealed and marked. "I'll date that piecer of tape with a marker and I'll save it," she said. "If for some reason I get symptoms or I develop a rash, I know when I had the exposure." The fear of ticks and the diseases that can come with them, Spikol said, is keeping people from enjoying the outdoors. "It's stopping us from going outside. It's really sad," she said. "Imagine a summer where you can't go outside because you're scared of ticks. Learning how to live with them, how to be checking yourself for ticks, how to pay attention to your own body. Those are really important."