When Is Tick Season?

by Jenn Smith March 23, 2020

Ticks are a year-round concern for outdoor enthusiasts and pet owners alike. While tick news is generally slow in winter, headlines of tick bites and tick diseases pick up in spring. As the weather changes from cool to warm, ticks will become more noticeable in yards; hiking trails; and gardens.

Typically, March is the start of tick season as ticks come out of the woodwork in search of warm-blooded mammals for food. Ticks will latch onto white-tailed deer, people and pets as their main food source and may or may not spread tick-borne infections during this time.

Not all ticks carry Lyme Disease; some carry:

Anaplasmosis
Ehrlichiosis
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (mostly from American Dog Ticks)
Hepatazoonosis
Babesiosis
Bartonellosis

The above tick diseases may have long-term affects on both people and pets.

For pet owners: proper grooming after outdoor playtime is a must.
For hikers, campers and gardeners, be sure to do thorough tick checks on the body.

To remove a tick from the skin, use a tick removal tool; and be sure to take family members and pets to the doctor if bit by a tick. Only a medical professional can identify the tick and see if it is carrying tick infections.