Spring Arrives and So Do the Ticks

Soon enough we'll be checking for ticks!

It's been a good ol' fashioned Maine winter with brutal cold and piles of snow. It was rumored that perhaps the tick population would take a hit from the seemingly inhospitable weather. Wrong! Maine tick experts are warning that although it has been a long cold winter, ticks will be just as prevalent.

In a few experiments ticks where put in a -2 degree freezer. Within 24 hours those ticks were dead. Exciting, right? Not really. In winter ticks 'chill' in the snow, where temps usually stay around 25-28 degrees. At those temps the ticks hibernate, until temperature climbs to about 40 degrees.

Experts say once we have bare ground and daily temperatures in the high 30's or low 40's, it's time to start checking for ticks.