Tick season is upon is in the Tar Heel State - and you may not like the consequences of our milder than normal winter. After much of the state experienced only repeated brief periods of cold weather followed by some unseasonably warm temperatures, the ticks this year will be more prevalent than in most spring and summer seasons in North Carolina.
Ticks are found in much of the world's warm climates, including here at home in North Carolina.
The external parasite is a blood sucker that relies on a human or warm-blooded host for food.
The unseasonably warm climate this winter created an environment in which ticks could flourish.
Since they rely on animal hosts for subsistence, when a winter is particularly warm, it allows many of those animals to survive the cold season — creating more hosts for the ticks. Especially frigid temps also prevent their eggs from developing to the larvae stage. In North Carolina this year, even the mountains didn't have long periods of frigid temperatures.
Ticks can be found anywhere in the out of doors, but are especially fond of grassy areas and areas where the grass meets a wooded area.
Be sure to examine your pets when they come in from playing outside. If you find a tick, pull it off and dispose of it immediately. Regularly bathing your pet can also help in discovering the creepy creatures with their mouths embedded under the skin of our canine and feline family members.
Longer days mean more time spent out of doors — and more chances a tick could end up on your clothing or having a meal at your or your child's expense.
Be especially vigilant to check yourself and your kids for ticks regularly. The CDC also recommends showering immediately after returning from tick-prone areas. If you find a tick on your (or your child's) body, immediately remove it with tweezers, pulling from the tick's embedded mouth first in order to get it all and avoid rupturing the tick's potentially swollen body. It also doesn't hurt to preserve the tick in a jar of alcohol just in case you start to see signs of disease from the bite.
Ticks are carriers of 12 different diseases.
If you or someone you know is bitten, be sure to watch for reactions, including a bullseye rash (seen here). This marking on the skin around a bite is usually indicative of Lyme Disease.
To learn more about ticks, avoiding areas where ticks are prone to be found, and the signs and symptoms of disease after a tick bite, refer to this page of the official website of the CDC.
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