You Won’t Be Happy To Hear That Vermont Is Experiencing A Major Surge Of Ticks This Year

Get your bug repellent ready. Tick season has officially started in Vermont and experts are saying it’s poised to be worse than usual.

A relatively warm winter has set the stage for a major surge of ticks during the spring and summer of 2019. Despite getting large amounts of snow, temperatures in the state weren’t sufficiently cold enough to put a dent in the tick population expected to pop up this May and June, officials say.

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Ticks are gross, but they’re also dangerous. Thirteen different types of ticks can be found in this state, including four that can transmit potentially life-threatening diseases. In Vermont, you’re at risk of catching lyme disease, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis from black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks. It’s rare, but you can also catch Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus, or borrelia moyamatoi from ticks in the Green Mountain state.

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In a study carried out between 2013 and 2016, officials found that over 60 percent of ticks tested in Vermont carried at least one kind of communicable disease. Of these, the vast majority were black-legged ticks or deer ticks. This is particularly alarming, as deer ticks can carry more than one disease at the same time.

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To keep yourself safe this season, thoroughly check yourself all over after each outdoor excursion and be sure to give your pets a tick-check as well. Wear light-colored clothing outside and use a bug repellent with DEET if you’re hiking or camping. If you find a tick on your body, grab it by the head with a pair of tweezers and gently pull it off. Go straight to the doctor if you notice any itching, redness, or swelling at the bite site.

Vermont residents should be on the lookout for ticks from May until about October. For more information about ticks and how to protect yourself, click here. If you have your bug spray in hand, check out this amazing swimming hold in Vermont that is the perfect summertime oasis.