Heavy Tick Season Predicted | Health

The National Pest Management Association forecasts a heavier tick season than in previous years. However, this boom in tick populations is not due to the unseasonably mild winter, but due to acorns.  
Oak trees produced an extremely large acorn crop in 2010, which led to a boom in the white-footed mouse population last year. As a result, the blacklegged (deer) tick population also increased because the ticks had an abundance of mice to feed on when they hatched.

This spring those same ticks are looking for their second meal as nymphs, but a decline in the mice population may force them to find new warm-blooded host - humans.
NPMA experts warn that this may result in an increase in human cases of tick-borne disease as people ahead outside to enjoy the weather.

NPMA offers the following tick tips:

· Use tick repellent when outdoors and wear long sleeved shirts and pants, preferably light in color, so ticks are easier to detect.
· Use preventative medicine on pets, as prescribed by your veterinarian.
· Once indoors, inspect clothing and your entire body. Check family members and pets that have been outdoors.
· Keep grass cut low, including around fences, sheds, trees, shrubs and swing sets. Remove weeds, woodpiles and other debris from the yard.
· If a tick is found attached, remove it with a slow, steady pull so as not to break off the mouthparts and leave them in the skin. Then, wash hands and bite site thoroughly with soap and water. Ticks should be flushed down a toilet or wrapped in tissue before disposing in a closed receptacle.