Autumn is a spectacular season to visit New England with peak fall foliage about to arrive in many areas. Colorful landscapes and photo opportunities abound, but travelers should remember to take precautions and check for ticks after spending time outdoors.
There are many tick species in New England, but blacklegged ticks are responsible for 99% of all tick bite illnesses reported to the Vermont Department of Health. Blacklegged ticks habitate in wooded areas and fields with tall grass and brush.
Blacklegged tick peak activity typically occurs in May and June when nymphal ticks are looking for a host, and tick activity increases again in October and November when adult female ticks are looking for another host before winter, according to the Vermont Department of Health.
“Although blacklegged tick activity typically follows this pattern, these ticks may be encountered any time of year when temperatures are above freezing,” the department warns.
The online nonprofit newspaper Maine Monitor reported last month that New England is warming faster than the rest of the world, which has led to “a marked uptick in cases of tick-borne diseases, including Lyme (disease), anaplasmosis and babesiosis in Maine and throughout the Northeast.”
In 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that babesiosis incidence significantly increased in northeastern states in 2011-2019.
“Three states—Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont—that were not considered to have endemic babesiosis had significantly increasing incidences and reported case counts similar to or higher than those in the seven states with known endemic transmission,” the CDC said.
Babesiosis can cause illness ranging from asymptomatic or mild to severe or fatal, according to the CDC.
“Persons spending time outdoors in states with endemic babesiosis should practice tick bite prevention, including wearing long pants, avoiding underbrush and long grass and using tick repellents,” the CDC advises.
Anyone who has been outdoors in areas habitated by ticks should take a shower within two hours of coming indoors, the American Lyme Disease Foundation says. “This can wash away unattached ticks and provides a good opportunity to do a skin check.”
A thorough tick check should be performed on one’s body, clothing, gear and pets.
“Ticks generally take between 15 minutes and two hours to crawl around and find a suitable place to attach and feed, so being prompt about checking for any unattached ticks can reduce your risk of potential tick bites,” the lyme disease foundation says.
“Conduct a full-body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, which includes under the arms, the groin/genital areas, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist and, especially, in the hair. Ticks are often attracted to warmer areas of the body, so make sure to check all creases and warm area folds. Since ticks can be very small, it’s important to feel for bumps on the skin that might not be immediately visible.”
If you find a tick attached to your skin, it’s important to remove it as soon as possible to reduce the risk of disease transmission, the lyme disease foundation says. It recommends only using fine-tipped tweezers to remove a tick.