Those warmer sunny days are hard to resist, and Norwalk has numerous parks to enjoy. But New England is tick land, and that means being aware of what’s in store for 2026.
Let’s break the myth that the super cold weather we experienced has an effect on ticks and other insects. The arctic cold is a surface temperature. Underground is a different story. By six feet of depth, the ground temperature ranges between a balmy 49-58 degrees Fahrenheit. This means insects can survive the winter.
But the great outdoors beckons, so preventing ticks from hitching a ride on you is important. The first thing to do, is wear light colored, long-sleeved clothing. Ticks are small and dark in color, so spotting them on your clothing is always a good thing to do. And not leaving skin exposed by tucking pants into socks is also a good idea to create a barrier.
Spring is a good time of year to avoid high grass areas, but areas covered by last fall’s leaves are just as risky. And with summer around the corner that will change soon. And those beautiful old stone walls that look inviting? Ticks love stones. Try not to sit on them, or brush against them. In wooded areas, walk in the center of trails. And lastly, shower immediately after outdoor activity, and conduct full body tick checks. That’s just the basic info.
This year, new research confirms the trend line of the past decade. More ticks, more diseases. Researchers from the Hudson Valley’s Cary Institute of Ecosystems have released a new report with the news that “tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the northern United States, with many ticks carrying more than one pathogen.”
Shannon LaDeau led the research by collecting more than 2000 backlogged nymphal ticks from the Cary Institute’s campus in Duchess County between 2014 and 2022. Roughly 2 in 5 ticks tested were capable of spreading at least one disease to humans. And roughly 1 in 10 ticks tested positive for at least carrying two disease pathogens. Adult ticks were not included in the long-term study. But that’s not because they carry less diseases. The report cautioned that adult ticks tend to have even higher infectious pathogens.
The two pathogens that were most commonly found to cause Lyme disease and another illness that has many of the same symptoms as Malaria called babesiosis. Babesia microti, the parasite behind babesiosis, was found in more than 21% of the nymphal ticks that were tested.
Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium borrelia burgdorferi, was found in 19.3% of nymphal ticks. That was an increase of almost 6% year over year during the study period.
LaDeau noted, “Healthcare workers should be on the lookout for rising co-infection risks. And for people spending time outdoors in the Northeast, as a general rule, if the ground is not freezing, it’s a good idea to take precautions to avoid tick bites. Prevention is key.”
Co-author Richard Ostfeld said, “The probability of being exposed to a pathogen by a single bite from a nymphal tick is approaching 40-percent. That seems uncomfortably high. These ticks are so small, most people don’t even realize when one is feeding on them.” Ostfeld has been studying ticks for decades.
For more information about the report, which includes photos to help you visualize what you are up against, check out the Cary Instistitues website.
