Tick activity surges in Maine with arrival of warmer weather
Mar. 22—Deer tick activity surged this week as warmer weather stirred the Lyme-disease carrying arachnids out of their dormant winter state to begin searching for hosts.
Griffin Dill, integrated pest management specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension's tick lab, said submissions of ticks to the lab went from a trickle over the winter to a dozen or more each day this week.
"The season is here," Dill said. "In the last couple years this is what we've been seeing, that in mid- to late-March we start to see that increase in activity and sample submissions."
The tick lab accepts submissions of ticks to test to see what types of ticks are being found, and also for research purposes.
Dill said most likely the ticks that are active currently are deer ticks, the ticks that transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis.
"What we are seeing right now are adult deer ticks that overwintered and didn't find a host in the fall," Dill said. "Dog ticks won't really start being active for another month and a half."
As the deer tick broadens its range — likely in response to climate change — Lyme disease has become more prevalent, with Maine experiencing a record high of 3,218 cases in 2024, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far in 2025, Maine has logged 291 cases of Lyme, but the bulk of Lyme cases occur later in the spring, and then throughout the summer and fall.
Lyme disease symptoms include a characteristic bulls-eye rash (although some people who contract Lyme do not get the rash), fever, headache, fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes.
If caught early, Lyme disease, a bacterial infection, can be treated with a course of antibiotics.
Dill said the 2024-25 winter likely did not knock tick populations back. Snow acts as an insulator to help keep the ticks alive.
"We certainly had some stretches of cold weather, in the single digits and teens, but we had that snow cover along with the cold temperatures," Dill said. "You need sustained periods of time with very cold temperatures with little or no snow cover, and we just didn't see that. We are not anticipating this winter had any negative impact on tick populations."
Shorter winters are also helping to boost tick populations, Dill said.
Lindsay Hammes, spokesperson for the Maine CDC, said in a written statement that "seeing increased tick activity at this time of year isn't much of a surprise."
"Ticks can be active any time the temperatures are above freezing, and so with this warmer, wetter weather, ticks are likely out and they're hungry," Hammes said. "If you are out gardening, cleaning up the yard, walking the dog or going on a hike, remember to take precautions against tick bites."
Precautions include using EPA-approved tick repellent, wearing light-colored long sleeves and pants when in tick habitat, and tucking your pants into your socks.
Tick habitat includes not just wooded areas, but ticks also can be in your yard, such as in firewood and under leaves. If you are in a high tick area, when you arrive home, check for ticks on your body and clothes, check pets, shower and put clothes in the drier on high heat for at least 15 minutes.
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