Did You Know Spring Is The Most Active Time for Ticks in Illinois?

Many Illinoisans are chomping at the bit for the first official day of spring, but did you know the season's arrival comes with some major tick concerns as well?

Best Things About Spring in Illinois

To me, the best part about Spring is that it means summer and all the fun that comes with the season is just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

Sure, budding trees and tulips are a nice plus for spring, but really the season is a just layover until summer, and I'd rather it be over sooner rather than later.

There are two major things that I dread about the arrival summer; HUMIDITY and BUGS, but it turns out the summer bug I hate the most is actually a bigger problem in the spring.

Prime Tick Season in Illinois

Let me just lay out the bad news first...

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health's website;

In Illinois, the adults are most active in April, May and June. By September, the adults are inactive and are rarely observed.

When I first read that I thought, "What? I've found plenty of ticks on me in July and August too", then I read further.

Kinds of Ticks Most Commonly Found in Illinois

The Illinois Department of Health says there are 15 different species of ticks living in Illinois, but only 3 of them pose particular danger to humans.

Most Dangerous Ticks Found in Illinois

1. The Deer Tick, aka Blacklegged Tick

Deer ticks are big transmitters of Lyme disease and the larvae are most active in the spring and early summer.

2. The American Dog Tick, also known as the Wood Tick

These ticks are usually most active in spring and early summer and are also the ones most commonly found on our bodies and our dogs. Wood ticks are reddish-brown and the females have a silver spot behind the head, while males have silver lines on their back.

3. The Lone Star Tick

In the picture above, the tick in the middle with the white spot on its back is a Lone Star tick. While the name sounds like this tick should only be found in Texas, it is actually most prevalent in Southern Illinois.

Best Ways To Prevent Ticks

Obviously the best way to protect yourself from tick spreading diseases is to never give them the chance to latch on to your body. Unless you want to spend your summer hiding indoors, wearing long sleeves, hats, and pants in wooded areas and/or applying insect repellent containing Deet ON YOUR CLOTHES is your best form of defense.

Here are a few helpful tips from the  Illinois Department of Public Health if you do fall prey to a tick:

• Remove ticks right away by placing tweezers close to the skin and pulling gently so you don't break the tick's head off.
• Never use a match, petroleum jelly, lotion, or bare hands to get a tick out.
• Always wash and apply antiseptic to any tick bite spot.

Mosquitoes are also a dreaded nuisance in the summer, and adding some of these plants to your yard should help keep them out of your hair and off your skin...