Experts warn of rising tick population in CT

(WFSB) - Ticks are already high in numbers, and experts say multiple factors are helping their numbers grow, including new species moving into Connecticut.

“I let Fluffy out, she only went out five feet and boom she’s coming in with a tick on her. Some of the other calls are that they’re seeing them on their house,” said John Vollmer, owner of Tick Ranger.

Tick Ranger has already been getting a ton of calls.

Vollmer says it’s been like this the last couple of years, pointing the blame at our mild winters.

“Because the winters are so mild, the ticks are able to survive longer,” said Vollmer.

Doctor Goudarz Molaei is the Director of the Tick Surveillance Program at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

He says while native tick numbers are up, so are the different kinds of ticks, like the Asian Longhorn tick.

We’re also finding ticks normally seen in the south.

“Last week, on Wednesday when we did a brief survey of a site that we know that has established population of one of these invasive tick species, we were able to collect over eight hundred ticks in a matter of an hour or so,” said Molaei.

Since they’re new to the area, we don’t know exactly what tickborne diseases they can give us.

Lyme Disease is always a concern with ticks, but the list is now bigger.

Nearly half of all ticks in the state have at least one disease, and some ticks are found with multiple diseases.

“You can imagine the complexity of diagnostics and treatment if a person is bit by a tick that was infected with two disease agent and sometimes three disease agent,” said Molaei.

The best way to avoid tick bites is prevention.

When you’re outside, wear long-sleeved clothing.

Also, wear pants, and when you are wearing pants you can tuck in your pant legs in your socks to ensure no ticks get on your skin.

You can put on some repellent on your hands to keep those ticks away.

Molaei stresses the majority of tick bites happen in our own yards.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to find a pest control company like Tick Ranger to treat your home.