New York S Tick Population Is Expected To Be At Its Highest For 2019

An issue that’s been almost impossible not to notice if you’ve been living here for a while, the entire state of New York has continued to see an increase in ticks over the last couple of years. Affecting nearly every region of our state, with the eastern half seeing more cases than the west, you don’t need to be hiking knee-deep through the thick of our forests to find yourself running into these pesky creatures. With this year’s population predicted to be one of the worsts, here’s what you should know about ticks in the Empire State and how you can stay safe.

While the danger of ticks isn’t a new concern for those of living in New York State, it’s certainly been a familiar issue that’s been on the rise - specifically since 2017.

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Seen most between the months of April and October in both rural and urban areas, experts are claiming that this year may very well be one of the worst when it comes to ticks.

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According to the experts, a grand total of 2 million Americans are estimated to have a form of drug-resistant Lyme disease by 2020. Pretty chilling, huh?

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So, what can you do to stay safe this year if things end up being as bad as many are predicting that they will be?

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When it comes to preventing tick bites this year, you’ll want to be sure to do things like use repellents and sprays that contain DEET and to also wear lighter colored clothes when you know you’ll be heading into the outdoors - as to make it easy to spot any of these guys on you.

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Other ways you can prevent tick bites is to perform frequent tick checks and to shower once you’re done spending time outdoors.

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If you do end up finding yourself in a situation where you’ve been bitten by a tick, you’ll want to safely remove the tick and then place it in some type of ziplock bag or container.

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From here, you have a couple of different options. Oftentimes if you bring the tick to your local doctor, they’ll be able to test the tick for disease there or send it out. If you’re looking for another option, websites like TickReport can help you out.

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If you happen to be someone who’s underestimating this rising problem in the Empire State, just know that between the 2004 and 2016, over 69,000 cases of tick-borne illnesses were reported in New York.

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Also, 2017 saw the third highest number of ticks on record for New York State, jumping more than 15% from the previous year.

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With only the month of April behind us and many of our residents already seeing a mass number of ticks taking over, you’ll want to be extra cautious this year while you’re exploring New York.

John Brighenti/Flickr To learn more about the proper way to remove a tick and more about testing, check out the official information and tips provided by the CDC here.

If you’ve already begun to see ticks this year, be sure to tell us in the comments! For more cheerful articles involving Mother Nature’s creations, take a look at how Millions Of Butterflies Are Headed Straight For New York This Spring!