It is reported that black legged ticks are out already and are emerging from leaf piles and soil and are looking for blood meals. Although tick season typically begins in mid-April, it may have gotten a jump start from the spring like weather of recent months.

Emily Struckhoff, a Penn State University vector-borne disease specialist, said, “When temperatures go above 40 degrees, ticks begin looking for a host to bite. I was hearing from people about tick bites as early as January and February. 

People were telling me they lived in an area for 30, 40, or 50 years and never saw a tick so early in the year. They were saying the same thing about the weather, how it’s never been so warm in the middle of the winter.

“Ticks can live for almost 2 years, which is how long it takes for them to complete a full life-cycle, and they feed just three times. They morph from eggs to larvae to nymphs and finally molt into adults and need to feed to get from one life stage to the next,” Struckhoff said.

She also said, “The adult female’s last blood meal is the one she needs in order to lay eggs. Although failure to find a host before a sharp downturn in fall temperatures could mean death to a tick before it can reproduce, ticks are pretty hard creatures. They are really tough and difficult to kill, and you won’t see mass die-offs.”

The black legged tick is the prime carrier of Lyme disease, an increasing common threat to outdoors enthusiasts.

Emily said, “Most mammals and birds are potential tick carriers, and deer are a major culprit because they are big and can support a lot of ticks. When heading outdoors use pyrethrum or Deet as a tick repellent. Shower and perform a body scan upon returning home. Ticks have about 24 hours to infect a person with Lyme disease, so immediate removal is essential. Getting tested for Lyme is also a good idea, since a bull’s-eye rash doesn’t always appear.”

Pa’s Saturday Deer Opener

Hunters packed the auditorium at the PA Game Commission’s headquarters, and additional seating was provided for the huge crowd.

There were 32 people who offered comments about the deer season opener, and 26 told the board they wanted to change the opener back to a Monday.

The Game Commission said they received more than 1,000 emails on the topic, and the positions of each side are well taken.

The board then voted unanimously to keep the Saturday opener in place. The motion was preliminary and final approval will be needed at the board’s April meeting.