Many tick species, including black-legged ticks, overwinter under leaf litter and snow and become active on warm winter days.
T
Steps
schema.org/HowTo
01
DO NOT pack away your tick precautions when temperatures drop.
02
A single frost does not kill off tick populations. Black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis and I. pacificus) overwinter as nymphs or adults under leaf litter, then become active any time temperatures rise above freezing.
03
Adult Ixodes scapularis are actually most active in fall and again in early spring; warm-spell hikes in winter can still produce bites.
04
Keep using permethrin-treated clothing, repellent, and tick checks any time you are in tick habitat, even in cooler months.
05
Pets need year-round preventive care in most of the U.S., not just summer.