As temperatures climb, ticks are making their seasonal return across northern Indiana — and residents are already reporting an increase in encounters.
Jeff Burbrink, Extension Educator with Purdue University, said his office began receiving calls about tick activity earlier this spring.
“The first calls I got were from people whose dogs had been running around,” Burbrink said. “One person told me she had five or ten on the back of her dog after a run through the woods.”
Ticks thrive in overgrown grass, brushy edges, and wooded trails. The American dog tick is the most common species in Indiana, but others, like the Lone Star tick and black-legged tick, are becoming more common.
“They come out of dormancy and start crawling around,” Burbrink said. “They have a behavior called grappling, where they wave their little legs and try to grab onto the animal.”
Once a tick latches onto a host, it crawls upward and embeds itself to take a blood meal — often going unnoticed until it's fully attached.
Ticks also carry diseases, most notably Lyme disease, which has been rising in northern Indiana. While there’s no longer a Lyme vaccine for humans, a vaccine for dogs is available. Burbrink advises pet owners to consult their veterinarians about it.
Preventing tick bites, he said, starts with preparation.
“The primary thing to do is wear long sleeves, long pants, and try to keep them from getting on your skin to begin with,” Burbrink said. “Wearing a repellent over your clothing will help to reduce the chance that you’re gonna get bit.”
Health experts recommend repellents containing DEET or permethrin. Clothing treated with these ingredients can further reduce the chance of a tick bite. Light-colored clothes also make ticks easier to spot. Tucking pants into socks can help prevent ticks from crawling up and attaching to the body.
After spending time outdoors, people should check themselves, children, and pets — especially around the head, groin, and underarms. Showering promptly may also help remove unattached ticks.
To reduce tick habitats near the home, Burbrink recommends mowing tall grass, trimming low-hanging tree limbs, and clearing brush along fences and wooded areas.
“The best defense,” he said, “is awareness and a few smart steps to avoid a bite.”
