Expert says tick numbers in RI are up 10 to 15 percent

As restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus continue to lift and many people are looking to get some fresh air, an expert warns that the number of ticks are on the rise this year.

Thomas Mather, professor of public health entomology at URI, said that it appears the number of black-legged ticks, like deer ticks, are up 10 to 15 percent compared to last year.

“It’s hard to actually describe a typical season because it was quite variable,” Mather said. “Reasonable indication that there are actually more ticks.”

Mather said a lot has to do with the springtime weather, while the ticks are in its juvenile stage.

“This humidity issue that comes along when they’re first becoming active in May and June,” he said. ” Most of June we had no rain but we had fog almost every day and that was actually perfect for the ticks.”

He said that there have been more reports on URI’s TickEncounter website, but the evidence still suggests that numbers are on the rise.

“People are encountering these ticks perhaps a little bit more than normal,” he said. “And on top of that I think people are spending more time outside.”

Mather said Rhode Island is beginning to see a decline in tick activity for now, but that will spike once again in October and November when the ticks reach its adult stage.