Mild winter means early tick season, experts warn

PITTSBURGH — Many are out taking advantage of milder weather — but so are bloodthirsty pests that can pose a risk to you and your pets.

As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, our sister station WPXI spoke with experts about why you may start seeing ticks earlier than usual this year.

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As people enjoy time outdoors in the warm weather, they need to be on guard for ticks.

“These ticks that we are seeing out and about right now are hungry, they are looking for something to bite,” Emily Struckhoff, Vector-Borne Disease Program Specialist with Penn State Extension.

Struckhoff said ticks live for about two years, so they don’t die off during the cold months.

So when the weather is wild, you can see young and old come out.

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The feared deer tick can be active and looking to bite whenever the temperatures are above about 40 degrees.

New ticks will be born this spring.

“Once we start getting into April, May, we start seeing tick populations peak and become most active,” Struckhoff said.

Parkgoer Connie Concannon said her family members have had bites.

“Last year was really bad so hopefully this year won’t be so bad,” she said.

Struckhoff said it’s hard to predict if we’ll face a “worse” tick season.

News Center 7 will continue to update this story.

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