What to Know About Ticks in Massachusetts

After a brutally cold winter, Massachusetts residents may think the state is in the clear with ticks this season. But with warmer temperatures returning, the pests are returning with a vengeance. Keep you and your family safe this season by following these guidelines:

Spring ticks are small nymphs that become active as temperatures rise. Most tick-borne disease cases occur from late spring through summer. The active period may start more slowly this year due to a cool spring.

Ticks thrive in wooded and grassy areas with leaf litter and are increasingly found in backyards, parks, and beaches where wildlife like deer and mice are present.

Lyme disease remains the most common tick-borne illness in Massachusetts, transmitted by the blacklegged deer tick. Other diseases include babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Borrelia miyamotoi infection, Powassan virus, and alpha-gal syndrome. Alpha-gal syndrome is linked to the lone star tick and is increasing on Cape Cod and the Islands.

Prevention strategies include using EPA-approved DEET repellents, treating clothing with permethrin, wearing long sleeves and tucked-in pants, performing full-body tick checks after spending time outdoors, showering after being outdoors, and drying clothes on high heat to kill ticks.

If a tick is attached to your skin, remove it promptly with fine-tipped tweezers by pulling upward without twisting or crushing it. Monitor yourself for rash, fever, or fatigue in the weeks that follow, and consider antibiotics after high‑risk bites.

According to a Boston Globe report, researchers are continuing to create new tools for disease prevention. Pfizer and Valneva's Lyme disease vaccine has cut cases by approximately 73% in a Phase 3 trial. UMass Chan School has developed a monoclonal antibody against Lyme disease that is in clinical trials.