Tick populations are surging in these states —…
It’s tick season, and if you’re a house owner in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, Middle Atlantic, Ohio River Valley, and even the South, don’t be shocked if they’re notably lively in your space.
Not only are ticks a nuisance, but they’ve also led to a growing quantity of emergency room visits. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Bite Tracker discovered that 71 per 100,000 emergency room visits in April 2026 had been tick-related — more than double the historic average.
You can’t control climate situations, human conduct, and wildlife motion — all of which contribute to the elevated presence of ticks and the health dangers they trigger. However, you may take proactive steps and create a “tick-free” zone to shield your loved ones and pets.
“For the ideal tick-free zone, use year-round tick-preventative medications, remove leaf litter around the home, install wood chips and mulch near the transition zone between your yard and the forest, and, lastly, mow your yard,” explains Hamilton Allen, entomologist and vice president of technical and security at Fox Pest Control in Tampa, FL.
Why these areas are seeing an uptick
According to the MyWild 2026 Tick Forecast, tick populations are surging in states such as Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, as effectively as Kentucky and Tennessee, highlighting the unfold of ticks past the standard endemic zone of the Northeast and Upper Midwest into the South.
The main offender? The climate situations this past winter.
Ticks are sending a report quantity of Americans to the emergency room this season. RistoH – stock.adobe.com
Theresa Smith, senior vice president of NaturaLawn of America in Frederick, MD, explains that in areas that had been a bit colder than traditional, snow that took months to soften helped insulate ticks from the extraordinarily cold air.
“Snow keeps the temperature of the ground beneath it more stable, so even while air temperatures continue to drop, the ground underneath it stays warmer. Since much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic experienced that long-lasting snowpack or ‘snowcrete’ coverage, this effect was especially pronounced,” Smith explains.
In the South, where the winter months introduced above-average temperatures, more ticks had been ready to survive and reproduce.
“The warmth gave ticks the ideal conditions for breeding,” Smith explains.
The hotter winter climate also allowed ticks to broaden their habitats, which means areas where ticks haven’t traditionally been an issue will start seeing more of these disease-carrying pests.
Nicole Carpenter, pest control skilled and president at Black Pest Prevention in Charlotte, NC, factors out that the ticks don’t need to journey far to grow.
“The increase in tick populations is also about people spending more time and building homes in places where ticks are already active. Wildlife like deer and other animals that move through neighborhoods more often now can bring new ticks,” Carpenter explains.
How to mitigate ticks around your home
Ticks are dangerous to people and animals alike.
“Deer ticks can transmit Lyme disease by climbing on a blade of grass and waiting for an animal or human to brush by. Other ticks, like the lone star ticks, can transmit ehrlichiosis and other serious infections,” says Dr. Linden Hu, infectious disease specialist and professor of immunology at Tufts University in Boston.
They can lead to fever, rashes, fatigue, and other flu-like systems that often warrant a journey to an emergency room. The good news is you may cut back their presence to keep your loved ones and pets secure. Here are a number of expert tips:
Maintain your yard
Ticks love poorly maintained yards.
“Tall grass, poorly ventilated yards, and yards with a lot of shaded spots are most attractive to ticks,” says Carpenter.
If you need to keep them away, keep your yard in optimum form. Mow your garden, and trim trees and shrubs that might create a lot of shade.
Choose the correct ground cowl
Avoid mulch, leaf piles, or dense ground cowl.
“Choose gravel, wood chips, or stone barriers instead, because dry, open materials make it harder for ticks to stay sheltered and humid,” Carpenter explains.
Experts advocate utilizing cedar oil spray to thrust back ticks. encierro – stock.adobe.com
Use a cedar spray
If your objective is to forestall ticks from sticking around, then a cedar oil spray can do wonders. It has a strong scent that ticks don’t like.
Carpenter recommends you spray shaded corners, yard edges, fence traces, and areas where neighboring pets or wildlife can move through.
Plant tick-repellant plants
“Lavender, rosemary, and marigolds can be planted near where your family or pets spend the most time,” says Smith.
It’s also a good concept to plant these around the sting of your home.
Add fencing
Properties without fences are more susceptible to ticks because deer, rodents, or stray cats and canine can transfer through the yard and convey ticks with them.
If you don’t have a fence, putting in one may be worthwhile.
“Fencing solves part of the problem because it simply limits the amount of host animals that can pass through and drop ticks around the yard,” provides Carpenter.
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