As we move into the cooler, fall months many of us forget that Fall tick season is about to start.

Monthly tick reports show seasonal trends in reported tick bites and tick-borne disease diagnoses in Massachusetts residents. (Mass.gov)

At Pure Solutions, we get frequently get asked “When does tick season end?” To which we reply “ Never”. Ticks do not simply go to bed and hibernate for the colder months, they lay dormant but can awake at any time the temperature is in their favor. However, there are times of the year when ticks are worse than others, typically that season is March through July/August but there is always a spike in fall. Right as most of us stop worrying about ticks and mosquitoes, and let our guard down, these little suckers come back out looking for that one last feeding before the cold sets in. 

The WORST thing you can do is cancel your recurring tick control service before the fall tick season. This increases your risk of exposure to ticks and potentially tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, anaplasmosis, Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness, Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever, and tularemia. Additionally, skipping your fall tick treatments allows adult female ticks to lay eggs around your property, setting your home up for explosive tick population growth next spring. 

Ticks love leaves, more so than grass/lawns. As fall settles in and the leaves create a cover in the woods and around your home, this becomes a perfect nesting/living environment for ticks. Ticks prefer moisture and leaves help keep moisture locked in. This is why fall clean-ups are an essential part of curbing the growth of ticks around your home. Just remember that as you rake and bag all those leave be vigilant in checking for ticks! 

Across New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts the fall is one of the most iconic seasons. We go on foliage hikes, we take long walks in the cooler temps, children enjoy time in the yard, and our pets spend time exploring the local neighborhood. But we must stay vigilant because as stated by the CDC “adult ticks most commonly bite during the fall.” This is not a sales pitch, this is just simply based on data. So do not get tricked into thinking cooler temperatures mean the end of tick season, on the contrary, we still have some of the most active months of tick activity to go. 

At Pure Solutions, our spray method is optimal for the fall tick season. Our backpack sprayers can easily move around the leaves to get full coverage on a property. If you have any questions about the fall tick season or if you're worried about ticks before you go out for your fall cleanup, call Pure Solutions beforehand to minimize your risk for tick exposure.