Ticks suck
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| Lone star ticks are increasing in our region; URI’s online resources offer information to avoid them. |
The University of Rhode Island’s resident “tick guy” gets calls for his expertise far and wide, consulting regularly with media outlets across the country, even celebrity sites concerned about the new tick-driven meat allergy.
Thomas Mather is director of URI’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease, and regularly fields national and even international inquiries on the topic. Here in southern New England, his TickEncounter Resource Center (TickEncounter.org) offers a wealth of information and resources so that people can stay ahead of, or away from, tick exposure this summer.
Weather watch
Mather says Rhode Islanders can evaluate tick risks just by
looking out the window or assessing their yard conditions this Memorial Day
weekend.
“Ticks don’t like dry weather,” he says. “So if you have to
water your lawn on Memorial Day, that’s actually not good for ticks.”
If our area can stay dry until after the Fourth of July, Mather says, Rhode Islanders will benefit from fewer ticks, as wet weather provides the climate they need to reproduce.
In fact, one way to minimize tick bites after a day in the woods is to throw your clothes in the dryer, not the wash. Ticks can survive the wash but drying your clothes for 5 to 10 minutes on high heat replicates the dry July weather that challenges their survival.
Mather even tested this theory in a hot tub one day, giving
some ticks a soaking at 102 degrees over three days. They survived.
He says a good dry cycle replicates the desiccating that
puts them out of action for good.
When Mather’s team started researching ticks in the 1990s,
they found ticks mainly in the southern part of the state. He’s since seen them
move to more dense urban settings. Areas near Narragansett Bay have the highest
numbers of ticks.
The team has also seen increasing numbers of lone star
ticks. While they don’t spread Lyme disease, the species is very aggressive.
Lone star ticks are most active in spring, while October and
November bring an increase in black-legged ticks. Mather says that not
all ticks are the same and their bites can spread a variety of
diseases.
“It’s important to know they are all different, and to
understand the importance of personal protection,” Mather says. His blog (https://web.uri.edu/tickencounter/blog/)
shares regular updates on best practices, including his new mantra: “tuck,
treat, tight,” an easy way to remember to tuck clothes in, treat clothes and
shoes to repel ticks, and don tight clothes or compression wear to prevent them
from getting underneath.
Regardless of method, Mather counsels the importance of
taking a vigilant approach against all ticks, anywhere.
“All ticks need to be protected against,” he says.
For more resources and recommendations, visit URI TickEncounter.
