Spring Conditions Predict Following Year’s Tick Activity in Northern California

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The western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) is the primary vector of Lyme disease in the western U.S. A new study of climate and tick activity patterns in northern California shows that a warm, early spring predicts higher densities of tick nymphs one year later, and a hot and dry spring leads to an earlier peak of tick abundance the next year. Driven by climate change, increased and earlier tick activity could become the norm, researchers say. [Read more]

The post Spring Conditions Predict Following Year’s Tick Activity in Northern California appeared first on Entomology Today.