SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This spring is going to be a massive tick season.
Ticks love wet weather and Northern California has seen a lot of it. Due to that, their population is growing. That means people will have to be extra careful when exploring California's great outdoors.
"I'm certainly finding lots of ticks on my hikes. I have been amazed. About every blade of grass in some areas like in Sonoma County, I see ticks everywhere," said Francesca Rubino, said doctoral candidate at UC Davis.
Ticks are loving the extended spring season, and they're showing it by reproducing.
"Having warmer early springs can help contribute to how active the ticks and the hosts are and how they're interacting," said Rubino.
Our region's foothills, forests, coasts and trails with tall grasses are teaming with hard to see ticks - and more so now than during the dryer previous years.
"Any of those trails where you're getting a mix of maybe oaks or redwood trees in general, that transition habitat, they love that," said Rubino.
Learning about ticks might make some squeamish, but it's worth it, considering the growing number of ticks that have come as a result of this year's historic storms.
The Sacramento Vector Control District is doing a lot of testing on ticks recently and have seen more along the American River Parkway.
This season's larger tick population will also be a concern lasting into next spring.
"We're so concerned about this year, because we're going to cover with wet spring for much much longer," said Rubino. "And so we're going to have the perfect conditions for ticks to be out. Once it gets too hot and dry, the ticks are no longer able to survive out there, and so having this prolonged wet spring can help... the ticks thrive and find us as a host and incidental host."
Ticks can transmit Lyme Disease, which is treatable, but can cause fatigue, rash and joint pain.
"(You) can apply repellent on your clothes to make sure that maybe ticks don't get on you or put your pants inside your boots. That's also really helpful," said Luz Maria Robles, spokesperson for the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District.
After a hike, people should always do a tick check, even before they get in their car. Ticks can stay on people for hours, even days, before they get enough blood to eventually drop.
"If you did find a tick, it's important to pull it out," said Robles. "What you do is... you can actually just take some tweezers, try and go as close to the skin as possible and pull straight up."
Don't forget to check your dog too if they joined you on that hike.
Before you go on your next outdoor adventure, educate yourself about spotting ticks and how to remove them and what to do if you get bitten. There are also certain steps you'll want to take once you remove a tick. Visit these sites for step-by-step advice and resources.
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