With Minnesota’s unseasonably warm weather, ticks are back

Walking, hiking, spending time outdoors enjoying the unseasonable warmth? If so, check yourself for ticks.

That advice comes from the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD), which reported finding its first deer tick of the season Monday in a field near Rosemount in Dakota County. The agency also received reports from other counties after announcing its find in a Facebook posting, said spokesman Alex Carlson.

“We expect they will be out just about everywhere in the next couple days with temperatures in the 50s,” Carlson said.

Deer ticks transmit pathogens that cause Lyme disease, the most common of tick-borne illnesses, according to the MCCD.

Monday’s spotting was unusual as ticks don’t typically emerge until March or April. But is not the earliest ticks have been spotted, Carlson said.

“We have found them in February before during these thaw events,” Carlson said.

Their early emergence also could mean there might be a bumper crop of them this spring and summer, Carlson said.

“It’s possible the mild winter killed fewer ticks than normal, so more could be out this year,” he said. “In general, it’s a good reminder for people to start taking the usual tick precautions they would take in May or June right now rather than waiting.”

That includes checking for ticks on children and pets, and clearing brush and other habitat — woods and tall grasses — where ticks are commonly found.