Warm weather bringing more ticks to the suburbs

The sun is shining, birds are singing, and the ticks are back.

Yes, suburbanites, it’s tick season. And this year may just be one of the “tickier” ones, experts suggest.

Last week, Palatine Township Elementary District 15 officials alerted families to the presence of ticks on some school properties. The district also posted on its website that it would be spraying for ticks outside Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Hoffman Estates.

“As we welcome the warmer weather and more time outdoors, it’s also a good time to be mindful that tick season is upon us,” the district newsletter reads. “While ticks are most commonly found in grassy or wooded areas, we’ve seen an increase around some of our schools this spring.”

As of Wednesday, the DuPage County Health Department reported 32 tick sightings from residents using its Citizen Reporter app. In all of 2024, the department received a total of 42 reports on the app.

“We’re on pace to be higher than last year,” said Matt Fullam, environmental health program manager for the DuPage County Health Department.

Since March, the Northwest Mosquito Abatement District has been doing tick surveillance at 24 test sites at forest preserves in northwest suburban Cook County, including Busse Woods, Deer Grove East, Deer Grove West and Spring Lake.

Since then, they have dragged those sites for ticks twice a month. So far, their efforts have netted 225 adult deer ticks, 150 adult American dog ticks, and three nymphal stage deer ticks, said Patrick Irwin, an entomologist with the Northwest Mosquito Abatement District.

When they dragged for ticks in October 2024, they found 312 adult deer ticks. Five years ago, when they checked three sites once a month, they found 10 deer ticks and 25 dog ticks, Irwin said.

“They’re definitely out and about,” said Kathryn McCabe, a wildlife ecologist for the Lake County Forest Preserve District, whose “tick talks” provide some insight into ticks.

McCabe, who regularly walks through the woods off forest preserve district trails, says she’s pulled as many as 20 off her so far this year. But, she acknowledges, she’s on their turf more than most people are.

A tick’s lifespan is about two years, from larva to nymph to adult form. Illinois has about a dozen species of ticks. While the Deer and American Dog ticks are the most known in northern Illinois, other species can be found here, too.

Though tick surveillance for this season has only just begun, experts note that the number of ticks has steadily grown through the years.

“We are seeing a lot of expansion in the distribution of ticks,” said Brian Allan, an entomology professor at the University of Illinois. “To people, it might look like it’s getting tickier.”

So what should you do?

While not all ticks carry disease, some species, like the deer tick, are known to carry Lyme disease, making it important to protect yourself, especially in wooded or grassy areas where ticks thrive.

Basic tips help, like tucking your pants into your socks and tucking your shirt into your pants so ticks can’t have easy access to your skin. Wearing light clothing also makes it easier to spot those little pests so you can shake them off.

If you have long hair, pulling up your hair gives one less way ticks can grab on to you as you brush past them, McCabe said.

Diligent checking is a must.

“The big thing is to check yourself, check loved ones,” Fullam said, adding that tossing your clothes in the dryer after being out in tacky areas can help kill undetected hitchhikers.

Lightly spraying your clothing — not yourself — with permethrin before you get dressed can help keep ticks at bay when outdoors. Using a spray containing DEET can also be effective at keeping ticks away from you.

If you have a pet, use tick treatments and check them for ticks, too.

If you get bitten by a tick, remove the tick with a pair of tweezers at the base, being careful not to squeeze the tick and to remove as much of the tick as you can.

Once removed, Fullam recommends killing it by flushing it down the toilet. He said other methods, such as using tape to kill a tick, can be tricky and result in the tick reattaching itself to its host.

After removing the tick, wash your hands and the affected area. While not all ticks carry disease, you should contact your doctor if you develop a rash or fever after a tick bite.