HARTFORD--Outdoor activity spiked Wednesday due to the record warm weather, and people weren't the only active ones.
Adult ticks that survived the winter are looking for hosts to feed on. That is often the family pet, or anyone else in the family.
State entomologist Dr. Kirby Stafford said with the warm days creeping up on us early, tick activity is likely follow. But earlier activity may not mean worse activity.
Dr. Stafford said snow usually insulates and protects ticks from the cold, and we didn't have that much snow this winter.
"We actually have an over wintering study going on right now," Dr. Stafford revealed. "So it'll be kind of interesting to see how well those ticks did over the winter, especially that weekend where we had those -8 temperatures."
People going for hikes or golfing, especially in wooded areas, should check themselves and their pets for ticks as soon as they come in from the outdoors.
