HARTFORD -- The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station is reporting an abundance of ticks this spring, a much higher than normal volume coming into their lab for testing for Lyme disease.
One defense for Connecticut residents is shielding your lawn against these pests.
Emily Derynoski, lawn technician for Central CT Lawn Service in Berlin, advises spraying the perimeter of the yard, the perimeter of the house, under decks, and patios, porches, and playscapes.
Dernyoski is keeping busy spraying more than a dozen yards a day against ticks, all to keep up with the growing demand from customers.
"We`re getting a lot of calls," she said. "A lot of people saying kids are getting ticks on them and dogs and it`s in multiples so it`s not just one or two it`s like three and four."
Even ahead of peak tick activity for this spring, Connecticut`s tick testing program has seen a dramatic rise in the number of ticks already active and biting residents, raising the rate at which ticks are sent in for Lyme disease testing up to roughly ten times the average.
Experts pointed to a warmer than usually winter, allowing the pests to survive the season at higher rates.
Derynoski said keeping your yard maintained will give the tick fewer places to hide.
"Cut your grass," she said. "They like to stay in tall grass."
Along with safeguarding your home, the Center for Disease Control reminds you that each time you and your family does come in from the outdoors make sure you check yourself and your children for ticks, especially those areas they like to hang out, warm dark places like behind the ears and along the hairline