it’s winter but Don’t Let those “Tick checks” slide!

     During the winter months in the coastal Carolinas, temperatures often fluctuate between what I consider flip flop and duck boot weather. Yet even on our colder days, ticks can still be found actively searching for hosts (that’s us)! In fact the Lyme disease vectoring black-legged tick, or deer tick as it is commonly called, is not killed by freezing temperatures and is in fact quite active above 35ºF. Already this winter I have pulled several off the kids and dog. Keep up those tick checks, bottle – label with the date – and toss in the freezer any you remove and continue reading below to learn more about the ticks commonly found in our area.

Questing tick captured by Alex Wild. Check out more of his fantastic work here http://www.alexanderwild.com

     Four tick species are endemic to North Carolina: the lone Star tick, black-legged tick (commonly known as…