Tick season is upon us. If you've been outside recently, you may well have already had some close encounters with the blood-suckers. And some tick-watchers are predicting that this could be the worst season in years. We're talking with experts about the spread of ticks and the diseases they carry, including Lyme, and some other nasty newcomers.
We're joined by two biologists who study ticks, the diseases they carry, and how they fit into the larger ecological picture: Alan Giese of Lyndon State College and Bill Landesman of Green Mountain College.
Resources from the Vermont Department of Health:
- "Information On Ticks In Vermont" – More details about different tick species found in the state
- "Be Tick Smart" – Prevention tips and tick removal instructions
- "Vermont Tick Tracker" – Crowd-sourced tick reporting (season summaries available starting with 2013)
NPR reporting on ticks:
- Beyond Lyme: New Tick-Borne Diseases On The Rise In U.S. (March 11, 2017)
- Forbidding Forecast For Lyme Disease In The Northeast (March 6, 2017)
Past Vermont Edition programs on ticks and Lyme disease:
- Ticks Suck: Examining The Factors That Lead To Tick-Borne Illness (June 2, 2016)
- Lyme Disease: Spreading And Spurring Debate (June 16, 2015)
Broadcast live on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
Copyright 2017 Vermont Public
