MILWAUKEE — The summer months bring heat and humidity here in Wisconsin, and along with that comes an increased prevalence of ticks.
Earlier this summer, Wisconsin's Department of Health Services reported that 80 out of every 10,000 ER visits between May 26 and June 1 were related to tick bites.
That's the highest number since at least 2021.
Watch: How you can combat ticks during the summer months:
Ticks can be found virtually everywhere — in gardens, plants, wooded areas, on wildlife, and even on household pets.
The uptick is something Chelsea Cook, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biology at Marquette University, says can be tracked to climate change as winters get shorter and summers get warmer.
“That allows more tick eggs to survive over the winter, so that means ticks are in the ecosystem in the summer, and that’s probably why we’re seeing an increase in tick bites around Wisconsin.”
Nancy Cody, from the Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee, suggests planting scented plants like lavender, mint, and rosemary as natural deterrents.
“Ticks are everywhere. They are in the short grass, in the long grass, in the woods, and we’ve all found that the best defense is dressing appropriately to keep them from biting us,” Cody said.
Cody’s philosophy avoids pesticides because they can harm beneficial pollinating insects while attempting to control ticks.
If you have been bitten by a tick and are interested in getting it tested, visit this University of Wisconsin website.
The CDC provides guidance on what to do if bitten by a tick. You can see that information here.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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