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The Martha s Vineyard Times
Ticks are already out and everywhere
To the Editor:
As the weather warms and we start spending more time outdoors, I want to remind everyone that they need to protect themselves against ticks. As most people know, adult deer ticks are active all winter on warm days when the temperature rises above 40° or 45°F. For example, on March 31, I found almost 50 adult deer ticks at two sites on Chappaquiddick, which didn’t surprise me since it was a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-50s.
However, I also found 12 adult lone star ticks that same day, and have had reports of adult lone star ticks from two sites in Chilmark. This does surprise me; I don’t know anyone who would have expected lone star ticks to be active on Martha’s Vineyard in March. While the greatest number of lone star ticks are still concentrated in Aquinnah, parts of Chilmark, and on Chappaquiddick, I have found them in all six Island towns.