International Header

Woman's Day: Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

Woman's Day: Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

Last updated:
September 16, 2021
|  5 min read

Woman's Day: Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

Woman's Day: Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

YouTube video highlight

Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

Read more about the project

Woman's Day: Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

Thumbnail Slider Image
No items found.

Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

“We are already seeing more ticks this season than last year.”

  • Experts predict summer 2021 will be a “tick time bomb.”
  • Due to a mild winter, most parts of the country are already seeing more ticks this season than last year, as the tiny insects thrive in humidity.
  • Here’s how to protect yourself from tick bites, which can lead to various illnesses including Lyme disease.

Every summer, we hear the same warning: It’s going to be a bad year for ticks. But entomologists (a.k.a. insect experts) say that 2021 could live up to that message. In fact, The Weather Channel even referred to this year as a “tick time bomb.”

Robert Lockwood, associate certified entomologist for Ehrlich Pest Control, says experts are already noticing a thriving tick population in 2021. “Due to the mild winters and climate change, we are already seeing more ticks this season than last year,” he says.

Why does a wet winter matter? Ticks thrive in humidity. As a result, “regions that experienced wetter and warmer winters will have higher tick populations this spring and summer,” says Ben Hottel, Ph.D., technical services manager for Orkin.

The warmer and moister an environment becomes, “the faster the arthropod life cycle is completed,” explains Anna Berry, a board-certified entomologist and technical manager at Terminix. “When it gets very cold, very hot, or very dry, it may take longer to go from one stage of development to the next.” A wet winter and spring, along with warm temperatures, “provides the necessary warmth and humidity for fast development,” she says.

Read more about how to stay safe from ticks this summer written by Korin Miller here.

Woman's Day: Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

“We are already seeing more ticks this season than last year.”

  • Experts predict summer 2021 will be a “tick time bomb.”
  • Due to a mild winter, most parts of the country are already seeing more ticks this season than last year, as the tiny insects thrive in humidity.
  • Here’s how to protect yourself from tick bites, which can lead to various illnesses including Lyme disease.

Every summer, we hear the same warning: It’s going to be a bad year for ticks. But entomologists (a.k.a. insect experts) say that 2021 could live up to that message. In fact, The Weather Channel even referred to this year as a “tick time bomb.”

Robert Lockwood, associate certified entomologist for Ehrlich Pest Control, says experts are already noticing a thriving tick population in 2021. “Due to the mild winters and climate change, we are already seeing more ticks this season than last year,” he says.

Why does a wet winter matter? Ticks thrive in humidity. As a result, “regions that experienced wetter and warmer winters will have higher tick populations this spring and summer,” says Ben Hottel, Ph.D., technical services manager for Orkin.

The warmer and moister an environment becomes, “the faster the arthropod life cycle is completed,” explains Anna Berry, a board-certified entomologist and technical manager at Terminix. “When it gets very cold, very hot, or very dry, it may take longer to go from one stage of development to the next.” A wet winter and spring, along with warm temperatures, “provides the necessary warmth and humidity for fast development,” she says.

Read more about how to stay safe from ticks this summer written by Korin Miller here.

Photo thumbnail Blog Author
Media Mentions from Woman's Day
Woman's Day
Woman's Day is the #1 best-selling monthly magazine in the U.S.!
Media Mentions

Woman's Day: Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’ — Here’s How to Stay Safe

“We are already seeing more ticks this season than last year.”

  • Experts predict summer 2021 will be a “tick time bomb.”
  • Due to a mild winter, most parts of the country are already seeing more ticks this season than last year, as the tiny insects thrive in humidity.
  • Here’s how to protect yourself from tick bites, which can lead to various illnesses including Lyme disease.

Every summer, we hear the same warning: It’s going to be a bad year for ticks. But entomologists (a.k.a. insect experts) say that 2021 could live up to that message. In fact, The Weather Channel even referred to this year as a “tick time bomb.”

Robert Lockwood, associate certified entomologist for Ehrlich Pest Control, says experts are already noticing a thriving tick population in 2021. “Due to the mild winters and climate change, we are already seeing more ticks this season than last year,” he says.

Why does a wet winter matter? Ticks thrive in humidity. As a result, “regions that experienced wetter and warmer winters will have higher tick populations this spring and summer,” says Ben Hottel, Ph.D., technical services manager for Orkin.

The warmer and moister an environment becomes, “the faster the arthropod life cycle is completed,” explains Anna Berry, a board-certified entomologist and technical manager at Terminix. “When it gets very cold, very hot, or very dry, it may take longer to go from one stage of development to the next.” A wet winter and spring, along with warm temperatures, “provides the necessary warmth and humidity for fast development,” she says.

Read more about how to stay safe from ticks this summer written by Korin Miller here.

Photo thumbnail Blog Author
Media Mentions from Woman's Day
Woman's Day
Woman's Day is the #1 best-selling monthly magazine in the U.S.!
Media Mentions
browse all articles
Here at Sawyer
January 27, 2026
6 Min
Halfway Anywhere: Continental Divide Trail Gear Guide (2025 Survey)
Read More

Media Mentions

Babies carried in treated wraps were about two-thirds, or 66 per cent, less likely to develop the disease.

Maeve Cullinan
Global Health Security Reporter

Media Mentions

This particular formula is nongreasy, nonsticky, and lacks a strong odor, making it highly appealing for direct skin application.

Jill Di Donato
Writer

Media Mentions

The best filter, I took care to sleep with it on cold nights and back-flushed her in town.

Lauren “Mothra” Mullen
Hiker, Writer
<<  Previous Post
No previous post!
Check out our Directory
Next Post  >>
No next post!
Check out our Directory