Northwoods Tick Control

07/18/2026

Happy Friday! We hope you all enjoy a safe, happy, and healthy week ahead. We're still in the season for tiny nymphs and larvae, so take extra time and care when checking for ticks!

07/15/2026

🔬 New CDC Study Finds Alpha-Gal Antibodies Are More Common Than Previously Recognized

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a tick-borne condition that can trigger serious allergic reactions to red meat and other products made from mammals.

Researchers tested blood samples from 3,000 donors across 10 states and looked for alpha-gal IgE antibodies—immune system proteins that show the body has become sensitized to alpha-gal. They found:

📍 Five states (Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia) had the highest rates of alpha-gal IgE antibodies, with 24% of people testing positive.

📍 Arkansas had the highest rate of positive antibody tests (31.2%), followed by Missouri (26.0%).

📍 States outside the established lone star tick range had much lower rates, including just 1.1% in Washington.

What does this mean?

✔ Many healthy adults had alpha-gal antibodies. A positive antibody test doesn't necessarily mean someone has alpha-gal syndrome, but it does show the immune system has been exposed and sensitized to alpha-gal.

✔ Prevention remains essential. Avoiding tick bites helps reduce the risk of both infectious diseases, such as Lyme disease, and noninfectious conditions like alpha-gal syndrome.

✔ Awareness among healthcare providers is critical. People with unexplained hives, gastrointestinal symptoms, or allergic reactions—especially hours after eating red meat—and a history of tick exposure may benefit from evaluation for AGS.

Learn more about the science:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/75/wr/mm7525a1.htm

Learn about our free CME course to help healthcare providers recognize and manage alpha-gal syndrome:
https://projectlyme.org/two-cme-courses-prepare-health-care-providers-to-help-patients-with-alpha-gal-syndrome/

06/05/2026

Happy Friday! Tick numbers have remained steady since last week. Enjoy the nice weather this weekend, and stay safe!

06/02/2026

These photographs were taken personally by me and are not sourced from the internet. Ticks are capable of laying between 1,500 and 10,000 eggs at one time. This is the primary reason for the significant increase in tick populations in Maine. A wet spring followed by cooler temperatures, combined with a bumper acorn crop from our oak trees, creates an ideal environment for the white-footed deer mouse to thrive, resulting in a sudden surge in tick populations. Please ensure your safety and conduct regular tick checks on children before bedtime. Apply picaridin to your skin and permethrin to your shoes and socks when outside.

-Jon

05/28/2026

Tick activity in the U.S. has reached levels we haven’t seen in nearly 10 years, and data suggest these states are worse off than others.

05/20/2026

Bobcat fever spread via ticks.

Does your cat go outside? Veterinarians say early detection of bobcat fever, a potentially fatal tickborne illness, can mean the difference between life and death. The symptoms can be easy to miss: http://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/bobcat-fever-spreads-tick-bites-deadly-cats/507-ad9d5439-1a5c-45e4-8115-7d40eaf60126?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_NEWS_CENTER_Maine

05/19/2026

Over the past week, American dog ticks have undergone a rapid expansion in population. In order to accurately identify them, it is important to understand the distinctions between black-legged ticks, commonly known as deer ticks, and American dog ticks. A key difference lies in their size and coloration, with dog ticks being larger and maroon, while deer ticks are smaller and often display an orange shield and black legs on the females. The male deer tick is all black and doesn’t typically bite humans.

This photo was taken in Gray, Maine. You can see numerous American dog ticks questing on the wire fencing.

05/11/2026

Not a good sign people…

Emergency department visits for tick bites have reached the highest rate in nearly 10 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week.

Here's where emergency visits for tick bites are spiking: https://tinyurl.com/4cvhzfjj

05/11/2026

Lone Star ticks are here in We do not have a significant breeding population of them but they are here.

05/11/2026

People are always asking what is the Tick Box? Well let me show you what the actually tick box is.