The melting of snow and warm spring weather may increase the number of ticks, which can cause many deliberating diseases, such as Lyme disease.

The northeast part of the U.S. was blanketed with heavy snow last winter, which has now melted. Many people would have thought that the severe cold conditions in the region may have frozen the ticks. However, experts suggest that the snow acted as a quilt for young blacklegged ticks, which will now arise in the warm weather and spread diseases.

Ralph Garruto, research professor of biomedical anthropology at Binghamton University in New York, says that ticks infected with Lyme disease are not just found in fields and forests, but they can also be found in urban regions.

Lyme disease-infected ticks are also found in city parks, playgrounds, college and school campuses, among other places.

Garruto also reveals that many people do not perceive such environments to be risky. While some people plan ahead on how to avoid ticks and other insects when going on a camping trip, the same consciousness may be absent when being in a town or a city environment.

A previous study pointed to the fact that the tick population is higher after winters that experience heavy snow. Tick larvae are normally infected with Lyme disease when they feed upon infected mice. The young ticks remain dormant during the cold weather and become active when warmer weather starts. When these ticks bite humans, they infect them with Lyme disease.

Alan Eaton, an entomologist with the University of New Hampshire, says that while heavy snow may mean a higher number of ticks, a dry spell in the spring or even in summer may kill them. Eaton suggests that the population of ticks was quite high last fall in New Hampshire.

"We have the potential for a bad year, or it might not be bad at all," said Eaton. "It heavily depends on what happens from here on out."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that in 2011, there were more than 1,800 reported cases of Lyme disease in Massachusetts. In 2013, there were over 3,800 confirmed cases of Lyme disease in the state.

Experts recommend people to be cautious this spring as there may be more ticks. People should avoid direct contact with ticks and check their body for ticks after returning home not only from rural areas but also urban regions.

Photo: Don Loarie | Flickr