Usually here at Only In Iowa, we try to share good news – beautiful nature scenes, delicious restaurants, fun parks, interesting museums. But today, we have a bit of bad news to relate. The 2021 Tick Forecast released annually by Pest.org is here, and it doesn’t bode well for the Hawkeye State.

Ticks. They’re for the birds - literally. Except maybe for opossums, no one else likes them. No one else eats them. No one else wants anything to do with them.

Jerry Kirkhart/Wikimedia Pictured above is an American Dog Tick.

But unfortunately for the world, ticks do not feel the same way about us as we feel about them: they like us. They want to eat us. Even worse, they can play host to a plethora of diseases that no one wants to experience, and their populations are expected to be above average throughout the Midwest, including the Hawkeye State, in the year 2021.

s p e x/Flickr Pictured above is a deer tick.

Experts at Pests.org expect warm and wet weather this year to prolong tick season AND cause ticks to be unusually widespread throughout America’s midwestern region. This tick surge will be felt in most of the country - everywhere but the northwestern corner of the nation will experience above average tick levels - but nowhere are the expected tick numbers worse than the midwest.

Judy Gallagher/Flickr Pictured above is a Lone Star tick.

In Iowa, for example, tick season usually begins sometime in April and extends through early October. This year, however, experts predict a warmer than usual fall, possibly extending tick activity into November.

Richard Bartz/Wikipedia Pictured is an engorged tick.

Four types of ticks inhabit Iowa’s landscape: the deer tick, the brown dog tick, the American dog tick, and the lone star tick. Between the four species, these ticks have the potential to carry multiple diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and tularemia.

CDC

People and pets can contract tick borne illnesses, and it’s important to know the symptoms. The CDC provides a comprehensive overview of what to watch for each type of tick-borne illness; common symptoms include fever, achiness, and, in humans, a rash that is distinctive to each type of disease, from a bullseye (Lyme) to spots (RMSF or ehrlichiosis) to skin ulcers (tularemia).

Michael Mueller/Flickr

This bad news about a tick surge doesn’t have to keep you housebound this year, though! Use a bug spray rated to protect against ticks when hiking through woods or tall grass and perform routine tick checks during active tick season months.

Christine Warner/Flickr

 

Jerry Kirkhart/Wikimedia

Pictured above is an American Dog Tick.

s p e x/Flickr

Pictured above is a deer tick.

Judy Gallagher/Flickr

Pictured above is a Lone Star tick.

Richard Bartz/Wikipedia

Pictured is an engorged tick.

CDC

Michael Mueller/Flickr

Christine Warner/Flickr

You can find many helpful, tick-related resources at the CDC website. What are your best tricks for surviving an extra bad tick year? We’ll take all the tips! Oh, and curious about the view in that last picture? Learn more about the Yellow River State Forest here.

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