Content updated: July 24, 2026

Transcript

Hey everybody, we've been getting a lot of questions lately about why it feels like ticks are everywhere this year. It's not just your imagination; tick populations certainly are on the rise. Let's break down what actually is going on.

So why the surge? It's because it's a combination of human-related factors and environmental factors. Climate change, for one, with warmer temperatures, more favorable conditions, and extended seasons. What that does, it increases the host range animals and the tick range.

Also consider international travel. What this does is this also increases the probability of invasive tick or insect species being introduced in the United States.

Tom Dobrinska, technical service manager and board certified entomologist, explains that rising tick populations are the result of a combination of factors. For one, climate change lengthens tick season and increases the number of animals ticks can use as hosts. Additionally, international travel can introduce invasive species.