Dill tells Morning Sentinel that ticks survived summer drought
James Dill, pest management specialist with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, told the Morning Sentinel that the number of Lyme disease cases could set a record in 2016, even after the hot, dry summer. Through Dec. 5, 2016, Lyme disease cases were 12 percent higher when compared to all of 2015, according to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention statistics. Dill said it’s likely that deer ticks went deep into the woods to survive the dry summer. “We had reports this fall of people’s dogs coming in from backyards covered with 50 to 100 ticks,” he said.