Dill speaks to Press Herald for report on ticks, summer weather
The Portland Press Herald quoted Griffin Dill, an integrated pest management professional with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, in the article, “Hot and dry weather apparently hampering ticks that carry Lyme disease.” The number of cases of Lyme disease in Maine has declined this summer from last year, and is well below five-year averages, the article states. Experts think the hot, dry weather could be causing ticks to remain dormant. There is no definitive evidence that reduced tick activity directly caused a lower incidence of Lyme disease, but a connection is likely. However, the ticks are only hibernating temporarily and could reemerge if the state sees a wet fall season. Dill told the Press Herald that ticks are difficult to kill, even if current dry weather is not favorable for them. “The ticks are just lying low in the leaf litter, biding their time. I don’t think this will set them back. They’re going to wait it out,” said Dill. The Times Record and Sun Journal carried the Press Herald article.