Dill speaks with BDN about this year’s tick season

The Bangor Daily News interviewed Griffin Dill, an integrated pest management professional with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, for the article, “What to expect for this year’s tick season in Maine.” Snow protects and insulates overwintering ticks, according to the article. Since the state experienced a relatively snowy winter, Dill said he doesn’t expect reduced tick numbers or activity this year. In addition to Lyme disease, Maine has seen a steady increase in reported cases of two other diseases that are transmitted by the black-legged tick: anaplasmosis and babesiosis, the BDN reported. “We’ve seen some of the same pattern in other states,” Dill said. “It seems like Lyme disease kind of comes in first and has this steady increase in the number of cases, and then anaplasmosis comes in behind it, and then babesiosis.” Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are treatable and most individuals recover completely with proper treatment; however, the easiest way to avoid these diseases is to be vigilant about protecting yourself from ticks, the article states. “We want people to be aware of ticks, but we don’t want them to be afraid of ticks,” Dill said. “We want people to go outside and do all the things Maine has to offer. Just take those precautions, whether it’s using repellents or covering up — and do tick checks.” For more information on how to protect yourself from ticks and to learn how to send ticks in for free identification, the article suggested visiting the UMaine Tick Identification Lab website. Machias Valley News Observer also spoke with Dill about tick disease prevention, and WGME (Channel 13 in Portland) published the BDN report.