Dill speaks to BDN about avoiding ticks in northern Maine
The Bangor Daily News interviewed Griffin Dill, manager of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab, about areas in Maine with lower tick populations. Dill explained that the number of ticks in a given area seems to correspond to the habitat. In the southern part of the state and along the coast is more mixed forest that is more conducive to deer ticks. Farther north, the forests go from mixed to conifer dominated. “The further north you go, the lower the population,” he said. “Once you are in Aroostook County, it’s quite low.” However, it may only be a matter of time before deer ticks increase in the north. “Climate change will play a role because now they are somewhat limited by the temperature range,” Dill said. “As temperatures warm, [deer tick] hosts like small mammals will be able to survive farther north and that can help the ticks in their northward march.”