Reported uptick in ticks causes concern

MONTEREY >> As the weather warms and the outdoors calls, some nature aficionados on the Central Coast are reporting more ticks in fields and woodlands than usual. And with ticks come the risk of ailments such as Lyme disease.

“Anecdotally,” said Ken Klemme, District Manager for the Northern Salinas Valley Mosquito Abatement District, “for whatever reason, it’s been a really heavy tick year. They’re everywhere.”

The anecdotal uptick hasn’t been verified across the places where ticks are found, according to sampling efforts from Santa Cruz County. But experts recommend caution nonetheless; several species of ticks can carry dangerous bacteria, and the best way to avoid getting sick is to avoid being bitten in the first place.

According to Amanda Poulsen, a vector ecologist with Santa Cruz County’s Mosquito Abatement and Vector Control Division, summer is the season for tick nymphs; the middle stage of a tick’s life.

“The thing with nymphs is that they’re a lot smaller than adults, about the size of a black pepper flake,” Poulsen said. “Not only are nymphs harder to find, but they’re also more likely to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.”

Some 10 to 15 percent of western black-legged tick nymphs carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria in question, compared to only about 2 percent of tick adults.

The good news is that of the four tick species known to bite people in California, only western black-legged ticks are known to carry Lyme disease. Their nymphs usually feed on smaller animals such as lizards and rodents. And, if ticks are found and removed promptly — within 24 hours — their chances of transmitting Ly me disease are much lower. There are only one to five reported cases of Lyme in Monterey County each year.

The bad news is that tick nymphs are often found in leaf litter, on fallen logs, and crawling across wooden benches, where they can bite people and pets.

“People think picnic benches are a safe place,” Poulsen said, “but nymphal ticks really like to wait there.”

And worse, Lyme disease is not the only tick-borne infection of which Central Coast residents should be wary.