MONROE COUNTY, N.Y. — The tick season in 2026 has been bad. But it’s not just this year; there’s a trend. This article provides an overview of ticks and what to do if you encounter one.
RELATED: CDC says tick season is in full swing in 2026, medical officials share ways to prevent and treat bites
News10NBC talked with the Monroe County Department of Public Health to get answers. “We have seen an increase, but it is on trend with the last couple of years,” said Liz Kaptein, who is an environmental health project analyst with Monroe County.
Overview of ticks
Between April and November, or when the weather is above freezing, are the best times of year for ticks to travel and bite hosts. “With the winters more mild, and they’re shorter too, it’s not killing off as many ticks. So, they’re staying active longer,” Kaptein said.
“As time goes on, we’re probably going to see a very steady, consistent trend of increasing tick bites,” she added.
Types of ticks:
Ticks like to live in wooded, brushy, and tall-grass areas. According to the New York State Department of Health (DOH), the three most common ticks are the deer (black-legged) tick, the American dog tick, and the lone star tick.
Deer ticks are known for carrying Lyme disease. Overall Lyme disease cases have more than doubled in Monroe County since 2022. The DOH says infected deer ticks are a possible cause, and Kaptein says the most common tick-borne disease is Lyme disease. But they can also carry other germs, such as babesiosis, a disease caused by a parasite that infects red blood cells. These ticks are brown and are about the size of a poppy seed.
The American dog tick carries a bacterium that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and symptoms include fever, rash, and headache. These ticks are reddish-brown and are larger than deer ticks.
Lone star ticks are becoming more common in New York, according to the DOH. These ticks have a white dot on their backs and are about the same size as deer ticks.
The numbers:
According to the CDC, 31 million people are bitten yearly by a tick in the U.S. There are also about 467,000 cases of people treated for tick-borne Lyme disease each year. A bull’s-eye with flu-like symptoms is a common early reaction to Lyme disease from ticks. According to URochester Medicine, most tick cases that transmit Lyme disease take about 24 to 36 hours.
Ways to prevent and treat tick bites, other health tips
Prevention:
A tip to prevent bites includes tucking pants into socks and shirts into pants. Additionally, cutting down tall grass and removing brush where people normally go can lower the chances of ticks in your yard. “So make sure that when you are hiking, you tuck, you wear light colors so you can see any ticks on you, and also make sure you tuck your long pants into your socks and try to wear long sleeves if you can. Avoid, like, brushy areas, avoid long grasses if you can,” said Kaptein.
Clothing can also be sprayed with DEET, which is a repellent. “Wearing EPA-registered tick repellents is extremely important. Doing your tick checks after you go out, even in just your yard, especially if you live in, like, a suburban area with a lot of, like, wildlife,” Kaptein added.
According to the DOH, when getting home, people can also put their clothes into a dryer for up to 20 minutes; this can kill ticks.
Ticks also prefer to be in warm areas of the body, so checking in places like behind the ears, groin, armpits, and waist is crucial.
Treatment:
In many cases, the sight of a tick bite isn’t very noticeable. However, examples of common reactions to tick bites include a small red bump or mark, rash, and/or swelling.
MGN. Credit: Denys Williams / CC BY-SA 3.0“If you do see a tick on you, remove it immediately,” said Kaptein. She advises that people should talk to a doctor immediately if they are bitten.
Pointed tweezers can be used to remove ticks. When removing one, firmly grab it by the head or mouth, and then pull it straight outward; twisting or jerking the tick can leave fragments still attached to the skin. After it’s removed, use rubbing alcohol on the wound. For more information on protection tips, visit the DOH’s website here.
Animals and additional information:
Kaptein also asks people to check their animals. “Making sure that your pets are treated with, like, the Revolution Advantage Frontline to make sure that your pets are protected, because when your pets are protected, they also are not bringing ticks into the home,” she explained.
Below are resources provided by Monroe County, giving people guidance on tick and mosquito bites and prevention.
BeatTheBiteLongFormDownloadMORE RELATED:
State Department of Agriculture warns of rising Asian longhorned tick detections (June 22) How does weather impact the severity of tick season? (June 4) Rising Lyme Disease in Monroe County: What you need to know (May 28, 2025)Ticks in 2026: An overview of ticks, prevention, and treatment WHEC.com.
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