What temperature are ticks most active?
Posted by Mosquito SquadDecember 20, 2023
Like humans, ticks like temperate weather.
The age-old Goldilocks comparison – not too hard, not too soft, but just right applies to the type of weather ticks prefer. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right. And can we really blame them? Who doesn’t love perfectly pleasant weather?
Ticks Become Active Around 50° Fahrenheit
Not that ticks prefer these cooler temperatures, but they will begin to quest when the temperature is in the 45 to 50-degrees range. Anything below that will send them packing, where they will lie in a state of dormancy until the weather is warm again. During dormancy, they might burrow in leave litter, or live in rodent nests or underbrush on the forest floor.
Ticks Prefer Warm, Humid Weather
Ticks will remain cloaked on the forest floor or beneath ground litter or underbrush in the heat of the day. Direct sunlight will keep them borrowed in grass, shrubs, or any sort of shelter they can contrive. This is not to say they will stay there if a host wanders by. They will latch on from parts below and make their way to a feeding spot on your body, or that of your pet.
Ticks Are Most Active During the Day
Unlike their blood-sucking mosquito counterparts, who prefer dusk to dawn hours, one study suggests that ticks are active between the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. – with peak activity being 6:00 A.M. and 12:00 P.M. They are out during your morning run, they lie in wait as you hike, they are present during yard work, and are even enjoying the beach with you. You might encounter ticks in Tennessee in any number of places, during myriad activities – here, there, everywhere.
Tick Control is Essential
Tennessee ticks are not going anywhere on their own. We must deal with them by avoidance, first and foremost. By wearing tick repellent and protective clothing during camping or hiking. By employing Mosquito Squad for professional tick control around your home. By performing thorough tick checks when you return indoors from any outdoor activity when the weather is above 45°F.
Trust Mosquito Squad of Nashville for all your tick control Brentwood TN needs. Contact us at (615) 492-3662.