Tick season is here.

Here's what to expect this tick season.

When is tick season?

Nationwide, ticks are most active during the warmer months of spring, summer and early fall, though they can be active year-round as long as the the temperature is above freezing, according to the National Forest Foundation .

Will there be a lot of ticks this spring and summer?

Predicting the abundance of ticks in a given season is challenging for several reasons, so Allan avoids making such predictions. He did, however, share that he has been hearing more reports than normal about American Dog Ticks so far this spring.

"So that’s just one data point that suggests maybe we’re seeing a more abundant year for that particular tick species," he said.

What are some concerns this year?

A number of tick species are increasing in distribution, meaning people are finding them in places where they have not previously.

The Blacklegged, also known as deer ticks, are expanding from the north part of the state to the south.

The Lone star tick is expanding from the southern part of the state to the north.

Is the state seeing any new species?

Yes. There are two, relatively new tick species in the Land of Lincoln.

The new ticks do not require additional knowledge for Illinoisans to prevent or remove them, but they carry the potential for new tick-born diseases, Allan said.

One species is the Gulf Coast tick, which, as the name suggests, traveled from the Gulf Coast of the U.S.

People began reporting this species in the southern part of Illinois, but it is expanding northward, Allan said. The Gulf Coast tick transmits a group of diseases known as spotted fever rickettsiosis that can cause illness in humans.

Additionally, a species of tick was discovered in central Illinois last summer, dubbed the Asian Longhorned tick that is from Asia and is invading North America.

"It’s a new tick species and we’re not thrilled that it’s here," Allan said, adding that the tick has shown the ability to transmit a wide variety of diseases under laboratory conditions.

"We’re not yet seeing evidence that they’re responsible for a lot of disease transmission to people, but we know they’re capable of it, so we’re concerned that that tick species has become established in Illinois because it’s probably going to cause health problems in the future," he said.

Females of this species can also notably reproduce asexually.

Prevention

Allan shared three rules of thumb for protection against ticks.

For more information, Illinoisans can go to the Illinois Department of Public Health's Tick Surveillance Map . There, residents can see what species of ticks have been reported in each county, as well as some basic information about the ticks.

More about professor Allan

Much of Allan's research focuses on the consequences of human-mediated global change, such as climate change and human land-use, on the risk of exposure to parasites and pathogens carried by wildlife, according to his biography on the university's website .

Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at [email protected].