GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The number of ticks producing lime disease has various reasons for being on the rise, one of which is catching the attention of Climatologists across the globe. Our warming climate has attributed to the rising trend in the reproduction and spread of ticks.
Since 1970 temperatures around the globe are continuing to rise. The graphic below shows Michigans 3 to 5-degree temperature increase over the past 50 years.
Just in the past 30 years the annual summer high and low temperature combined in Grand Rapids calculates out to 70.4 degrees. This summer we are already at 72.3 degrees. That is 1.9 degrees higher than the average, with two weeks of summer yet to come!
The appearance of ticks is heavily reliant on the temperature outside. With conditions trending warmer faster, locations are seeing ticks arrive earlier in the season. This allows the ticks to reproduce for longer and spread to areas that are trending warmer.
These warmer temperatures can be linked with ticks emerging earlier in the year. This allows them to have a longer period of time to reach full adulthood. In turn, causing the overall population of ticks to become larger.
If you have noticed more ticks in your neighborhood, know that it is an indicator of our evolving climate.
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