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Warm winter could spell more trouble with ticks

Written by Joan Lownds

After a spectacular opening act with the "Halloween snowstorm," this season's winter has mostly been a no-show. The warm snap has been a boon to the town's Public Works department, and for energy savings — but the trade-off could be a bumper crop of ticks later this year.

"The mild winter is causing ticks to stay active, and they are not usually active in the winter," said Dr. Kirby Stafford, state entomologist. "We may see an increase in tick activity in the spring, but next summer we will see the highest peak of risk — with possibly the most ticks we have seen for the past two years."