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BARNSTABLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — If you thought ticks were gone for the season, think again. Entomologist Larry Dapsis of the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension said Deer ticks, the ones that carry Lyme Disease, are still crawling around this time of year.
"Ticks are cold-adapted, so any time the temperatures are above freezing and there's no snow cover, there is tick activity," Dapsis said. He said there are sometimes even cases of Lyme Disease in January and February.
Dapsis has received far more calls than usual at this point in the season, and it's not that they happen to be more abundant this year.
"People are getting outside to avoid cabin fever, even in cold weather...people that are working remotely and just want to get outside and just take a break. I think that's the reason I'm seeing call volume now way more than in past years," he said. Yard cleanup is also part of the problem, he said.
There is an entomologist-approved way to kill those ticks: when you come in from outside, throw your clothes in the dryer for 20 minutes.
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) has more:
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