ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Anyone spending time outside will be at a higher risk of tick bites as temperatures continue to warm up.
Experts at the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Butterfly House told 5 On Your Side Missourians are seeing more ticks earlier this year due to abnormally early heat. Roughly 10% of them are known disease carriers.
“Every year is a good year for ticks,” Deb Hudman with MDC said. “Their numbers aren’t declining by any means.”
St. Louis area residents, no matter which side of the Mississippi, have resources available for reporting ticks and tick bites.
St. Louis County's "Tick Watch STL" program allows residents to send in ticks to Vector Borne Disease Prevention in Olivette. Click here to see how to submit ticks to the county.
Missouri does not have a state-wide tick submission program, but it does allow residents to report certain tick-borne diseases and conditions to local health agencies or the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services. Click here to learn more.
The University of Illinois offers a statewide program, allowing residents to get a free identification through pictures and samples sent to the university's Illinois Natural History Survey Medtical Entomology Program. Click here for instructions on how to receive a free tick identification.
The below map shows areas where ticks were most found throughout the state. The research was compiled by MDC and A.T. Still University:
Top St. Louis headlines
Get the latest news and details throughout the St. Louis area from 5 On Your Side broadcasts here.