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Ticks are active after winter; Utenos region faces highest risk
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Health & Science

Ticks are active after winter; Utenos region faces highest risk

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Ticks are becoming active earlier than expected due to warmer temperatures, with the highest risk in the U সম্ভাব্যtenos region.
  • Tick-borne diseases are most common from May to October, with a second peak in August as ticks prepare for winter.
  • Higher incidence in Utenos region is linked to factors like mushroom picking and the prevalence of mixed deciduous forests.

Ticks are emerging earlier than many realize, with their activity beginning when temperatures reach 5-6 degrees Celsius, typically in March. This early emergence is particularly notable this year after a traditional winter with snow and freezing temperatures. The ticks are "very hungry" after their winter dormancy, leading to peak activity.

Ticks wake up when the temperature warms up to 5–6 degrees Celsius. Usually, this is in March. Then they are very hungry after winter, so their activity is highest.

— Milda ŽygutienėExplanation of early tick activity.

Ticks have a short feeding cycle, consuming blood only a few times in their two-to-three-year lifespan. After feeding, they retreat to the forest floor to digest, molt, or lay eggs. While their activity lessens in June and July after their spring feeding, the danger does not disappear. A second period of heightened risk occurs during the popular mushroom-picking season in August, as ticks seek food before winter.

Ticks feed only a few times in their entire lives. They live for two to three years, and during that time, they feed on blood only a few times.

— Milda ŽygutienėDescription of tick feeding habits.

Most cases of tick-borne diseases in Lithuania are registered between May and October, accounting for about 80% of annual infections. August is epidemiologically unfavorable because ticks actively search for food again before winter, coinciding with when many Lithuanians venture into forests for mushrooms. Ticks thrive in these environments, especially off-trail areas where mushrooms are often found.

The second dangerous period is the mushroom season.

— Milda ŽygutienėHighlighting the increased risk during mushroom picking.

The Utenos region consistently shows the highest incidence of tick-borne encephalitis in Lithuania. While the exact reasons for these regional differences are complex, factors like abundant mushroom harvests and the prevalence of mixed deciduous forests, which provide ideal habitats for ticks, are considered contributing elements. Older individuals, particularly pensioners and the unemployed, are more frequently affected, likely due to spending more time outdoors engaging in activities like mushroom picking, berry gathering, or gardening.

If the mushroom harvest is good, one can expect more cases of tick-borne encephalitis.

— Milda ŽygutienėConnecting mushroom availability to disease incidence.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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