by Jayna Smith

Warmer weather usually means more time spent outside.  With that should come the habit of checking for ticks, small bloodsucking parasites, many of which transmit diseases to people and to pets.

Griffin Dill, pest management specialist for UMaine’s Cooperative Extension, explained that ticks generally spend the winter months in a state of dormancy among the leaf litter under the snow.  If temperatures are above 40 degrees for an extended period, ticks can become active, even during the winter.