Heading Outside? What the Record Tick Season Means for Your Family

A Spring Surge in Tick-Bite ER Visits

The clearest signal comes straight from the federal government's own tracking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of late April 2026 weekly emergency-room visits for tick bites were higher than normal in many parts of the United States — and in every region except the South Central states, those weekly rates were the highest for that time of year since 2017. Reporting on the same Tick Bite Tracker data noted that ER visits for tick bites in April 2026 were more than 25% higher than in April 2025.

An early-spring spike is especially worth noting because of where it sits on the calendar. Tick activity in most regions tends to climb steeply from April into the heart of summer before easing in the fall, so an unusually busy April often hints at a busy season ahead. Ticks can be encountered year-round, but they are most active in the warmer months, roughly April through September — which means the weeks you are most likely to be outdoors are also the weeks ticks are most active.

Where the Risk Is Highest

Tick risk is not evenly spread across the map. Reported Lyme disease cases have long been concentrated in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Upper Midwest, with consistently high counts in states such as Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. If you live in or near those areas, your baseline risk tends to be higher.

That said, this is not only a Northeastern story. Lyme diagnoses have been rising and spreading geographically over the past decade, reaching beyond the traditional hotspots, and ticks that carry other illnesses live in many other regions too. Wherever you are, it is reasonable to treat tick awareness as a normal part of summer rather than a problem only for people deep in the woods.

It helps to put the scale in perspective. Each year, an estimated 31 million people in the United States are bitten by a tick — which reframes tick precautions as an ordinary household routine, not an overreaction. Lyme disease is the most common tickborne illness in the country, and an analysis published in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases estimated that about 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated for it every year. The reassuring part of that statistic is that Lyme is both common and, when caught early, very treatable.

There is also a common misconception worth clearing up: ticks are not just a backcountry camping problem. They wait in grassy, brushy, and wooded areas, in leaf litter, and on animals, and plenty of people pick them up in their own yard or neighborhood. Ticks can also hitch a ride indoors on clothing, gear, and pets, then attach to a person hours later. That is exactly why prevention is a whole-family, whole-household project — and why a few of the steps below happen after you are already back inside.

A little preparation at the door goes a long way. The CDC's tick prevention guidance points to EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone, used according to the label. One caveat parents often ask about: products with OLE or PMD are not recommended for children under three years old. If you are also using sunscreen, the usual order is sunscreen first, repellent second.

Choosing among all those ingredients can feel like a lot. To match a product to your family's needs and ages, the EPA's find-the-repellent search tool lets you filter by active ingredient and protection time.

For an extra layer, clothing and gear — boots, pants, camping gear — can be treated with products containing 0.5% permethrin, or bought pre-treated. The key safety point is that permethrin goes on clothing, not skin, and it stays protective through several washings. Out on the trail, sticking to the center of the path keeps you clear of the high grass and brushy edges where ticks tend to wait.

Federal health officials have framed all of this as a matter of options rather than fear. As CDC epidemiologist and Lyme disease expert Alison Hinckley, PhD, put it in the agency's spring statement:

"Tick season is here and these tiny biters can make you seriously sick. The good news is you have options to help prevent tick bites when you spend time outdoors: You can wear EPA-registered insect repellent and permethrin-treated clothing, do tick checks, and remove attached ticks as quickly as possible. These simple steps can go a long way in protecting you and your family from diseases spread by ticks. And if you develop a rash or fever in the days to weeks after a bite, or after being in an area with ticks, seek medical care promptly."

The homecoming routine is where a lot of the real protection happens. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to lower the risk of Lyme disease and helps wash off ticks that have not yet attached — and it doubles as a natural moment to look yourself over. The CDC recommends a full-body tick check after time outdoors, including after a session in your own yard, paying attention to the spots where ticks like to hide and are easy to miss.

Clothes can carry ticks indoors too, so tumbling them in a dryer on high heat for about 10 minutes helps kill any that are hiding in dry fabric (damp clothes need longer, and hot water is best if items need washing first — cold or medium water will not do it). It is also worth giving gear, coats, and pets a once-over, since any of them can ferry a tick into the house.

Finding a tick is unsettling, but it is usually something you can handle calmly at home. According to the CDC's guidance on what to do after a tick bite, the recommended approach is to remove an attached tick as soon as possible rather than waiting to see a healthcare provider, because prompt removal matters more than where it happens. Using clean fine-tipped tweezers (regular tweezers or even fingers work if that is what you have), grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible and pull upward with steady, even pressure — no twisting or jerking, which can break off the mouthparts. Afterward, clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol, or hand sanitizer, and dispose of the tick by sealing it in a container, wrapping it tightly in tape, flushing it, or placing it in alcohol rather than crushing it.

Timing is the reason speed matters: removing an attached tick within 24 hours can help prevent Lyme disease. That is also why the CDC has noted there is no need to rush to an ER simply to have a tick pulled out.

One more common question: should you send the tick off to be tested? The CDC does not recommend relying on commercial tick-testing services to guide treatment, since those results may not meet clinical standards, a positive tick does not necessarily mean you were infected, a negative can offer false reassurance, and results often arrive after symptoms would already have appeared. The more useful focus is watching how you feel in the weeks that follow.

This is the part to read closely, because early recognition is where families have the most influence over how a tick bite turns out. The CDC's signs and symptoms guidance describes the early Lyme rash, called erythema migrans, as an expanding red area that appears roughly 3 to 30 days after the bite of an infected tick, usually at the bite site. It can feel warm, may grow to 12 inches across or more, and can be round or oval — with or without the classic "bullseye" center. The important nuance: not everyone gets the textbook bullseye, and up to about a third of people never develop or notice a rash at all, so its absence does not rule anything out.

Early Lyme can also show up as fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes, sometimes without any rash. The general guidance is to see a healthcare provider if a rash or fever develops within several weeks of removing a tick, and to mention the bite, when it happened, and where you were likely exposed. Caught early, Lyme is typically treated with antibiotics, and prompt treatment can head off more serious illness.

Pets are full family members in this, both because they can get sick and because they are efficient tick taxis. The CDC's guidance on ticks and pets suggests checking dogs and cats for ticks daily, especially after time outside, and removing any promptly. Cats are a special case: they are highly sensitive to many chemicals, so a vet's input is essential before applying any tick product to a cat. Dogs are very susceptible to tick bites, and a vet-recommended preventive helps protect the dog while also cutting down on the ticks carried indoors. A Lyme vaccine exists for dogs (though not for cats, and not for people), and whether it makes sense depends on local risk and your dog's lifestyle — a conversation worth having with your veterinarian.

The yard itself can be made less inviting, too. Simple landscaping moves tend to reduce the blacklegged ticks that spread Lyme: clearing leaf litter, trimming tall grass and brush at lawn edges, mowing regularly, and laying a three-foot barrier of wood chips or gravel between the lawn and any wooded area. Stacking wood neatly in a dry spot, keeping play sets and patios away from trees and yard edges, and discouraging deer with fencing all help as well. Pesticides can further reduce ticks, but they work best as a supplement to these habitat changes rather than a substitute for them.

None of this requires turning summer into a worry. A repellent on the way out, a quick check on the way in, and a clear plan if you find a tick add up to a season your family can spend outside — which, after all, is the whole point.