This Deer Tick Was Active at 35 Degrees in November (Photo)

It used to be said that deer ticks are inactive in the colder months, such as late fall, winter and early spring. Later I started hearing "deer ticks need 40 degrees F in order to be active".

When my kids took wilderness school classes and would hike around the woods for six hours straight once weekly from September to December and March to June, I started hearing more that the deer ticks are active any time it hits 40 degrees such as at certain hours of the day. For example if it is colder in the morning but warms at noon to over 40 then you can pick up a deer tick.

Well I now have personal evidence that they are active at 35 degrees. Last week I was in Fairfield County Connecticut at my home. It was below freezing that night and there was a hard freeze. I saw small puddles of water frozen solid on the ground. At 7:30 a.m. I spent 30 minutes outdoors on grass of our lawn and went into the woods just a bit to haul downed branches from the freak snowstorm of October 29, 2011. The sun was not even high in the sky by that point. When done we got into the car and left.

I found this deer tick on me. At the time I fount it, it was still only 38 degrees outside. This proves that at least in this case that deer ticks are active even in November including after a big snowstorm that dumped a foot of snow on that area.

It had rained hard the previous day, all day. It is said by people who spend time outdoors that deer ticks are most active during and after a rain. They especially seem to like gentle rainstorms so any time you are outside in a drizzle it seems you are at high risk for picking up a deer tick. It also seems that they are least active after a string of dry days or when rain has been scarce for weeks.

Why any of this is true, I do not know.

I share this because people can falsely think that they are not at risk when really they are.

My personal advice is: if you are outside in the rain or just after a rain be extra diligent about doing a tick check on yourself. Anytime it is over freezing, be on the lookout for deer ticks. Use the temperature not the calendar date or the season as your gauge as to when to suspect you may pick up a deer tick.

Here are photos of the deer tick that I found on me on November 18, 2011, lest you not believe what I say. I used the Bic pen for size scale comparision.