Worst Tick Season in a Decade is Predicted

Experts are warning that 2026 is turning out to be the worst tick season in 9 years, and New Jersey is right in the thick of it. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that early-spring emergency room visits for tick bites have reached their highest levels since 2017.

To stay safe this season, Frenchtown residents should be “tick-aware” and follow these essential precautions:

• Wear light-colored clothing so ticks are easier to spot and tuck your pants into your socks.
• Thoroughly check yourself, your children, and your pets upon coming indoors.
• Stay on the path: Keep children and pets from running into underbrush along walking trails.
• Use repellent: The CDC recommends using repellents registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD) or 2-undecanone. For more information, see: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/prevention/index.html.

To learn more about ticks and watch a step-by-step video on how to properly remove them, visit https://extension.rutgers.edu/tick. Additionally, scientists at the Rutgers NJ Ticks 4 Science program are asking residents to send in ticks they encounter which will be used to create a real-time tick tracking map. To learn how to mail in a tick, visit ticks.rutgers.edu.