The number of people exposed to ticks has surged this year, according to Upstate Medical University's Tick Testing Laboratory. That's based on the number of of ticks sent to the lab, which is up 31% this year.
Tick Center Director Saravanan Thangamani said the biggest increase was in the spring, and he said the lab noticed weather conditions played a part in the numbers. For example, there were fewer submissions during some rainy spells this fall.
"I was expecting to see a stark increase in the month of October, but we didn't see that," said Thangamani. "And it's primarily due to the rainy days. You know, when it rains, we don't go out, ticks are trying to find some dry place for them to be there. So this is a good observation that we found. We've never seen this kind of observation in the past."
Other trends Thangamani has noticed is that this year’s tick season started considerably earlier, in March and April. In March, the lab received 139 tick submissions compared with 81 in March of 2025, a 72% increase. The increase was even bigger in April, when 624 ticks were submitted this year, compared to 288 in 2025, an increase of 117%.
Thangamani also noticed the geographic expansion of medically important tick species.
"We are seeing increased submission of deer ticks and also we have seen increased submission of lone-star ticks, dog ticks and the Asian Longhorn ticks," he said. "That is a kind of a new thing that slowly it's kind of I would say is becoming more common in central New York."
Of particular concern are lone-star ticks, which are associated with alpha-gal syndrome that can cause an allergic condition to certain meat products.
Thangamani reminds New Yorkers that ticks are still active, and recommends anyone doing yard work or heading into the woods to hunt, use insecticides and conduct tick checks upon returning inside.
