MASON, Mich — Spring has sprung across neighborhoods, and with the warm weather comes an enhanced tick season.
WATCH BELOW: Warm weather brings an enhanced tick season across our neighborhoods
According to the CDC, ticks live in grassy, bushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals.
Dr. John Brooks said warm, moist spring seasons have contributed to the increase in ticks.
"We’ve had for a couple years now an enhanced tick season, because we’ve had warm, moist seasons in the spring," Brooks said.
Brooks recommends using insecticides to prevent ticks from attaching.
"You can use insecticides, to help them from attaching to you," Brooks said.
If a tick gets on you, experts say it is best to remove it with tweezers.
"If you see a tick on you, get it off, one of the things about ticks is that they have to be on you for 24 hours before they can transmit Lyme disease," Brooks said.
Early symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, headache, and fatigue.
"If that’s the case then they certainly can go and get help from their doctor to get some antibiotics," Brooks said.
In downtown Mason, neighbor Joann DePeel spends most of her time outside. I met DePeel walking downtown nearly two years ago, and she walks three to four miles every single day.
"You get to meet a lot of people when you walk around town," DePeel said.
"All the way down to the middle school and all the way down to Cedar," DePeel said.
DePeel encountered a tick while outdoors.
"I was weeding and there was a lot of weeds," DePeel said.
"So, I just pulled it off and killed it," DePeel said.
DePeel recommends using spray and urges neighbors to stay safe.
"I do use spray, and now I'm trying to find more natural," DePeel said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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