Tick populations are surging in these states heres what homeowners can do to keep their yards safe

It’s tick season, and if you’re a homeowner in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, Middle Atlantic, Ohio River Valley, and even the South, don’t be surprised if they’re particularly active in your area. Not only are ticks a nuisance, but they’ve also led to a growing number of emergency room visits.In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Bite Tracker found that 71 per 100,000 emergency room visits in April 2026 were tick-related — more than double the historical average.You can’t control weather conditions, human behavior, and wildlife movement — all of which contribute to the increased presence of ticks and the health risks they cause.

However, you can take proactive steps and create a “tick-free” zone to protect your family and pets. “For the ideal tick-free zone, use year-round tick-preventative medications, remove leaf litter around the home, install wood chips and mulch near the transition zone between your yard and the forest, and, lastly, mow your yard,” explains Hamilton Allen, entomologist and vice president of technical and safety at Fox Pest Control in Tampa, FL.According to the MyWild 2026 Tick Forecast, tick populations are surging in states such as Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as Kentucky and Tennessee, highlighting the spread of ticks beyond the traditional endemic zone of the Northeast and Upper Midwest into the South.The main culprit? The weather conditions this past winter. Theresa Smith, senior vice president of NaturaLawn of America in Frederick, MD, explains that in areas that were a bit colder than usual, snow that took months to melt helped insulate ticks from the extremely cold air.“Snow keeps the temperature of the ground beneath it more stable, so even while air temperatures continue to drop, the ground underneath it stays warmer.Since much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic experienced that long-lasting snowpack or ‘snowcrete’ coverage, this effect was e...