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Tick season is in full swing in parts of the Bay Area and Lyme disease experts say there could be an uptick in ticks due to the longer than usual rainy season this year.
“I don’t do a lot of prevention. I just check my body for ticks after going for a hike,” Oakland resident Brian Cline said.
Linda Giampa, executive director of the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, said ticks thrive in wet conditions and with the Bay Area’s rainy season extending into May, she expects tick season to last through July.
“They like moist, more foggy areas, and they like wooded, leafy areas more than the chaparral dry areas of the Bay Area,” she said.
Giampa is cautioning hikers in areas such as Tilden Park in the East Bay to stay in the middle of the path away from grasslands, recommends hikers to check for ticks on family members and pets and once they get home, they should throw their clothes in the dryer.
“Ticks are not killed by your laundry or showers. They are killed in a hot dryer,” she said.
Giampa added that tick season will begin to wind down as conditions get drier. She expects the Bay Area counties to put out advisories regarding the uptick in ticks in the coming weeks.
But some hikers are already prepared.
“Just don’t be near like certain plants, or certain brushes or trees or don’t be real close because realistically, that’s how they’re going to jump on you,” said San Ramon resident Dariela Apodaca.