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Warm Weather Signals Beginning of Tick Season in Missouri

James Gathany
/
CDC

Early April and warmer weather mark the start of tick season in Missouri.

The Department of Health and Senior Services lists several ways to prevent tick bites on its website. It recommends people apply insect repellent, wear protective clothing and keep lawns short with frequent mowing, as ticks tend to hang out in longer grasses.

Eric Stann is the Community Relations Specialist for Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services. There were 27 reported tick bite cases in 2017, he said.

Stann said it’s important to wear protective clothing when in an area that may be tick infested.

“Ticks generally find a host by climbing onto a blade of grass or a leaf and then they wait until a host passes by and they try to climb onto that host.” Stann said.

To find out more about the specifics of symptoms related to tick bite illness, go to the Department of Health and Senior Services webpage on ticks.