Ticks and Lyme Disease in Southeastern Pennsylvania

Ticks in Pennsylvania and Lyme disease: why PA numbers run high

Lyme disease is spread by the blacklegged tick, often called the deer tick. Southeastern Pennsylvania gives that tick nearly everything it needs: mixed hardwood forest, thick leaf litter, plenty of white-tailed deer for adult ticks to feed on, and large numbers of white-footed mice and other small animals that young ticks feed on first.

Suburban development adds another layer. Lawns that end at a wooded strip, stone walls covered in ivy and backyard bird feeders that draw rodents all bring tick habitat within a few steps of the patio. That edge zone, where lawn meets woods, is where most residential exposure happens.

When is deer tick season in PA?

Ticks are never fully gone in this region. Different life stages peak at different times, and adults stay active on mild winter days whenever the temperature climbs above freezing.

The two-year blacklegged tick life cycle, and why mice matter

A blacklegged tick takes about two years to go from egg to adult, and it feeds once at each stage. Eggs hatch into larvae in summer, and those larvae usually feed on white-footed mice, chipmunks and ground-feeding birds. That first meal is where most ticks pick up the Lyme bacteria, since infected mice pass it along so efficiently.

The larvae rest through winter and come back the following spring as nymphs, the stage behind most human infections because they are so small. Nymphs that feed in summer molt into adults by fall, and adults look for deer. A yard full of mice and chipmunks under stone walls and woodpiles is effectively a tick nursery, which is why cutting rodent cover belongs in any tick plan.

Where ticks wait around Media-area homes

Ridley Creek State Park, Tyler Arboretum and the wooded creek valleys around Media are beautiful places to walk, and they are also prime tick country. Homes that border those woods, or any wooded lot, tend to see more ticks along the lawn edge than in the middle of the yard.

Ticks do not jump or fly. They climb grass and low plants and wait for a host to brush past. The spots that hold the most ticks around a house are shady and humid: leaf piles, ground cover like pachysandra and ivy, the base of stone walls, woodpiles and the strip of tall grass along a fence.

Tick prevention in the yard: changes that work

Landscape changes reduce tick numbers on their own and make any treatment work better. The CDC and Penn State Extension both describe a similar approach:

• Keep grass mowed short, especially near play areas, paths and patios
• Rake and remove leaf litter from lawn edges and under shrubs each fall and spring
• Lay a strip of wood chips or gravel about three feet wide between lawn and woods
• Stack firewood neatly in a dry, sunny spot away from the house
• Move swing sets, sandboxes and seating out of shaded edges and into the sun
• Discourage deer with fencing or plant choices, and keep bird feeders away from the house to limit rodents

How do you check your own yard for ticks?

A simple tick drag shows where ticks are concentrated before you spend effort on the whole property. Pick a dry morning in late May or June, when nymphs are most active:

1. 1

   Make the drag

   Staple or tie a square of white flannel or light-colored towel, roughly a yard across, to a broom handle or stick.

2. 2

   Walk the edges

   Pull it slowly over leaf litter, ground cover, the base of stone walls and the strip where lawn meets woods.

3. 3

   Stop and look

   Check both sides of the cloth every ten to twenty steps; nymphs look like specks of pepper that move.

4. 4

   Compare zones

   Note how many you find along the back edge, the side beds and the open lawn. The difference tells you where to focus.

5. 5

   Clean up

   Drop any ticks into rubbing alcohol, wash the cloth in hot water, and do a tick check on yourself afterward.

What does a tick yard treatment do?

A professional tick treatment targets the places ticks actually live rather than the open lawn. The technician focuses on the wooded border, shrub beds, ground covers, stone walls and shaded fence lines, where a light application reaches ticks waiting in leaf litter and low growth.

Timing matters. A spring application aims at nymphs before their summer peak, and a fall application reaches adults. Most properties need treatments repeated through the season, because deer and rodents keep carrying new ticks in from surrounding woods. Our tick control page covers scheduling, and many homeowners pair it with a mosquito yard treatment since both target the same shady zones.

Personal habits that matter as much as the yard

Even a treated yard cannot account for the trail behind your house or the park down the road. The CDC recommends EPA-registered repellents on skin, permethrin-treated clothing and gear, and a full-body tick check after time outdoors. Showering soon after coming inside helps you spot ticks that have not attached yet.

Putting dry clothes in the dryer on high heat for a short cycle kills ticks hiding in fabric. Check pets daily during warm months, since dogs carry ticks indoors, and ask your veterinarian about tick prevention. If you develop a rash, fever or flu-like symptoms after a tick bite, seek medical care and mention the bite.