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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 21 June 2017

They’re back! Numbers of ticks are high across New England

By MICHAEL CASEY Hampshire are in line with
LISA RATHKE what was expected, con-
Associated Press sidering the high moisture
MARSHFIELD, Vt. (AP) — levels and short dry periods.
Tick numbers are on the “It’s a really bad year,” Ea-
rise across New England, ton said.
raising the prospect of an On top of that, ticks have
increase in Lyme and other taken advantage of a
diseases associated with proliferation in their favor-
the blood suckers. ite hosts, especially mice,
Much of the region got chipmunks and other small
a respite last year as the rodents. But it isn’t so much
drought took a toll on ticks, the number of rodents this
whose numbers drop as year that is critical.
the humidity falls below 85 Researchers from the Cary
percent. But the drought is Institute of Ecosystem Stud-
largely gone from the re- ies, which for the past de-
gion and ticks are taking cade has studied ticks,
advantage. found that a bevy of acorns
Residents in Maine are one year can lead to a
complaining they are find- spike in Lyme-infected ticks
ing as many as 30 ticks at two years later. They docu-
a time on their clothes, mented a bumper acorn In this Monday, June 19, 2017 photo, George Africa shows a state health department tick informa-
and public health officials crop in 2015 that resulted in tion card that he hands out to customers at his Vermont Flower Farm nursery in Marshfield, Vt., to
in Vermont are reporting an increase in small-rodent educate them about ticks. Tick numbers are on the rise across New England this spring, raising the
an above-average rate of numbers a year later. As a prospect of an increase in Lyme and other diseases.
emergency room visits for result, they projected that (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
tick bites in the last three 2017 would be especially out as nymphs the next tripled to about 30,000 Health Department, peo-
weeks. bad for Lyme-disease ticks. year, and those mice are cases nationwide annu- ple should avoid wooded,
“All of sudden everybody “When those mice have a the place those baby ticks ally. Cases of anaplasmo- bushy areas with high grass
you know has got them,” big boom in their popula- get infected with Lyme dis- sis, which can cause fever, and leaf litter, wear long-
said George Africa, owner tion in the summer, that is ease bacteria.” headache, chills and mus- sleeved shirts and pants,
of Vermont Flower Farm. when new baby ticks are With the explosion in tick cle aches, have also risen apply a tick repellent with
He’s found two black- just hatching out of their numbers in the past de- steadily. at least 30 percent DEET
legged ticks on him in the eggs,” said Richard S. Ost- cade, there has been Two years ago, Vermont and check their body daily
last several weeks. feld, a disease ecologist a dramatic increase in had the highest rate of re- for ticks.
Alan Eaton, a tick expert with the Cary Institute. “If tick-related diseases. Ac- ported Lyme disease cases Public health officials in
with the University of New there are a ton of mice, cording to the Centers for nationwide. New England said it’s too
Hampshire Cooperative Ex- many of those baby ticks Disease Control and Pre- How can people limit their early to say what impact all
tension, said the high num- feed on a mouse. They are vention, the number of exposure to ticks? Ac- these ticks will have on dis-
bers he has seen in New likely to survive and come Lyme disease cases has cording to the Vermont eases this year.q

Conservationists: Imperiled Atlantic salmon decline worsens

By PATRICK WHITTLE abundant in the rivers of Federation released a re- to the river, called grilse, asked people to choose to
Associated Press New England and Atlantic port this month that says fared especially poorly kill fewer salmon,” Crabbe
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Canada, but they are now total estimated returns of last year. They returned at said. “The long term solution
Fewer of North America’s endangered or have dis- the fish to North America in a rate nearly a third lower is government to govern-
Atlantic salmon are making appeared in parts of both 2016 was a little more than than 2015, the group said. ment agreements.”Atlantic
it back to rivers to spawn, areas. The salmon are born a half million salmon. That The salmon federation salmon face a number
which bodes poorly for the in rivers, swim to the Atlan- is a 27 percent decrease warns that signs show 2017 of challenges in the wild,
future of the imperiled fish, tic and return to their natal from the previous year. is looking like another poor ranging from the presence
an international conserva- river to spawn. The group says young salm- year, said spokesman Nev- of river dams to continued
tion group says. The New Brunswick, Cana- on who spent only one win- ille Crabbe. fishing pressure off of Can-
Atlantic salmon were once da-based Atlantic Salmon ter at sea before returning “What do we do? We’ve ada and Greenland. q