Hundreds of private organizations and government agencies, including Ducks Unlimited, are partners in this effort. Last winter was mild, meaning few ticks were killed by freezing weather. Nobody makes a census of ticks, but field personnel of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, U.S. Forest Service and other workers who spend time in grassy areas and in woods agree that ticks are exceptionally plentiful right now. Tick bites are relatively harmless in themselves, creating minor, itching irritations on the skin. However, ticks can transmit dangerous diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and Lyme disease.
Ticks spend the winter as adults, crawling under bark and leaf litter to withstand the cold.
During normal winters, a percentage of these die from exposure to cold weather. When temperatures are relatively warm, a large population survives to reproduce. Eggs are laid, with each female producing up to 5,000 eggs. The larvae attack warm-blooded animals several times to feed on blood before eventually becoming adults. Ticks can neither jump nor fly and must rely on finding a passing host.