Yes, you can contract Lyme disease at any time of the year in all 50 states. Although most infections are transmitted during the summer months in the Northeast and Midwest, you should be aware of Lyme disease symptoms and get tested no matter where you live if you’re bitten by a tick. Young ticks, called nymphs, are most active from May to August while adult tick bites are most frequent from March to May and August to November.   Contrary to popular belief, ticks do not die in the winter unless temperatures drop beneath 10 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended time. Even in the coldest parts of the country, heavy snows provide insulation for ticks, keeping them alive and ready to feed in the spring. They wait out the freezing temperatures amongst sticks and leaves, latching to animal hosts like rodents, mice, deer, and even your pets.   You don’t need to visit the woods to come into contact with either of the ticks that carry Lyme in the United States. Deforestation has contributed to the arrival of ticks in urban areas. Both the blacklegged tick, commonly called the deer tick and found in the eastern part of the country, and the western blacklegged tick, found in the Pacific northwest, occupy backyards, parks, and trails.   And ticks aren’t the only means of transmission. It’s possible to contract Lyme disease both sexually and gestationally as well as through blood transfusion, although they’re much less common. Even if you received a tick bite in the summer or fall, Borrelia spirochetes can remain dormant in your tissues until conditions are favorable for their survival. Symptoms may develop or recur at any time after infection, especially when your immune system is compromised.