Tick Concerns Rise in New York Summer Yards

A recent survey shows New Yorkers now favor backyards over parks, beaches and trails for summer activities, with three‑quarters planning gatherings or gardening at home. However, more than half of yard owners report bugs limiting their use, and ticks have become the top concern. Deer ticks, common in the Hudson Valley, Catskills, Adirondacks and Southern Tier, and expanding lone‑star ticks are the primary carriers of Lyme disease in the state. Health officials warn that tick bites can lead to serious illness, prompting residents to adopt layered defenses: keeping grass trimmed short, removing leaf litter, clearing brush along property edges, performing regular tick checks on people and pets, and considering professional perimeter treatments to reduce tick populations. The article also notes an increase in aggressive stinging insects such as wasps and hornets, advising early removal of nests before they mature.