Health Officials Warn of Tick Surge in City Parks After Mild Winter

NEW YORK — Health officials are urging park-goers to take precautions against ticks this summer after a strikingly mild winter allowed the arachnids to survive in unusually large numbers, driving up reported cases of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in the greener corners of the city. The Health Department has posted new warning signs at wooded trailheads in Staten Island, the northern Bronx, and eastern Queens, where surveillance drags have turned up the highest tick densities on record for early summer.

The tick of greatest concern is the tiny blacklegged tick, which can transmit the bacteria that cause Lyme disease and, less commonly, several other pathogens. At its poppy-seed-sized nymph stage — most active in midsummer — it is easy to miss, and officials say many people never notice a bite until symptoms appear. Early Lyme often announces itself with a spreading circular rash, fatigue, fever, and aching joints, and is highly treatable with antibiotics when caught quickly.

Entomologists tie the surge to a chain of warm-weather effects. A snowless, temperate winter spared ticks the deep freezes that normally thin their ranks, while a bumper crop of acorns two autumns ago fed a boom in the mice and deer that ticks depend on for blood meals. "When the winters stop doing the killing for us, the population just keeps climbing," said one tick researcher who consults for the city. "We're seeing in July the numbers we used to see at the peak of the season."

The Parks Department has responded with targeted measures, including trimming tall grass along popular trails, treating select high-traffic edges, and installing bins of free insect repellent at a handful of nature centers. Officials stressed that the goal is not to scare residents away from green space but to help them use it safely, noting that the physical and mental benefits of time outdoors far outweigh a manageable risk.

Their guidance is straightforward: wear light-colored clothing to spot ticks easily, tuck pants into socks on wooded trails, use repellent, and — most important — do a full-body tick check within a few hours of coming home, since a tick generally must stay attached for many hours before it can transmit disease. "A shower and a careful once-over in the mirror is your best defense," the researcher said. "Prompt removal is almost everything."