Spring is in the air, or so we like to think, and we’re all looking forward to spending more time out of doors. For some, it’s time to stoke up the grill, soak up  the sun’s warm rays on the porch or at the beach, attend sports events, do some yard work, go for a walk or hike our favorite trail. What promises to put a damper on our plans, however, unless we’re careful, are those tiny, deadly, hard- to-detect deer ticks.

We all love the fact that deer tend to hang out here in the Midcoast area, thanks to our mild winters and sparse snowfall which makes it easier for them to find food. However, while we enjoy seeing them year-round, they are a prime carrier of ticks. The more deer, the greater the odds of more ticks. We watched a show on the Maine outdoors this past week which said that Monhegan Island, suffering from a high incidence of deer ticks, got permission to eradicate the deer herd and then spray. Result: No more ticks.

What’s frightening about deer ticks is their size, which makes it next to impossible to see them if they get on you. As we walk through the grass or woods, they jump  on you or your pet. We’re told to regularly check our bodies, especially our children, when coming indoors, but ticks are easy to miss. Advisors say we should always wear long pants and long sleeves, and spray our shoes or boots with tick deterrent, but most of us will admit we’ll probably be lax in following this good advice. We did read that high heat in a clothes dryer can kill deer ticks, which is nice to know. But once inside your home, they can jump off your clothes and go anywhere.

It’s also discouraging to know that signs you’ve been bitten by a tick are not always readily apparent, which is a little unnerving since the best time to get medical treatment for a bite is within the first month. Lyme disease, which can start with a headache, fever and rash, can quickly advance to joint problems, paralysis, arthritis and other life-altering diseases. It’s sobering, to say the least. Maine and neighboring states have large numbers of men and women suffering from Lyme disease and will have to deal with it the rest of their lives. While moose are also major tick-carriers, thankfully we don’t have a lot of moose in our area like they do in northern Maine.

With the West Nile virus also posing a danger to us from mosquito bites, and scientists watching closely the new mosquito-borne Zika virus which as of right now thankfully isn’t a major threat to us here in the United States, it appears we’ve got to have a heads-up attitude this summer while we’re enjoying the outdoors. Something always has to put a damper on good times, doesn’t it?