With spring in full swing, professional lawn care maintenance and treatment company TruGreen has announced its list of the top 10 cities in the United States that are most likely to be pestered by tick problems.

TruGreen released the data due to the rising prevalence of tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

More than 30,000 Lyme disease cases are reported nationwide annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and some studies suggest that about 300,000 people are actually diagnosed with the illness each year.

(Photo/ironman100/Getty Images)

A recent report from the CDC revealed that infections from diseases transmitted by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas have tripled in the U.S. between 2004 and 2016.

Those living in or visiting New England, the mid-Atlantic states and the Upper Midwest face the greatest threat from a potential tick bite, the CDC warned.

“We thought this would be a great opportunity to look at our data, which we did across the country, since we have a very wide footprint,” John Bell, TruGreen regional technical manager and board-certified entomologist, told AccuWeather. “We took a look at the areas between where our service and our sales were going on to derive a road map of where we were seeing tick populations beginning to build.”

Below are the top 10 U.S. cities for ticks, according to TruGreen:

Chicago came out on top as the city with the largest demand for TruGreen’s tick control services, Bell said. The company collected and analyzed data from January to December 2017 to compile the list.

“Our top cities were where we as a company were seeing our customers say, ‘We need this service; we’ve got tick problems. Can you address it?’," Bell said.

Experts have said that the eastern U.S. could potentially face high tick activity this year.

“Certainly, this is the time to be stepping up your tick prevention game,” Dr. Thomas Mather, tick expert and professor of entomology at the University of Rhode Island, told AccuWeather. “It’s still left unknown just how this season is going to shape up.”

In order to latch on to their prey, ticks in the wild have a tendency to climb tall foliage, plants or grass that is not well-maintained, Bell said. “They’ll cling on with their hind legs, and as the mammal brushes by, they’ll attach themselves to them.”

Invasive East Asian tick recently found in US more likely to harm livestock than humans

CDC: US illnesses from mosquitoes, ticks, fleas tripled in the last 13 years as temperature rosern

In the U.S., ticks can transmit an array of disease-causing organisms, such as viruses or bacteria that can sicken both people and animals, according to Dr. Nancy Troyano, entomologist and director of technical education and training for pest control company Rentokil Steritech.

Rentokil Steritech’s regional brands include Western Exterminator, Presto-X and Ehrlich.

“For example, the same tick that transmits Lyme disease can also transmit a bacteria called Anaplasma, a malaria-like parasite called Babesia and the Powassan virus,” Troyno said.

“Though the former two can lead to serious illness if left untreated, they can be effectively treated if help is sought right away,” she added. “The Powassan virus, however, can cause inflammation of the brain and death.”

To prevent tick bites, experts recommend covering up while outdoors in tick-prone areas, keeping lawns mowed short and trimming vegetation, putting a stone or mulch barrier around your property and calling a pest management professional to treat your yard.

Report a Typo