As the temperatures warm up in East Tennessee this spring, we can expect to see more ticks.
"The vegetation is getting greener, temperatures getting warmer, so they're really going to hit hard in the next few weeks," said Dr. Graham Hickling, associate professor of forestry, fisheries and wildlife at UT.
It may not be easy to spot one, but the ticks are out there.
Hickling said some ticks can carry Lyme disease, like the black-legged deer tick.
He says those are a bigger risk in the winter time, but we need to be aware of them.
"I think we do have to keep an eye on Lyme disease, the case rates are starting to come up," said Hickling.
The Tennessee Department of Health reported there were 38 confirmed cases of Lyme disease statewide last year, up from 23 cases in 2016.
Hickling said the top tick-borne disease here in the spring is another flu-like disease called Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
It's transmitted through dog ticks.
The state sees hundreds of cases each year.
"And then the lone star ticks can carry a thing called ehrlichia, which again people aren't familiar with but those are the ticks that commonly bite us."
Dog ticks and lone star ticks could be the biggest risk this spring because these ticks reach adulthood this time of year.
For this spring tick season as a whole, because we had a mild winter...
"I would expect that this would be a bigger tick season than average," said Hickling.
Hickling said to stay tick free this spring, try to wear long sleeves and long pants when you go outside, and always use bug spray.
Check for ticks on your skin after spending time outside.
And if you find a tick on you, just pull it off with tweezers, don't try to burn or drown it.