The black-legged deer ticks that transmit Lyme disease to thousands of Americans every year can survive below-freezing temperatures and go more than a year without a meal.
Want to see their superpowers evaporate? Bring on hot, dry weather.
One thing deer ticks hate: Hot, dry weather
When deer ticks are exposed for too long to the type of conditions that make for a perfect beach day, they will dessicate or dry out, says Constantin Takacs, a Northeastern assistant professor of biology who studies ticks in his lab.
He says deer ticks thrive in an environment of more than 90% relative humidity and start dying after a day or two when the humidity in the atmosphere is 85% or below.
“The drier the environment is, the faster they die,” Takacs says. The process is sped up when temperatures are high and accelerate the evaporation of moisture.
Read more at Northeastern Global News.
Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University
