Springtime temperatures mean the emergence of tiny blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme and a host of other diseases.

While the adult ticks are compared to the size of a sesame seed and the nymphs that emerge in May to the even smaller poppy seed, don’t let their minuscule proportions fool you.

Blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, exhibit resilience traits that verge on superpowers when it comes to hunting down blood meals.

Northeastern University professor Constantin Takacs, who studies ticks in his lab, says that while they may be hard to kill there are steps people can take to prevent ticks from biting them — and their pets — and transmitting disease.

Read more from Northeastern Global News. 

Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University