State's Mild Winter Leads To Record Increase In Ticks

Oklahoma ranks among the states with the highest rate of tick-related illnesses, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The state Department of Health reports in the past five years, four Oklahomans died due to tick-borne diseases. Since 2012, more than 2,000 Oklahomans got sick.

Exterminators say those numbers are especially concerning because they're already seeing an uptick in business, something they don't normally see this time of year.

Scott Brown with Environmental Pest Control said, "Generally, you'll see three or four houses a day with ticks. Right now, we're running seven or eight houses a day with ticks."

To help keep ticks at bay, Brown recommends keeping your grass cut, keeping your pets covered in flea and tick repellent, and spraying your yard every 30 days.

Brown says he expects to see even more ticks as it gets hotter. Here in Oklahoma, he says ticks are most active in May and through August.