The nicer weather means you are venturing outside more, but pests like ticks and mosquitoes are likely joining you for the experience. The combination of a mild winter and a wet spring has made it the perfect time for the pests to start wreaking havoc. For ticks, the mild winter allowed them to stay relatively active all year long. That means an increased opportunity for you to be exposed to Lyme disease potentially, caused by bacteria carried by approximately 50 percent of the deer tick population. Kewaunee County Public Health Nurse Cindy Kinnard says long sleeves and pants and a few spritzes of a bug spray high in deet will help deter ticks from latching on to you.

As for the mosquitos, the wet weather has allowed standing water to pool up in areas and form the perfect area for the breeding ground. Kinnard says some of the same techniques you use for ticks will work for mosquitoes, along with some other tactics that can help you not get bit.

Mosquitos are often blamed for carrying West Nile disease, which has averaged 11 cases a year since 2018, including six confirmed cases in 2022.