Spring in Collegeville means longer evenings in the backyard, kids out on the trail, and – if you’re not paying attention – ticks. Tick season in Montgomery County doesn’t wait for summer. By the time the forsythia blooms along the Perkiomen and you’re back to spending time in the yard on weekends, adult deer ticks have already been active for weeks.
When Tick Season Starts in Pennsylvania
Most homeowners assume ticks are a July problem. They’re already active by the time you’re raking in March.
Adult blacklegged deer ticks can be active any day the temperature climbs above freezing. In Montgomery County, that means they’re never fully dormant. Here’s how tick activity actually breaks down through the year:
- Adult deer ticks are most active from March through mid-May, and again mid-August through November — including during mild winter stretches
- Nymph deer ticks — tiny, barely the size of a poppy seed — hit peak activity from mid-May through July. These are the ticks most responsible for Lyme disease transmission, precisely because they’re small enough to go unnoticed for days.
- American dog ticks become active in spring and are most common into early summer
April and May in our region represent the overlap of adult tick season and the start of nymph emergence. That’s a lot packed into a short window, and it’s exactly when the risk is most underestimated.
The Ticks in Your Backyard
Three species show up in Montgomery County yards. They’re not equally dangerous.
Blacklegged ticks — often called deer ticks — are the ones that carry Lyme disease. They’re the smallest of the three and the hardest to spot, especially as nymphs. According to Penn State Extension, blacklegged ticks have been identified in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, and between 20–40% of blacklegged ticks in our region test positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. That’s not a small number — it means roughly one in four ticks you might encounter in a Montgomery County yard is carrying the infection.
American dog ticks are larger and easier to spot — about the size of a watermelon seed when engorged. They don’t transmit Lyme disease, but they carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a serious bacterial infection that requires fast treatment.
Lone star ticks are expanding their range northward through the Mid-Atlantic and are an increasingly common find in southeastern Pennsylvania. They can transmit ehrlichiosis and cause an unusual red meat allergy. Not common yet in Collegeville — but worth knowing.
All three species use a behavior called questing: clinging to a grass blade or leaf edge with their back legs, front legs outstretched, waiting for a host to brush past. They don’t jump. They don’t fly. They wait.
Pennsylvania Is the Nation’s #1 Lyme Disease State — Here’s What That Means for Your Family
Pennsylvania doesn’t just rank high for Lyme disease. According to the CDC, Pennsylvania has ranked #1 or #2 in the nation for Lyme disease cases in 11 of the past 12 years. In 2023 alone, the state recorded 16,671 confirmed cases — up from 5,904 in 2013. That’s nearly a tripling of cases in a single decade, and the trend is still moving in the wrong direction.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection. Caught early, it responds well to antibiotics and most people recover completely. That’s the good news. The complication is that it’s easy to miss.
Early-stage symptoms include:
Other tick-borne diseases found in our region — Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis — are less common but serious enough to take seriously.
Where Ticks Live on Your Property
You don’t need to go hiking to find a tick. They’re already in your yard.
The highest-risk zones on a typical Montgomery County property:
- The wooded edge — the transition line between your lawn and any tree line, shrub border, or natural area. This is where tick populations concentrate.
- Leaf litter — that pile of last fall’s leaves sitting against the back fence? Prime tick habitat. Dense, moist, dark. Ticks spend the winter in it.
- Tall grass and overgrown areas — unmowed strips along fences, drainage swales, or weedy corners
- Low groundcovers — pachysandra, ivy, and similar plantings hold moisture close to the ground and are commonly found harboring ticks
If your property backs up to woods or a creek — common in Collegeville, Phoenixville, and much of the county’s older residential neighborhoods — tick pressure is meaningfully higher than on open suburban lots.
How to Protect Your Family This Spring
The CDC recommends a layered prevention approach, and these habits work when you do them consistently:
Your Yard as a Tick-Safe Zone
Smart yard management cuts tick populations significantly. Penn State Extension and the CDC both point to the same core practices:
- Mow regularly and keep grass short — ticks avoid hot, dry, open turf
- Remove leaf litter every season — don’t let accumulation build up along garden beds or fence lines
- Install a tick barrier — a 3-foot-wide strip of wood chips or gravel between your lawn and any wooded area creates a zone ticks are reluctant to cross
- Relocate outdoor furniture and play equipment into drier, sunnier areas, away from wooded edges
On larger properties, or on lots with deer traffic and wooded boundaries, these steps alone may not be enough. That’s where professional treatment comes in.
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The Right Way to Remove a Tick
Find one on yourself or your kid? Don’t panic. Move quickly.
- Use fine-tipped tweezers. Grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Pull straight up with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist, jerk, or squeeze the body.
- Clean the area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Dispose of the tick in a sealed bag or by flushing it. Don’t crush it with your fingers.
Skip the petroleum jelly, nail polish, and lit match. None of those work, and stressing an attached tick can increase infection risk.
Timing matters. According to the CDC, an infected blacklegged tick generally needs to be attached for more than 24 hours before Lyme disease is transmitted. A daily tick check — and prompt removal — is your single most effective defense. Find it before it’s had a full day attached and your risk drops dramatically.
Watch for any rash or fever in the 30 days following a bite. If either appears, call your doctor, mention the tick bite, and get seen promptly.
Wooded edge. Leaf cover. Kids and dogs outside every day. That’s a property that benefits from professional tick treatment.
Terra Pest Management Specialists serves Collegeville, Phoenixville, Norristown, and communities throughout Montgomery County. Give Pat and our team a call before the nymph season peaks in May – that’s the window where early action makes the biggest difference.