Former Arkansas athlete working to help high schoolers

Little Rock, Arkansas – The fact that Wednesday was the first day of summer implies that the insects have also arrived in Arkansas.

While ticks are a serious concern, experts agreed that mosquitoes may be a nuisance.

Ticks are dependent on the weather and the adjacent species they can latch onto, according to Dr. Kelly Loftin, an Extension Entomologist at the University of Arkansas.

“We’ve had plenty of ticks this year,” Loftin said. “We happen to be collecting ticks this morning… When you have an early spring, it warms up quickly. You’ll have ticks sooner.”

Despite the early start, Loftin claimed that the tick season in Arkansas shouldn’t be any worse than it has been in the past.

“What I like to say is pretty much all tick years are the same,” Loftin said. “Tick populations tend to be more consistent than mosquito populations.”

Despite the fact that Arkansas’s tick season would be much like any other one, Dr. Robert Hopkins of UAMS Internal Medicine advised people to still be cautious about tick bites.

“Generally, for you to get an infection or an illness from a ticket has to be embedded for at least 12 to 24 hours,” Hopkins said. “If you get it off soon, that reduces your risk even further.”

Hopkins stated that fever, redness, and nausea are some signs of a more serious tick bite infection or disease. In Arkansas, there is still a small chance that a tick bite will cause a health problem.

“I would say that probably far less than a third of the ticks in Arkansas will cause you a significant problem,” Hopkins said.

By applying bug spray and donning the appropriate gear, it is possible to attempt to completely avoid getting bitten.

“If you’re going to be out in your yard, or you’re going to be out in the woods, probably best to wear a hat and long sleeves and long pants,” Hopkins said.

Similarly, Hopkins advised calling your veterinarian if you have any worries about tick bites on animals.