MILLSBORO, Del. - All around Delaware, a nearly invisible enemy lies in wait in the tall grasses for its opportunity to strike.
That enemy, of course, is the tick, and its numbers are rising across the First State.
"Our vice principal had to say to us to stay away from trees and like, bushes, and stay more on our sunny side of the playground," said Caden Timmons, describing how his school is working to protect students from tick bits.
In recent years, the tick population has boomed in Delaware.
According to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), recent winters have failed to develop several extended periods of sub-freezing temperatures that kill off much of the population over the winter.
Also increasing the threat to humans is expanding residential development that is bring people closer to tick habitats, which are often located where woods meet fields.
"We're looking at wooded areas and grassy areas. Ticks like to seek shelter in a moist, humid, dark location, so those are typically the places where people are getting bit," said Jamie Ahlers, an infectious epidemiologist with the Delaware Department of Public Health.
Neighbors in Sussex County have had to change the way they enjoy the outdoors because of the tick threat.
"I have actually been bitten myself, and because there are so many we have Brasure's come and spray our whole entire two-and-a-half acres because we have animals," said Frankford neighbor Barbara Farley.
Ticks can carry a variety of diseases, most commonly Lyme disease, but also a host of less common, but no less serious illnesses.
Fortunately, while the tick population has grown in Delaware, reported cases of tickborne illness have not.
"Hopefully it's just that people are understanding the threat of ticks, and are aware of the different techniques to prevent tickborne illness and looking for the different signs and symptoms," Ahlers said.
To learn more about ticks in Delaware, and how to keep your family and pets safe, visit DNREC's Tick Program Page.
