, Columnist
Why Ticks Are Becoming an Even Bigger Danger
The climate crisis is making insect-borne diseases more threatening.
Tiny ticks are very dangerous.
Photographer: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images
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As someone who spends a lot of time outdoors, I’ve come across my fair share of natural hazards: lightning, poisonous snakes, unstable terrain. Nothing, though, fills me with more dread than the thought of a tick.
Depending on what life stage they’re at, they range from about the size of a poppy seed to an apple seed, though the adults can swell much larger as they feed on their host’s blood. While these arachnids are munching away, they can pass on a variety of bacterial and viral diseases. That host, by the way, could be you1.