Suburbs See Uptick In Ticks

Those of us who live in the city often feel as though we’re under siege from various things like congestion, noise, traffic and sometimes even violence. But those who live in the suburbs have been under a siege of their own in recent years — from ticks.

We used to hear all the time about the tick problem on the Cape and islands. But over the last few years, scientists have observed a huge surge in the tick population in the suburbs around Boston. As a result, Lyme disease has spread throughout much of the MetroWest area and beyond.

Earlier this year, Radio Boston’s Adam Ragusea detailed how the town of Dover is fighting its deer tick problem with bows and arrows.

Guest:

• Rick Ostfeld, disease ecologist and senior scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

More:

• Lyme Disease: The Ecology of a Complex System