Ticks Invade California Beaches

Son of a beach! In one of the surest signs of the apocalypse to surface in years, blacklegged ticks are now invading Northern California’s beaches.

NPR and the LA Times are reporting that researchers at Colorado State University at Fort Collins have recently concluded a four-year effort to identify resident tick populations on California’s north coast. The study has produced some shocking results.

Blacklegged ticks were found everywhere, on grasses and shrubs near the beaches and the shores themselves, infesting the Golden State from Mendocino County to Monterey County.

The data was a real head-turner. The primary hosts for blacklegged ticks in California’s coastal ecosystems are grey squirrels and voles, animals that traditionally do not live near the beach.

Things are going from bad to worse; the ticks appear to be expanding their territory and pushing further south.

Popular beach areas with good reason to be concerned include Santa Cruz, Monterey, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, and more.

The blacklegged tick is one of the most dangerous ticks in the United States, the very same tick commonly called the “deer tick” on the East Coast.

Blacklegged ticks can transmit all the worst tick-borne diseases and sicknesses, including Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, and Powassan virus.

With the addition of ticks, the official list of reasons to not go to the beach now includes sunburn, shark attack, jellyfish sting, that scene from the beginning of the movie “US,” and blacklegged tick bite.

Remember to reapply after swimming if you’re packing some Tick Proof in your beach bag, which is probably a smart move.

Read more about ticks invading California and it’s beaches: