© 2026
NPR News, Colorado Stories
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

This might tick you off: It’s going to be a big year for your least-favorite bloodsuckers

A tick is shown on a solid surface.
Carolyn Kaster
/
AP
An American Dog Tick is seen in Chincoteague, Va., Wednesday, April 29, 2026.

Apropos of the subject, let’s just sink our teeth into it: 2026 is likely going to be a big year for ticks in Colorado.

And that means, whether you’re out and about in the mountains, on the plains or in your yard, it could also be a big year for tick-borne illnesses, most of which are rare, fortunately, but none of which are fun.

There’s also some good news here: What’s usually thought of as the least-fun tick disease — that would be Lyme disease — is not carried by ticks that live in Colorado. But it is something that Coloradans traveling east need to be aware of.

We can see that you have more questions so we’ll, um, tick through them. (Sorry.)

To read the entire article, visit The Colorado Sun.