ESCANABA — In the Upper Peninsula, summertime is nearly synonymous with ticks and mosquitoes. However, the summer of 2020 has been unusual for both of these creatures.

Locally, mosquitoes did not emerge by the time they normally do this year. Delta Conservation District Executive Director Rory Mattson said this may have been the result of cool weather seen in early spring.

Mosquitoes usually begin to make their presence in the area known between late May and early June.

“This year, they really didn’t start coming out until (the) end of June, July,” Mattson said.

Now that they have started emerging, Mattson said people can expect to see significant mosquito activity going forward.

“The mosquito population’s going to be pretty good now for a while,” he said.

According to Michael Snyder, health officer for Public Health, Delta and Menominee Counties (PHDM), Michigan saw an outbreak of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in 2019. Ten cases of the disease — which is caused by a virus that infected mosquitoes can spread — were recorded in the Lower Peninsula, but none were found in the Upper Peninsula.

“We have not seen (EEE) here in the U.P. like they have downstate,” he said.

Snyder said people can lower their chances of being bitten by mosquitoes by avoiding outdoor activity at certain times of day.

“Stay indoors early morning and dusk, when the mosquitoes are the most active,” he said.

Clothing can also help people avoid mosquito bites this summer.

“Wear long sleeves and pants whenever possible,” Snyder said.

Meanwhile, Mattson said the local tick population has apparently been down this year.

“I’ve actually seen the least amount of ticks that I’ve ever seen,” he said.

The relatively small deer populations seen in some areas of the U.P. recently may have contributed to this.

“I’m not seeing the ticks we had five, 10 years ago when deer populations were high,” Mattson said.

Snyder said it has been difficult for him to get a sense of how the area’s tick season has been going. PHDM sends live deer ticks brought in by local residents to a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services lab in Lansing for Lyme disease testing each year. The department’s office was closed to the public in April and May due to COVID-19.

“Those are probably the busiest times for bringing ticks in to be sent in,” Snyder said.

In terms of Lyme disease cases in the counties of Delta and Menominee, 2020 has been about average.

“Since January, we’ve had one confirmed case of Lyme disease,” Snyder said.

There have also been eight probable cases and three pending cases of Lyme disease in the region this year. The disease, which can be spread by deer ticks, causes symptoms such as chills and fever, headache, muscle and joint pain and a distinctive “bullseye” rash.

Mattson said ticks are definitely still out and about this summer. People should be particularly careful if they are in shaded areas with tall grass and/or shrubs during hot days.

“Ticks can’t handle this heat, so they tend to move fast as they can to shadier areas — cooler areas,” Mattson said.

One way people can lower their risk of getting bitten by ticks is to choose the right bug spray — which Mattson said is one that contains DEET.

“The higher the DEET concentration, the better it is,” he said.

Additionally, Snyder encouraged people to wear specially-treated clothing.

“Wear clothes treated with permethrin,” he said.

Even with these precautions in place, people should not assume they are free of ticks after being in the woods or other outdoor areas.

“After being outdoors, it’s important to check yourself to make sure you don’t have any ticks on you,” Snyder said.

People can put their clothes in a dryer set to high heat to 10 minutes to kill any ticks that may be present, as well.