The bacteria that cause Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases usually take hours to enter your body after a tick attaches to feed. The nymphs are mostly active May through July in Minnesota. Ticks spread disease by staying attached to a host for a period of time, that’s why “immature deer tick nymphs are considered more of a disease risk - because they are smaller and harder to notice, so they often remain attached and feed for longer,' Oliver said. “Even in prairie areas, deer carry deer ticks to patches of forested habitat, so people should be vigilant for ticks after visiting any forested area in Minnesota.” “They are now found in every forested county in the state,” he said. Deer ticks are spreading and becoming more common.
