Learn how to protect yourself and your pets during tick seasonSubscriber Exclusive

Summer is the perfect time for strolls with pets or long hikes on the weekend, but it’s also active tick season. Knowing how to protect yourself from ticks can help reduce your risk of bites and tick-borne illnesses.

Clark County residents submitted 25 ticks to the Washington State Department of Health’s tick surveillance tracker in 2024, more than in any of the previous five years. Ticks used to be more common in the eastern United States than here in the West, but that’s been changing in recent years due to rising temperatures.