If you live in Newburyport, MA, you already know this feeling.
It’s late March.
The sun’s out.
The yard looks “mostly fine.”
And your brain goes…
“Alright. We made it. Winter’s over. We can relax.”
That’s the exact moment ticks start quietly waking up.
Not with a bang.
Not with a warning siren.
Just… slowly.
On the first mild stretch where the air feels decent and the snow cover is gone.
So let’s answer the real question in plain English:
When are ticks active in Massachusetts and New Hampshire?
And what are the real-world triggers that matter more than a calendar date?
Because if you wait until “tick season” is obvious…
You’re already late.
Here’s the simple truth: ticks don’t follow the calendar. They follow TEMPERATURE.
In both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, ticks can be active any time conditions let them move and “quest” (that’s the tick word for climbing up grass or leaf litter and waiting to grab onto a host).
New Hampshire public health puts it bluntly: ticks are active when it’s above about 40°F and they’re not covered by snow.
UNH Extension says basically the same thing: mild winter weather (temps above 40°F) with no snow cover can keep activity going.
And the CDC adds a detail most homeowners miss: adult blacklegged ticks may be searching for a host any time winter temperatures are above freezing.
So if you want a “trigger” you can actually use:
When daytime temps start hanging around 40°F+, and you’ve got bare ground showing…
don’t assume ticks are “gone.”
That’s why I tell people:
Don’t relax too early.
And honestly… don’t relax too late either.
If you’ve ever done a spring cleanup in a place like Merrimac, MA, you know what I mean.
One warm weekend and everybody’s out there pulling brush, moving leaves, and opening up the exact spots ticks like to hide in.
Massachusetts and New Hampshire tick activity, the way you’ll actually experience it
Most homeowners picture one “tick season.”
In real life, it’s more like two big waves… with a bunch of “sneaky days” around the edges.
Wave #1: Early spring wake-up (often March into April)
This is the time of year where people get tricked.
It still feels like winter in the shade.
The yard is still messy.
You’re not out there lounging yet.
But ticks don’t need you to be lounging.
They just need:
a mild stretch
damp leaf litter
brushy edges
and animals moving through (deer, mice, turkeys, neighborhood dogs, you name it)
If you’re in places like Amesbury, MA where you’ve got a mix of neighborhoods, woods edges, and conservation land pockets, this is a classic setup for early activity.
(And yes — ticks love that “edge zone.” Woods meets lawn. Stone wall meets brush. Fence line with vines. That’s tick real estate.)
A big reminder here:
You don’t need tall grass for ticks.
You need shade, humidity, and animal traffic.
Wave #2: Late spring into mid-summer (the highest human-risk window)
This is where the real trouble shows up for families.
Because this is when nymphs are out heavy.
Nymphs are the teenage stage.
They’re tiny.
Hard to see.
And they’re one of the main reasons people say, “I never even saw the tick.”
So if you want the most practical takeaway of the whole article, it’s this:
If you’ve got kids, dogs, or you’re doing yard work…
mid-May through July is not the time to “wing it.”
This is the stretch where you check.
Every day.
Like it’s brushing your teeth.
Wave #3: Late summer (still active, just different)
Late summer can bring a false sense of safety because you “feel” fewer ticks.
But ticks are still out there.
And at the same time, people start doing:
back-to-school sports
evening dog walks
late-summer landscaping cleanups
outdoor showers after beach days
backyard fire pits
So you’re still exposed.
You might just not notice until you do.
Wave #4: Fall (the second big surprise)
Fall is the other time homeowners get tricked.
Because people associate fall with “bugs dying off.”
But adult blacklegged ticks often ramp up again in fall, and can keep going as long as temps cooperate.
So the phrase “tick season is over” can be a dangerous sentence in New England.
This is why you’ll hear me say:
If you’re raking leaves in October and November…
you’re not “past it.”
You’re in it.
And if you’re in coastal New Hampshire towns like Hampton, NH, you can absolutely get those mild stretches that keep things active longer than people expect.
Why temperature matters more than the month on your phone
Ticks aren’t like mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes need a certain pattern of warmth and water to explode.
Ticks are more stubborn.
Ticks can “pause.”
They can wait.
They can hang tight in protected leaf litter and wake up when conditions are right.
So you can have:
a cold week
then a warm stretch
then cold again
And ticks don’t “reset.”
They just take the opportunities they get.
“Okay Jeff, so what months should I think about?”
If you want the calendar version (with the understanding that weather always wins), here’s the typical pattern many homeowners feel in MA and NH:
March–April
Ticks start showing up on warm days, especially when snow cover is gone and temps start hovering around 40°F+.
May–July
This is the big one.
The time when nymphs are very active, and the risk of human exposure is high because we’re outside more.
August–September
Still active.
Still possible.
And a lot of people get sloppy because summer “feels” routine.
October–November
Adult ticks can surge again.
Leaf season. Yard work season.
The “I thought we were done” season.
December–February
Ticks are not partying in deep snow and deep cold.
But on mild spells, with less snow cover, adults can still be out looking.
So I don’t tell people “ticks are active 12 months a year” to scare them.
I say it because in New England…
you can absolutely run into ticks in any month if the weather lines up.
The part most people miss: “tick activity” isn’t just a woods problem
Homeowners say:
“I don’t go in the woods.”
But ticks don’t care where you go.
They care where animals travel.
Deer trails behind your fence line.
Mouse activity in stone walls.
Brush behind the shed.
Leaf piles along the edge.
Tall ornamental grass beds.
That’s where tick problems start.
And that’s why two neighbors can have totally different tick pressure.
Same street.
Different shade.
Different edges.
Different animal traffic.
So if you’re reading this in Salisbury, MA and you’ve got a brushy edge line… that’s a hot zone.
That’s the real world.
“Don’t relax too early” means you start thinking prevention before you see ticks
Here’s what I wish every homeowner understood:
By the time you find a tick on your dog…
you’re not early.
You’re reacting.
Ticks don’t show up as one dramatic event.
They build.
So “don’t relax too early” looks like this:
You begin tick awareness when:
snow cover is gone in key areas
temps start touching the low 40s
you’re walking the dog more
kids start playing outside for longer stretches
Because that’s when accidental exposure starts happening.
And the CDC reminds us adults can be active above freezing.
So early prevention is not paranoia.
It’s just being realistic.
A quick “tick timeline” you can actually remember
If you want a simple mental model, use this:
Spring warm-up = ticks wake up
Late spring/early summer = tiny nymph risk
Fall yard work = adult tick risk
Mild winter days = don’t assume anything
That’s it.
What does Mosquito Enemy do about ticks?
I’m not going to turn this into a brochure.
But I do want you to know there’s a difference between “spraying something” and controlling where ticks actually live.
That’s why our tick approach focuses on:
woods edges
transition zones
shaded resting spots
areas where pets and kids actually move
If you want to see how we structure our programs, start here:
Tick Control
And if you want the combined protection that many families choose (mosquito + tick coverage built for the whole yard), this is the overview:
Mosquito & Tick Control
A final word from your local yard guy
Ticks are not a “July problem.”
Ticks are a temperature problem.
And in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, we get a whole lot of days that sit right in that danger zone:
Not freezing.
Not hot.
Just mild enough.
So don’t wait for a date on the calendar.
Watch the weather.
Watch the edges of your yard.
And don’t relax too early.
Because the people who win against ticks are the people who get ahead of them.
Not the people who chase them.
Your Call To Action
If you want help getting ahead of ticks this season:
Call: 888-229-0095
Email: jeff@mosquitoenemy.com
