Lyme Disease Season: What Suffolk County Residents Need to Know

Lyme Disease Season in Suffolk County: 2025 Guide

Suffolk County, New York is consistently among the top counties in the United States for Lyme disease incidence. The combination of dense deer populations, abundant wooded neighborhoods, and the ideal tick habitat created by Long Island's climate means that tick exposure is a real risk for virtually every Suffolk County family.

Understanding the Tick Life Cycle

The black-legged deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) has a two-year life cycle. Understanding it helps you know when you're most at risk:

Larval stage (August–September)

Tiny larvae emerge and feed primarily on white-footed mice — the primary reservoir of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease bacterium. Larvae are rarely a direct threat to humans.

Nymph stage (May–July) — HIGHEST RISK

Nymphs are roughly the size of a poppy seed. They're virtually invisible, they're actively questing for hosts, and they're carrying Lyme bacteria acquired from mice the previous fall. The CDC estimates that nymphs are responsible for approximately 90% of Lyme disease transmission.

Adult stage (October–December, March–May)

Adult ticks are larger — about the size of a sesame seed when unfed — making them easier to spot. They quest from vegetation, waiting for deer or large mammals. While less numerous than nymphs, adult ticks still pose significant transmission risk.

When Is Tick Season in Suffolk County?

Unlike mosquitoes, deer ticks are active any time temperatures exceed 35°F. On Long Island, that means roughly 10–11 months per year. That said, the highest-risk windows are:

• •April–June: Nymphs emerging + active questing
• •September–November: Adult tick peak

Winter deer tick activity is lower but not zero. On mild winter days above 40°F, adult ticks actively quest for hosts.

Protecting Your Property

The most effective property-level interventions are:

Professional tick barrier treatment

Pestify applies targeted treatment to the 9-foot perimeter zone where ticks enter from adjacent wooded areas. This is the highest-priority treatment zone because most tick encounters happen in this transition zone, not in the middle of a maintained lawn.

Tick tubes

Biodegradable tubes filled with permethrin-treated cotton. White-footed mice collect the cotton for nesting material, which kills the ticks feeding on them and interrupts the Lyme transmission cycle at the reservoir-host level.

Landscape modifications

• •Remove leaf litter from property edges
• •Create a 3-foot wood chip or gravel barrier between lawn and wooded areas
• •Stack firewood in dry, sunny locations
• •Trim vegetation along fences and property lines