YORK — Maine’s flagship public university is looking for forest landowners to work with on a tick surveillance project.

Deer ticks, also known as black-legged ticks, are known for carrying the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, and Powassan virus. Griffin Dill, Cooperative Extension

The Maine Forest Tick Survey wants volunteers who own 10 to 1,000 acres of wooded land in nine of the state’s 16 counties. The counties are in the southern and coastal parts of the state, including Cumberland and York counties, which are home to the state’s largest populations of residents.

UMaine said citizen scientists will collect ticks for identification and testing for pathogens. The sampling is expected to begin in July, which is when black-legged tick nymphs are active. Ticks at that life stage are responsible for most infections of humans.

Ticks can infect humans with diseases such as Lyme disease, which has been on a steady rise in Maine over the years.

UMaine has placed information about how to volunteer online.

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ticks, university of maine
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