Tick season is here: Heres how to protect yourself and your pets [Video]

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Tick season is starting across the country, and experts say it’s important to be vigilant this year.

As springtime temperatures start to rise — typically above 45 degrees — you will want to think about how to protect yourself and your pet from ticks in grassy, leafy and wooded areas. As outdoor activities ramp up, so does exposure to ticks, which are on the prowl and ready to hitch a ride on you or your pet.

“The adults will crawl up onto the edges of grass and they have a behavior called ‘questing,’ so they’ll stick their legs up in the air and they will wait for you to come by, and the moment you brush their legs, it hangs on and holds on for dear life,” said William Miller, an assistant professor of biology at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…