The highest risk of being bitten by multiple types of ticks is during the spring and summer in Massachusetts, risking getting Lyme disease.

Lyme disease can cause nerve pain, aching joints and fatigue. Another tick-borne illness, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, can cause a rash, headaches, fever and vomiting. And ehrlichiosis, also a tick-borne illness, has been associated with an allergy to red meat. Other diseases from tickets include babesiosis, anaplasmosis and tularemi.

As the climate warms, a report by Bloomberg stated that ticks are increasingly spreading into newer territory further north. But researchers at the University of Massachusetts are attempting to find new ways to ward off ticks as the traditional defenses against creatures of their ilk — such as bug sprays — do little to sway a tick from crawling up one’s leg and latching on for a meal.

See below for 5 maps showing what types of ticks live in Massachusetts.

American dog tick

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that more research is needed to understand the role of the American dog tick in disease transmission. But they can transmit tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

These ticks are most likely to bite humans during the spring and summer.

Blacklegged tick

People should be aware of these ticks any time temperatures are above freezing, the CDC said. But the greatest risk of being bitten is in the spring, summer and fall. These ticks can transmit diseases causing Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, hard tick relapsing fever, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus disease.

The Sharon Health Department confirmed the first case of Powassan virus of 2024 in April, according to a release. They wanred residents to take precautions.

Brown dog tick

The brown dog tick is found worldwide. Its host is normally dogs but the tick can also bite humans or other mammals, the CDC said. These ticks can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Lone star tick

The lone star tick is known as a very aggressive tick that bites humans, according to the CDC.

“The adult female is distinguished by a white dot or ‘lone star’ on her back. Lone star tick saliva can be irritating; redness and discomfort at a bite site does not necessarily indicate an infection. The nymph and adult females most frequently bite humans and transmit disease,” the CDC warns.

The tick can transmit Bourbon virus, Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii, which can cause ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus, tularemia and STARI, the CDC warned. There is also a growing evidence that alpha-gal syndrome, also known as the red meat allergy, may be triggered by the bite of the lone star tick. However, the CDC said, other tick species have not been ruled out.

The CDC also breaks down the tick surveillance by county. For more maps, click here.

Boston Teachers Union President Jessica Tang was unanimously elected to take over as president of Massachusetts’s American Federation of Teachers chapter over the weekend, the statewide union announced in a release, making her the first person of color to hold the role.

“It’s an honor to represent the 25,000 educators, librarians, health and public service workers from across the commonwealth who make up AFT Massachusetts,” Tang said. … “I look forward to working together with the members of AFT Massachusetts to build our power, not just as AFTMA members, but as a labor movement and in partnership with community allies.”

The AFT Massachusetts’s 200 delegates met and elected Tang at the union’s annual convention over the weekend. She will take over for Salem educator Beth Kontos, who served as the AFT-MA president since 2018.

The AFT- MA is the smaller of two statewide teachers union — behind the 117,000 member Massachusetts Teachers Association — and has members in districts in Boston, Chelsea, Lowell, Salem and more. Delegates also re-elected Brant Duncan as the union’s Secretary-Treasurer.

Tang, who started out as a middle school social studies teacher in Boston Public Schools, will be the first person of color to hold the AFT-MA presidential position. She has served as the BTU president since 2017 and was also the first person of color, first openly queer person and first woman in over thirty years to serve in the top BTU position.

In her campaign for the position, Tang cited priorities including a “strong presence” at the State House and in local communities, a “strong member-driven voice for change” in partnership with organizations like the MA Education Alliance, and helping locals “build power internally and externally.”

The incoming president is a Harvard graduate, a current Vice President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, and co-founded Teacher Activist Group-Boston, Boston Education Justice Alliance and MA Education Justice Alliance.

Tang also serves within many boards and councils, including the United States Commission on Civil Rights Massachusetts State Advisory Council, Citizens for Public Schools, Private Industry Council and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance.

Outgoing president Kontos cited “incredible victories” in recent years, including passage of the Student Opportunity Act and the Fair Share Amendment, protections throughout the pandemic, and strengthening local contracts.

“Jessica has been a strong partner to me over the past six years, and her deep commitment to organizing and member voice will help move our growing union forward,” Kontos said.