Ticks now widespread in Finland with tens of thousands of sightings monthly
Finland is experiencing an unusually high number of ticks this spring, with nearly 40,000 reported sightings already this year—most of them in the past month alone, according to the Punkkilive tracking map maintained by the University of Turku and pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
Data shows that nearly 36,000 tick observations were recorded in the last 30 days, compared to just 22,000 during the same period in 2023. The season also began earlier than usual, with reports emerging as early as March.
Despite the dry spring—conditions that can sometimes threaten tick survival—experts say the population remains robust. Tero Klemola, a docent at the University of Turku, explained that while prolonged summer heatwaves (above 30°C) may drive ticks to burrow into leaf litter to avoid dehydration, intermittent rain quickly reactivates them.
“Spring dryness is different from summer dryness for ticks,” Klemola noted. He added that tick numbers have been consistently high for over a decade compared to the 1990s, with coastal and archipelago regions remaining traditional hotspots. “They don’t thrive in dry, lichen-covered pine forests,” he said.
Ticks carry two serious diseases: Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Klemola warned that increased human-tick contact raises the risk of bites and subsequent infections. Prompt removal of attached ticks can prevent borrelia transmission, while vaccination is available for TBE.
The Punkkilive project continues to collect public reports to monitor tick activity nationwide.