Get ready for what could become a real-life horror movie. The evil lives in your backyard, on your lawn and can even enter your house upon your pets.

Ticks.According to a recent report by the Department of Environmental Protection, for the first time ever, ticks have been found in every county in Pennsylvania. In addition, for the past five years, the most cases of Lyme disease in the country have occurred in the Keystone State.Susan Gallagher, Chief Naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center, says the reason why the tick problem is expected to be worse this spring than in the past has to do with this winter's climate."Very cold winters control tick populations. They live just under the surface of the soil and can become victims of the cold," says Gallagher. "But this winter we also had a lot of snow, which acts as an insulator to the ground and keeps the ticks alive."A new invaderThere have been three common types of ticks that are prevalent in the Northeast. Now add a fourth. The lone star tick, traditionally, a resident of the Southwest has migrated north and made its way into Pennsylvania."This tick is very aggressive and actively seeks out people and pets to feed on," says Michael J. Yabsley, associate professor at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. "The lone star tick can cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which results in loss of appetite, joint pain, neurological problems, and even death, if not treated with antibiotics.Leave the snakes aloneGallagher says that tick population control begins with maintaining a healthy ecosystem around habitable properties."Most people won't want to hear this, but you really need snakes, owls, hawks and coyotes around to eat the tick carriers which mostly include mice, shrews, moles and other small mammals."Another alarming statistic comes from a study of ticks gathered from areas in northeast Pennsylvania. From a sample of 227 ticks, 52 percent of them were carriers of Lyme disease. One theory for this high percentage is the increasing growth of the deer population."By the time ticks attach themselves to deer, they are already infected," says Gallagher.She advises that despite visible marks on the skin that are common to identifying the disease, only a physician can make an accurate diagnosis of Lyme disease.Prevention is keyGallagher also advises preventive measures to control tick populations around home properties."It's important to keep your property clean. Remove debris and dead leaves. Lawns are also tick havens. Young ticks do what's called 'questing.'"They hang onto blades of grass waiting for a red-blooded host to come along and then they attach. Keeping lawns cut very short will help cut down on questing.The Tick Chicks who own and operate the Pocono Tick Control and Skeeter Control Company out of Monroe County offer an inexpensive and creative method to help destroy a tick disease cycle that may exist around residential properties.Tick tubes are made out of paper towel cardboard tubes wrapped in aluminum foil and filled with cotton balls sprayed with permethrin repellent. The tubes are placed around the yard where there is suspected rodent activity. The rodents will use the cotton balls to make nests. The permethrin will kill the attached ticks, but not harm the rodents.There are several methods to prevent ticks from attaching themselves to the body.Wear white clothing so they can be spotted against the fabric. Wear long pants and tuck them inside socks or high shoes, especially when taking walks into the woods."Spraying insecticide on the body helps too, but I find that people who are so afraid of ticks will spray way too much on themselves which then may cause tearing of the eyes and even respiratory issues," says Gallagher.She says that it is not important to know how to identify the type of tick, because "all ticks can carry infection."Despite prevention, Gallagher also encourages complete body checks after outdoor activities."Ticks like warm, moist places. Although they can be found anywhere on the body, they particularly like to hide in the scalp, in the armpits and in the groin."Can't take the heatThere is good news when it comes to nature's way of controlling these tiny yet potentially harmful insects.Ticks are just waking up from their winter sleep now, but they will not be nearly as active in June, July and August.Bring on the hot summer.