With the warmer weather coming in, the Minnesota Department of Health cautions outdoor enthusiasts to be on the lookout for ticks and tick-borne illnesses.

The Department of Health says the heavy snowfall across Minnesota helped the survival of ticks that carry diseases. Tick-borne disease specialist David Neitzel says blacklegged ticks, or deer ticks, were insulated from the cold temperatures by the heavy snow cover in wooded and brushy areas where they are normally found. This is causing researchers to find a large number of deer ticks in central and southeastern Minnesota.

Deer ticks are known for carrying Lyme Disease.

The Minnesota Department of Health encourages people to use repellent and to perform daily tick checks.