Tick tock, tick season is coming. What you need to know. Statewide Tick Surveillance Anyone who spends time outdoors has likely encountered ticks and has read news articles discussing tickborne illnesses. You likely wondered how prevalent are ticks across the state, what is the risk to humans of tickborne illnesses, and what steps we can take to mitigate and prevent our interactions with ticks. Today, we hope to provide some answers to these questions. Recently, we sat down and talked with Dr. Holly Tuten, a Vector Ecologist working out of the University of Illinois’ Illinois Natural History Survey’s Medical Entomology Lab, to discuss ticks, tickborne illnesses, and prevention strategies.