Plymouth County Extension

10/22/2026

Lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) is an aggressive species of tick becoming more common in southeastern Massachusetts. It gets its name by the white dot that adult females have. Other stages of lone star tick do not have this dot.

Lone star tick is associated with several tickborne diseases, including alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). AGS is commonly referred to as the "red meat allergy" but includes most mammalian products, including gelatin and dairy.

Based on tick surveillance conducted throughout the county in 2026 and on reported data from residents, here are the towns within Plymouth county that currently have lone star tick populations: Hull, Middleborough, Marion, Mattapoisett, and Wareham.

If you have any information on lone star tick in your town, please feel free to report it to Plymouth county extension.

Lone star ticks behave differently than deer ticks and dog ticks. But, bites are, fortunately, preventable with the same repellents - EPA registered repellents, such as DEET, picaradin, and IR3535, as well as clothing treated with permethrin.

Lone star tick photo:
Photo credit: Dr. Amanda Loftis, Dr. William Nicholson, Dr. Will Reeves, Dr. Chris Paddock, via CDC Public Health Image Library

10/20/2026

Brockton STEM night is coming up!

Get to know local people and communities in the area teaching about science, technology, engineering, and math.

10/16/2026

Did you know that Plymouth County Mosquito Control will remove and dispose of tires for FREE?

Yes! FREE. If you have old tires that you haven't gotten rid of because you don't have the time or don't want to pay, give Plymouth county mosquito control project a call.

Discarded tires are one of the most overlooked and common mosquito breeding habitats. In the warmer months, tires fill and hold water and provide excellent breeding sites.

From October until next spring, you can have up to 10 tires picked up and removed from your house. All towns within Plymouth county (and Cohasset) are eligible for this.

In addition to tire removal, Mosquito Control will be recycling tires at the SSRC Waste Day on October 24th in Plymouth.

*While all towns within Plymouth county (and Cohasset) are eligible for tire pick up, only the following towns are eligible for SSRC Waste Day on October 24. These are 2 different services:
Abington, Braintree, Cohasset, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth, Rockland, Scituate, Weymouth, and Whitman.

Contact Plymouth County Mosquito Control here:
https://www.plymouthmosquito.org/home.html

10/15/2026

Thank you The Local Seen Community Media for putting this together and the Kingston Council on Aging for hosting. Going to be a fun program all about "Bugs on the Big Screen."

Show your love for community media https://thelocalseen.media/give...

10/02/2026

Free health fair event tomorrow at the Plymouth Public Library!

09/16/2026

Nature walks are starting to slow down, but we still have a good variety of programs over the next 2 months.

If you have any questions on ticks from Lyme to alpha-gal syndrome, please stop by.

We also have some fun Halloween-themed programs: Crime Scene Critters and Insects in Cinema!

There are some great fairs coming up. Lots of great information at your local health fairs, so be sure to stop by if you have the time.

09/16/2026

Spotted lanternfly is spreading throughout the area.

Just recently, a population was detected in Plymouth.

This insect is highly prolific and great at hitching a ride to get to new locations.

We are asking people to be on the look out for adult spotted lanternflies, as well as egg masses.

Adults may seem easy to recognize, but can often blend in against stone, tree bark, and other mottled and dark surfaces.

Egg masses are often difficult to detect, but can appear like clay.

Please see below link for identifying egg masses, as well as where the source of photo linked is from: https://extension.psu.edu/what-should-you-do-with-spotted-lanternfly-egg-masses

Please see the press release linked below for more information:
https://www.mass.gov/news/state-agricultural-officials-urge-residents-to-help-limit-spread-of-spotted-lanternfly-across-massachusetts

08/12/2026

Had so much fun with the Wareham Land Trust, Inc.

If you haven’t gotten a chance to check out Riverwalk in Wareham, it’s a wonderful loop that passes through forest and wraps along the coast. Can’t believe all the mushrooms we saw that day!

08/01/2026

Plymouth County Extension is continuing our FREE shoe sprays for tick bite prevention.

From August until October, we are offering to treat your shoes with permethrin, a highly effective compound proven to guard against ticks.

Each treatment is good for up to 6 weeks, so feel free to come each month.
Come with an extra pair of shoes. We will walk you through the process and show you how it's done.

Feel free to stop by our office on the 1st Tuesday or 1st Thursday* of each month:
August 4+6
September 1+3
October 1+6

*Note: There's been a slight change to the days we are offering per week. Instead of Monday and Tuesday, we are offering it on Tuesday and Thursday.

07/13/2026

Had a blast with Sustainable Plymouth on Sunday. Lots of great stuff to see at Mass Audubon's Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary.

Milkweed was in bloom with lots of pollinators. Lots of monarchs, skippers, and bumble bees (and, of course, the ubiquitous non-native honey bee). Plus, some really fun aquatic invertebrates.

If you haven't been to Tidmarsh lately, it's a great time to go.