Man finds 26 ticks on his body from nature walk

BOYLSTON, MA (WBZ/CNN) — It’s enough to make your skin crawl.

Derek Lirange of Massachusetts got covered with 26 ticks while scouting a trail for nature walks by the Wachusett reservoir.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the number of tick diseases are increasing in the U.S. Part of that is knowing the signs and better testing.

“I grew up walking in the woods,” Lirange said. “They (ticks) were walking up my pants. I’ve got to tell you, I was kind of freaked out they were marching up my pant legs.”

Even with tick checks, he thought the best move was canceling the walk. With the tick takeover, the walk will not be rescheduled anytime soon.