ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Experts say a warm winter and early spring will mean an abundance of ticks this summer in Georgia.

Nancy Hinkle, a veterinary entomologist at the University of Georgia's Department of Entomology, says this is the earliest in the season that ticks have been seen.

She tells The Athens Banner-Herald that "we're seeing ticks in greater numbers than we've seen in the last decade."

Hinkle said researchers know that colder, harsher winters usually mean fewer ticks the following spring and summer. She said the warm winter probably didn't kill many ticks and the early spring has given them a chance to flourish.