study:

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2610907123

interesting items from the study:

Tick numbers don’t predict the next generation of ticks and explains why deer don’t matter. deer feed adult ticks, but more adults don’t lead to more nymphs. Also the riskiest year for people is the one after a mouse boom, especially when mice crash. Nymphs are abundant the year after a mouse peak so if mouse numbers then collapse, those nymphs have few mice to feed on, raising human risks.