Maine's hot summer may have been uncomfortable for us at times, but state scientists say it was really uncomfortable for ticks.The tiny arachnids, which carry Lyme and other diseases, are not fans of hot, dry weather, state veterinarian Michele Walsh said.Data from June to August 2018, which is considered meteorological summer, was the warmest summer on record for Portland since records began.Specifically, a very warm and dry May could have impacted the tick population.The average temperature for the three-month period was 68.9 degrees, 2 degrees above normal.There were 443 cases of Lyme reported to the Maine Centers for Disease Control in July. That's 100 fewer than the 543 cases reported in July 2017 and the fewest number of cases in the last handful of years." do well in many different environmental circumstances, but the one thing that ticks fear is drying out," Walsh said.Walsh said ticks' instinct is to stay hydrated.Unfortunately, the lower July numbers are not indicative of the rest of the season, which lasts well into fall."The second wave of ticks, especially deer ticks is the fall," Walsh said. "We see the nymphs in the fall that get on our pets and sometimes on us."The best way to protect yourself from ticks is to wear long sleeves, long pants and bug repellent.Close to 1,900 cases of Lyme disease were reported to the Maine CDC in 2017, the most on record. However, in a legislative report, state leaders said the number of cases is widely under represented.The federal government believes Lyme cases may actually be 10 times more than what numbers show, the report said.