DuPage County, Illinois Forest Preserve goes viral again with video on ticks

CHICAGO (CBS) -- This past spring, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District went viral—and got attention from Stephen Colbert—with its video about 17-year cicadas.

For the summer, they have struck again—with a video warning everyone about the dangers of ticks.

Two women play ticks—as they inform viewers that ticks are arachnids like spiders with eight legs, lurk in tall grasses and piles of leaves, and can survive without eating for two to three years as adults.

One of the "ticks" then explains how ticks can be avoided, repelled, or killed.

The video has been placed on multiple social media platforms—including, of course, TikTok.

• What do ticks look like? How to spot and get rid of them, according to experts

In May, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District featured "The Life Cycle of a 17-Year Cicada," in which district ecology supervisor Tom Velat explained how cicadas emerge from the ground, crawl out of their exoskeletal shells, mate, and produce larvae.

The video caught the attention of Colbert, who mentioned the DuPage County video on "The Late Show." Forest preserve district President Daniel Hebreard in turn whimsically suggested that Colbert should star in a sequel to the cicada video.