Watch out! Climate change driving ticks in Switzerland to higher altitudes
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By Clara Bousfield
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Aside from keeping a steady foot, trying not to look down and watching out for rapidly changing weather, anyone on a hike in Switzerland will now have to look out for something else: ticks. These tiny pests are now spreading to higher altitudes due to climate change.
More ticks found above 2.000 metres in Graubünden
A study by the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) has revealed that ticks in Switzerland are spreading to higher altitudes than was previously thought.
Ticks are common in Switzerland, especially in summer, but have typically been found only up to elevations of 1.400 metres. The SLF researchers observed that the bug can now be found over 1.500 metres and even 2.000 metres, where they were “found on livestock in every second or third Alpine pasture,” explains Anne Kempel, biologist at SLF.
During summer 2026, the SLF received more than 900 tick reports in canton Graubünden, home to mountain peaks like Piz Bernina, Piz Badile and Piz Buin.
Kempel added that “because the feedback [received] is very well distributed geographically and, above all, across different altitudes, we can draw good conclusions about the prevalence of ticks in the mountains of Graubünden,” reports SRF.
Climate change causing ticks in Switzerland to spread
Kempel says the “obvious” reason ticks are spreading is climate change. Increasing temperatures and prolonged heatwaves create a more habitable environment for ticks. The research “clearly shows that ticks are also reacting to climate change and expanding their range upwards.”
Ticks are typically found in long grass, forests and along rivers and can be a “small but dangerous” threat to anyone walking or hiking. This bug transmits serious, potentially life-threatening diseases like Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), earning it the title of “the most dangerous wild animal in Switzerland.”
The federal government’s Tick Hazard Model highlights the areas of Switzerland that are particularly prone to ticks and the Swiss app Zecke (Tick) tracks recorded tick bites.
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Clara Bousfield
Editor at IamExpat Media