05.06.2026 19:50
Ticks, which become a nightmare as the weather warms up, have infested a neighborhood in Istanbul's Sarıyer district. Residents, unable to step outside their homes, said they have lived in the same area for many years but have never seen such a tick infestation before. Citizens stated that they called the municipality due to the ticks, believed to be deadly, but received no response, and are urging authorities to take immediate action.
Ticks, which emerge with rising temperatures, have started to appear intensely, especially in green areas and grassy regions.
"WE CALLED THE MUNICIPALITY, NO MEASURES WERE TAKEN"
Residents of the Ayazağa neighborhood in Sarıyer district, who stated that they have encountered many ticks on 132nd Street and its surroundings in recent days, expressed their concern. Due to the disease that can be transmitted through tick bites and can be fatal, citizens requested the Sarıyer Municipality to carry out pesticide spraying. Stating that caution is needed especially in children's play areas and pedestrian routes, residents demanded a solution, noting that despite calling the Sarıyer Municipality, no measures were taken.
"WE ARE GETTING WORRIED"
Resident Soner Akar stated that there are many ticks on the street, saying, "There are quite a lot of ticks. It's been like this for about a week. Even though friends called the municipality, no one came to take care of it. They weren't visible before. They just appeared recently. We've been seeing them for a week. But there are quite a lot of ticks. They come out more especially in the evenings when it gets cooler. Of course, you get worried; after all, it's about health. We see it on TV and such, but everyone knows what happens when they latch onto a person. We want the authorities to come and find a solution as soon as possible," he said.
"I'VE BEEN LIVING HERE FOR 10 YEARS, I'VE NEVER SEEN A TICK INFESTATION LIKE THIS"
Shopkeeper Murat Baştuğ, saying he has never seen such a tick infestation before, stated, "We've been hit by a tick infestation here for about a week. We're trying to prevent the tick infestation with our own means, but we just can't get a handle on it. In about a week, we've killed over 500 ticks. Even though we've notified the authorities many times, no one has come yet. We expect the area to be sprayed by the authorities. I've been living here for about 10 years. I've never seen a tick infestation like this before. There were never any ticks like this until now. But since there's no spraying, this breeding will likely continue. It's increasing day by day. Of course, we're worried. Our children can't go outside. People can't even leave their homes anymore. We want it to be sprayed. We're waiting for help from the authorities as soon as possible," he said.
"AS A PRECAUTION, WE ARE NOW TRYING TO PROTECT OURSELVES"
İkram Düzgün, mentioning that he has been in the neighborhood for 45 years and has never seen so many ticks until now, said, "I've been here for 45 years. We've never seen ticks like this before. They appeared a lot this year. Did they come from the forest? Did someone throw them? It's unclear what happened. We're waiting for help from the municipal authorities. How can we not be worried? They start coming out 1-2 hours after the evening coolness. As a precaution, we are now trying to protect ourselves. There's nothing else to do. People saw it, now they're trying to protect themselves," he spoke.
"PASSERSBY DIDN'T BELIEVE THERE WERE TICKS"
Hasan Çörek, saying that passersby didn't believe there were ticks, stated, "We were sitting here with friends. I felt a tick crawling on my own pant leg. Then we looked around. Everywhere was ticks. Passersby didn't believe there were ticks. I collected them with tweezers and put them in a jar. Then they looked and believed they were really ticks. There are a lot of ticks. When the evening air cools, they wander around here and become visible. There was nothing like that before. I think it's because the grates haven't been cleaned. We called the metropolitan municipality, we wrote letters. No one cares. We also notified the neighborhood headman. Let someone take care of it," he expressed.