A recent study by the Cary Institute links acorns and the mice population to the unprecidented increasse in Lyme Disease.
Basically it happens this way- when the mouse population increases due to abundant supplies of acorns the ticks target the mice. However when the mice population falls due to lower acorn supplies, ticks look for other hosts to feed on- humans!
Now you know.
http://discovermagazine.com/2012/jul...ame-the-acorns