Tick Safety 101

As summer approaches, we’re all looking forward to outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, gardening, and simply enjoying the great outdoors. While the warmer temperatures offer a lot of outdoor fun, you also want to be cautious of a common outdoor risk: tick bites. It’s important to know how to take care of ticks and tick bites because they can infect humans with bacteria, viruses and parasites that cause serious illness, such as Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and more. Follow these tips to keep your skin safe this summer!

Know before you go

  • Take extra precautions during the warmer months, especially April through September when ticks are most active.
  • You can expect to find ticks in grassy, bushy, wooded areas (especially tall grass or areas with leaf litter), and on animals. So spending time outside in areas such as these can put you in contact with ticks. People often get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood.
  • Avoid walking off paths and stay to the center of trials when possible.
  • Wear light-colored clothing so you can easily spot ticks on clothing.
  • Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts and socks (if it isn’t too hot).
  • Apply insect repellants (EPA Registered) containing DEET picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or 2-undecanone.

After being outside

  • Check your clothes for ticks. Ticks can be carried into your home on clothing. Tumble dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothes after you have returned home. If you wash your clothes, hot water is recommended since cold water won’t kill ticks.
  • Quickly shower after returning indoors. If you shower within two hours after being outside you can reduce your risk of getting Lyme Disease. Showering will help rinse off any ticks that may not be attached and you can do a tick check.
  • Thoroughly check your body for ticks. A full body check upon returning indoors after entering areas that may contain ticks is important. If no one can check for you, use a hand-held or full-length mirror to examine all parts of your body. Make sure you check:
    • Under your arms
    • In and behind your ears
    • In the belly button
    • The back of your knees
    • Your hair/scalp, facial hair
    • Between your legs
    • You midsection/waist
    • Check your feet/toes if you weren’t wearing covered shoes and socks
    • Check your pets if they were also outside, ticks can fall off of them and attach to you
    • Check any gear you had with you (backpacks, hats, blankets, etc.)

What to do if you find a tick on your body

  • Remove the tick ASAP by grabbing it with tweezers as close to the skin as possible, and pull it straight out from the bite area. Pulling it out at an angle or twisting and jerking could cause part of the tick to break off in the skin.
  • Dispose of a live tick by placing it in alcohol, putting it in a sealed bag, wrap it tightly in tape, or flush it down the toilet. (Never crush it with your fingers)
  • After removing and disposing of the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
  • Do not try folklore remedies such as ‘painting’ the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from your skin.
  • If you find a deer tick on you, keep the tick and have it tested for Lyme Disease, it is quicker and more accurate.
  • Follow up with your doctor if you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick. Tell the doctor about when the bite happened, where you were bitten and where you most likely acquired the tick.

No matter what activities you get into this summer be aware of the potential insects in the surrounding areas and how to prevent or take care of bites.