Tick Safety is More than Just Wearing Bug Spray

Anyone who spends time in the great outdoors knows about the threat of disease-carrying ticks to any unsuspecting passer-by. Ticks are efficient hunters, waiting in brush or tall grass for a host to latch onto – and once attached, can often go unnoticed for days!

But ticks aren’t just out in the wilderness — they can be transported much closer to home by mammals like raccoons or even squirrels. Tick larvae, nymphs or adult ticks can easily end up in residential areas, creating a whole new tick population waiting to be fed in your own garden or neighborhood park. This is why Tick Safety is so very important!

Know Your Ticks

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Call or TXT the Tick Safety Hotline – (703) 828-4343

TICK IDENTIFICATION

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Before You Go Outdoors

  • • Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. Spending time outside walking your dog, camping, gardening, or hunting could bring you in close contact with ticks. Many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood.
  • • Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remain protective through several washings. Alternatively, you can buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
  • • Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. Do not use products containing OLE or PMD on children under 3 years old.

 

  • Avoid Contact with Ticks
    • • Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
    • • Walk in the center of trails.

TickSafety.com – Tick Safety, Awareness + Education