Preventing a Tick Encounter

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Reducing exposure to ticks is the best defense against Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and other tick-borne infections. There are Adult female American Dog tick (www.ticksafety.com/americandog)several approaches you and your family can use to prevent and control Lyme disease:

  • While it is a good idea to take preventive measures against ticks year-round, be extra vigilant in warmer months (April-September) when ticks are most active.
  • Avoid direct contact with ticks by avoiding wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. Always walk in the center of trails when possible.
  • Repel ticks with DEET or permethrin. Use repellents that contain at least 20-30% DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) on exposed skin and clothing for protection that lasts up to several hours. Always follow product instructions.
  • Permethrin should only be applied to clothing. Treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents with products containing 0.5% permethrin. It remains protective through several washings. Pre-treated clothing is available and may be protective longer. Other repellents registered by the EPA may be found online at https://cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/insect.

 

When Checking for Ticks, Remember To:

  • When you come in from outdoors, check all over your body for ticks, including your groin, head, and underarms. Comb your hair with a fine-toothed comb, or have someone check your scalp.
  • To remove ticks from clothing, put your clothes in a hot dryer or hang them out in the sun on a hot day for at least 15 minutes. The heat can kill the ticks. Also check for ticks on any gear you had with you in the woods.
  • Check your children daily for ticks, especially during the summer months.
  • Check your pets for ticks after they’ve been outdoors. Your pets can carry infected ticks indoors where they might fall off your pet and attach to you.

Checking for Ticks is Easy
How to Do a Tick Check

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If you find a deer tick on yourself or a loved one, SAVE IT and get it tested for Lyme Disease! It’s much faster and more accurate than getting a person tested.


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6 Replies to “”

  1. Robert H Shultz 3 years ago

    how long will l a deer tick stay attached to a host?

    1. Excellent question! A larvae stage Deer tick typically only feeds for a few days (3–4 max). The same goes for nymph stage ticks; however, adults tend to feed for upwards of 5 to 7 (sometimes as long as 9) days.

  2. Does a tick embed itself or stay on the surface of your skin?

    1. Great question! To feed, ticks only insert their mouthpiece into the host’s tissue. Sometimes it can look as though some of the tick is “burrowing” although that doesn’t actually happen.

  3. Gina Thompson 2 years ago

    Where do you take a tick to get it tested for Lymes?

    1. Hello, Gina! You can click on the “Lyme Testing” button in the main navigational menu, or visit http://www.Tick-Testing.com to go to the site directly. 👍

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