By Nature in summertime, especially, is wonderful. Who doesn’t want to get away for a weekend and enjoy some time in the sun?
That’s all good and nice. However, Mother Nature comes with certain caveats. Ticks, for example. Out there in the open, the likelihood of meeting these bloodsuckers is quite high.
But the pain of the bite and their removal, which is virtually non-existent, is not the issue. It’s the many diseases which ticks carry. That’s the real danger for you and your loved ones, but also for pets accompanying you.
Let’s see how to avoid all that in detail below.
Tick behaviour and habits
Ticks typically climb around 20 to 70 centimetres on grasses and bushes, where they can find hosts by using their temperature-sensitive cells. Their bite is painless, and often, you won’t be able to sense the pest moving on your skin.
Besides, in grassy, brushy, or forest areas, ticks also live on animals. When you spend time outside, for example, walking your dog, camping or gardening, you always run the risk of coming in close contact with them. Many people also get ticks in their own yards or neighbourhoods.
Tick-borne diseases
Naturally, there are many tick species, as you would expect. However, only a few actually spread diseases.
Some of them are:
- Lyme disease;
- Babesiosis;
- Ehrlichiosis;
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever;
- Anaplasmosis;
- Southern Tick-Associated rash illness;
- Tick-Borne relapsing fever;
Ticks rarely transmit said diseases in the first 36 hours. Certain ailments, like Lyme diseases and anaplasmosis, if caught early, are treatable with antibiotics. However, if not, they can progress further and cause all kinds of adverse side effects. These are either neurological problems, and even arthritis.
That’s why it’s best to visit the doctor and have the tick removed professionally. Doctors can do tests on it and determine if it indeed bore any pathogens. Schedule follow-up visits, just to be on the safe side.
Tick prevention tips
There are three main ways in which you can best make sure you’ll avoid ticks and tick bites.
Avoid tick habitats
Reducing your exposure is the best and most effective defence. However, tick exposure can happen throughout all of the year. Moreover, ticks are the most active during warmer months between April and September. When you’re outdoors during these months, it’ll be best to avoid wooded and brushy areas. Especially those with high grass and leaf litter. Generally, it’s safest to walk in the centre of the trails.
Wear protective clothing outdoors
Those are clothes with long sleeves. Moreover, wear long trousers and tuck them in your socks. That will ensure your safety and maximum protection.
Lastly, choose white or at least light colour clothing. That’s because ticks are easier to spot that way.
Purchase tick repellents
This is another valid option. What tick repellants do is offer effective but not guaranteed protection. However, you can use it with other methods to ensure maximum safety. Use it on your skin. Alternatively, opt for 0.5% permethrin-containing insecticide. Place it on your socks and at the bottom of your trousers. Permethrin products are also ideal for boots and camping gear. There also exists clothing laced with the chemical. That’s a bit of an overkill in most cases, but if you really need it, go for it.
Tick Control
To control ticks, you’ll need to use an integrated approach involving personal protection and inspections, as well as on your pet, and being familiar with the proper techniques to remove ticks.
Proper tick removal techniques
Generally, you can reduce the risk of tick-borne infections and diseases by avoiding tick bites in the first place but also by removing ticks from your body properly.
You’ll need to remove ticks from your skin immediately. You can do that properly by using tweezers or a specially designed tick removal tool to pull them straight out. You can also use your fingers if you don’t have the appropriate tools at hand at the moment.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to grab the tick as close as possible to the surface of your skin. Your goal should be to remove the whole tick while it’s intact. However, if the head remains in your body, leave it there because digging around your skin can get the wound infected.
Regular pet and clothes inspections
First, you’ll need to know where to look for ticks. They usually prefer soft skin and hairy areas. Always inspect your and your pet’s entire body for ticks after returning home from outdoor activities. The parts of your and your pet’s body to check for ticks will include:
- Under the arms;
- In and around the ears;
- Inside belly button;
- On the back of the knees;
- In and around the hair;
- Around the waist;
- Between the legs;
- Around the tail;
- Between the back legs;
- Between the toes of your hands and legs and your pet’s paws;
- Under your pet’s front and back legs.
Besides the skin, ticks can also be carried inside the house on clothing and any ticks that you find on them should be removed. To be absolutely sure you don’t bring any of these pests into your house, tumble dry your clothes on high temperature for 10 minutes to kill them.
If the clothes are damp, you’ll need some additional tumble-drying time. If your clothes need to be washed first, it’s recommended to do it in hot water because cold- and medium-temperature water won’t kill them.
Ticks can also ride into your home not only on clothing but also on your pets and get attached to a person later. Because of that, you’ll need to carefully examine your pets as well.
Showering within 2 hours
One of the best tick pest control solutions. Yes, showering as soon as after coming home can save you many headaches. Moreover, it’s been shown to reduce the risk of getting Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases as well. This is because showering can help wash away unattached ticks. Additionally, it’s also a good opportunity to perform a tick inspection on your body.
Pet vaccinations
Diseases transmitted by ticks, such as heartworm, ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease, are all fatal to dogs and cats, just like they can be to humans. Because of that, preventative medicines and regular tick vaccinations will be essential for preventing these pests from latching onto our pets’s skin and transmitting harmful diseases.
Final Words
The topic of ticks ranks among the most worrisome ones, but if these pests are caught early, common tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease are treatable.
As long as you’re familiar with the locations where you can potentially get ticks and take the proper preventative and tick control measures, you can safely go outside and enjoy the warm weather.
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