Many people believe that long cold winters freeze ticks to death so abundance of these pests will be lower the following summer. That isn’t always the case. Plenty of ticks survived the frigid 2013/2014 winter and have appeared on pets, wildlife, and people the following spring and summer.
Ticks are more than mere pests. They can carry serious diseases. Several species are common in any given part of the country. Most are larger species that are about the size of a pencil eraser. Less easy to spot are tiny deer ticks that can carry the debilitating Lyme Disease. Sometimes they are so small that people are bitten without even realizing it.
The recreational, inspirational, and exercise benefits of being outdoors are immense, and no one should stay inside for fear of ticks, but everyone should take precautions to reduce odds of being bitten by a tick and catching a nasty disease.
Ticks are arachnids. They have eight legs, rather than an insect’s six. Fortunately, insect repellents also repel ticks, and some special sprays are designed to kill them. Repellents are generally safe to apply to the skin but don’t last long. Tick killing sprays are meant to be applied to clothing, not skin, and tend to remain effective through a few washings. We use a combination of both when outside in areas where we suspect ticks lurk.
After spending time outdoors everyone should conduct a tick check on their body. Although commonly believed, ticks do not drop down on people from overhead branches. They normally cling to a plant and simply step onto a person, dog, or wild animal when it brushes by. Usually a tick will walk around on a person, sometimes for hours, before biting. Ticks found walking on a body pose no health hazard and can be plucked off and flushed down the toilet. Only those ticks that have penetrated the skin pose a health hazard. If a dug in tick is found on the body it’s a good idea to consult a medical authority and follow the advice given.
