Ticks are a fact of life for pretty much anyone who decides to leave their house. But do not let this stop your outdoor activities, instead let's go through some things that will help you avoid tick bites and lyme disease.
Tick Facts:
- Adult ticks hang on bushes 2-3 feet from the ground. Younger ticks are found under leaves, ground cover plants, etc.
- Part of the spider family
- It takes 24-36 hours for a tick to transmit any disesase
- Less active in the Winter, but still around
- Two year life span
- All ticks come in small, medium, and large sizes.
Pre-hike
- Stay on the main pathways and center of the trail. You are more likely to get a tick when you brush into branches or brush.
- Wear light-colors. This will make it easier to spy a tick that has jumped on you.
- Wear long-sleeves and long pants. Take it a step further and tuck your pants into your socks. Long clothes are definitely more challenging in the warm weather but anything you can do will help.
- Use bug repellents on your body - but never on infants. 30-35% DEET is safe for adults and 10-15% DEET is safe for children.
- Use bug repellents on your clothes. Permethrin is a product that can be used on clothes.
- If you are adverse to using chemicals like DEET, there are some natural recipes available. Here is one from a Mom Blog.
[amazon_link asins='B003PRI6OC' template='ProductAd' store='wha05e-20' marketplace='US' link_id='51ee13a1-4682-11e8-b553-17f59b948b7a']
[amazon_link asins='B004H8BJ5Q' template='ProductAd' store='wha05e-20' marketplace='US' link_id='ec600afc-4682-11e8-a0bc-790d18b65a71']
[amazon_link asins='B01N1MSDIA' template='ProductAd' store='wha05e-20' marketplace='US' link_id='7bf77dd1-4682-11e8-9258-dffec7314adb']
[amazon_link asins='B005MGRMZS' template='ProductAd' store='wha05e-20' marketplace='US' link_id='3c8ddc40-4683-11e8-a42d-1944f3da4bac']
[amazon_link asins='B071LJP9KS' template='ProductAd' store='wha05e-20' marketplace='US' link_id='cdd521f0-4682-11e8-9e3c-dd6f1652821d']
[amazon_link asins='B00FPQQWQA' template='ProductAd' store='wha05e-20' marketplace='US' link_id='74bfb1a2-4683-11e8-9e07-398559652ba4']
Post-hike:
- Ticks are drawn to warm places on your body. So be sure to check favorite spots like between the toes, back of the knees, groin, armpits, and neck, along the hairline, and behind the ears.
- Don't forget your four-legged friends! Pets are more likely to get ticks since they are lower to the ground and travel through the brush and branches.
Bite Treatment:
Removing a tick is very important - and there are many old wives tales that are not recommended by medical practitioners.
Resources used to compile this page: