Tick Season

April 11th, 2012

The mild winter is not only going to cause worse allergies this spring/summer, but there will also be a bumper crop of ticks.  These arachnids are already out and ready to bite.  When you are walking through the woods or tall grass, make sure you are covered with long pants and long sleeve shirts.  Check yourself and your pets and have someone look over your body at the end of the day.  Use an insect repellant with Deet designed for ticks.

If you do find a tick, be sure to remove it carefully;  identifying the species of the tick is important. Only the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) carries the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.  You can check this website from the University of Rhode Island for a detailed description and pictures of different ticks.  It is also important to note if the tick is engorged with blood.  The larger the tick has swollen, the longer it has probably been on your body, and the greater chance of becoming infected.  If you are not good with identification of ticks and do not plan to become an entomologist, you can bring the tick in a plastic bag to your doctor.

In your own yard make sure you cut areas of tall grasses as these are more likely to harbor ticks.  As the Boy Scouts’ motto goes, “Be Prepared!”