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It’s Tick Season: Protect Yourself - Exterminator Marlboro
Ticks transmit Lyme disease, so they can be very dangerous if left to attach on your skin for a long period of time.
It’s Tick Season: Protect Yourself
Ticks transmit Lyme disease, so they can be very dangerous if left to attach on your skin for a long period of time. Lyme is a bacterial infection that affects the nervous system and joints. There is no vaccine to prevent tick-borne disease, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself from tick bites.
April through September is considered tick season. Here are some tips on how to stay safe:
- Wear shoes, long pants and socks and seal them at the bottom when venturing outside. Ticks don’t fall or jump from trees; rather, they crawl up from ground level.
- Keep leaves and other debris away from your home. Place kids’ play equipment out in the sun, as ticks prefer shady, moist places. Trim your grass because ticks like to cling to the long blades.
- Wear permethrin-treated clothing, which is a type of clothing used by the military to prevent biting insects. Spray your clothing with insecticide that contains DEET.
- Perform regular body checks, preferably while in the shower. Deer ticks are about the size of poppy seeds, attaching to shady places like the groin area, as well as in hair, behind knees and around ears.
- Don light-colored clothing in an effort to more easily notice dark-colored ticks.
- Put your clothes in the dryer for 15 minutes to let the heat kill any ticks. Then, place your clothes in the wash.
- Notice a tick crawling on your skin? Grab it and throw it away. Can’t catch the little sucker? Use a piece of tape.
- If you see that the tick has become lodged in your skin, remain calm. Do not slather petroleum jelly or nail polish on it. You may have heard these methods can smother the tick. Don’t do it. And don’t burn it either. Get a clean pair of tweezers, grasp the tick by its head and take it out. Bits that remain in the skin can cause infection or irritation, so apply some disinfectant and a bandage. There’s no need to worry if you found the tick relatively quickly.
- See your doctor if a tick has been attached for more than 36 hours. Ticks don’t usually transmit disease until this time.
- If you suspect you have tick infestation in or around your home, call Cavanaugh’s Professional Termite and Pest Services right away.
