Top Tips for Tick Season
- Abigail Ellsworth, ND, LAc
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
A Guide to Avoiding Tick Bites
As the warmer months approach, so does the opportunity to explore the great outdoors—whether through hiking, camping, or even playing games in your backyard. However, outdoor enthusiasts must remain vigilant of one of the less glamorous aspects of nature: ticks. These small arachnids pose significant health risks, as they are known carry microbes, like Borrelia spp, Rickettsia, Anaplasma, Babesia that can cause Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, respectively. As with all health conditions, prevention is worth its weight in gold, and by taking proper precautions, you can significantly reduce the risk of tick bites, and ultimately contracting these conditions.
Here' are our top tips for tick prevention, removal, and what to do if you get bitten.
1. Wear the Right Clothing
To prevent ticks from attaching to your skin, choose light-colored clothing when venturing into tick-infested areas. Light colors make it easier to spot ticks before they settle in. Opt for long pants tucked into socks or boots to keep ticks on the outside of your clothing. This method is often overlooked, as surveys show that many people skip the pants-to-socks tuck, despite its effectiveness. However, this tactic works best when combined with a tick repellent, as larval and nymphal ticks can sometimes penetrate thick socks.
Avoid wearing sandals or open-toed shoes, as ticks can easily crawl onto exposed feet. Sturdy, closed shoes are your best defense against these pests.
2. Keep to the Center of Trails
When hiking, try to stick to the center of well-cleared trails to minimize contact with vegetation, where ticks often reside. Keeping to the middle allows you to avoid brushing against grass and shrubs, which can be teeming with ticks looking for a host.
3. Inspect Yourself and Your Loved Ones
Ticks can attach to any part of the body, but the good news is they are usually painless, making it easy to miss a tick bite. After spending time outdoors, carefully inspect your body for ticks. Pay close attention to areas such as your scalp, armpits, and groin. Don’t forget to check your children and pets as well!
A hypersensitivity reaction to a tick bite may help some individuals detect the bite, but most won’t realize a tick is attached without a thorough check. If you bring ticks inside on your clothing, they can still pose a threat by attaching later on.
4. Remove and Wash Clothing
After your outdoor adventure, remove your clothing and wash it thoroughly. A hot dryer is key—while ticks can survive a warm or hot water wash, they can’t withstand a full hour in a hot dryer, which effectively kills them. Drying your clothing after washing ensures any lingering ticks are eradicated.
5. Repellents: Your Extra Line of Defense
Insect repellents provide an additional layer of protection. Here are some common tick repellents you can use. NOTE: While we love to recommend natural options whenever we can, there's a time and a place for everything, so if it's a bad tick season, or you won't have access to changes of clothes, showers, opportunity to complete frequent tick checks etc, it may be more preventive to use more chemical grade option for a short period of time. Our recommendation is to personalize your prevention methods to suit your lifestyle.
DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide): A proven and widely used repellent.
IR3535: Effective against ticks and mosquitoes.
Picaridin: Offers protection comparable to DEET.
MGK-326 and MGK-264: Often used in combination with DEET in tick-repellent formulas.
Plant-based oils: Such as lemon eucalyptus, citronella, soybean, and peppermint oils. These are natural alternatives for those who prefer non-chemical options.
Treated Clothing: InsectShield is one brand to consider. The manufacture suggests that the treatment on the clothing lasts for 70 washes.
When using repellent, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for best results and reapply as necessary, especially after sweating or swimming.
6. How to Remove a Tick Safely
If you do find a tick attached to your skin, it’s important to remove it properly to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Follow these steps:
Use fine-tipped tweezers or forceps to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
Pull the tick straight upward with steady, even pressure. This will ensure the tick is removed intact, including its mouthparts.
Commercial tick removal devices are available, but results vary widely. A recent study identified a few tools that work consistently to remove ticks, including the #4 forceps, Original Tick Kit, and Pick-Tick.
7. I Got a Bite—Now What?
Even with your best efforts, you may still end up with a tick bite. If you’re concerned, keep an eye out for symptoms of tick-borne illnesses. The most common symptom of Lyme disease, for example, is the “bull’s-eye” rash, though not everyone experiences this classic sign. Our advice is to watch for:
Redness, swelling, or a rash around the bite site.
Flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue, or muscle aches.
Any unusual swelling or changes to the bite area.
If you notice any of these symptoms within 30 days of a tick bite, or if the tick was engorged, consult with a healthcare professional. In some cases, prophylactic treatment may be recommended, especially in areas with high rates of tick-borne diseases.
NOTE: the common methods of testing for infection immediately following a bite are limited in that our immune system needs to mount a response for bloodwork to pick up the signs. Typically, this can take 4-6 weeks. That said, if you are able to remove the tick, you can sometimes test it for infectious agents. Check with your healthcare provider and your local health department to see what options are available to you.
8. Watch for Secondary Infections
In some cases, a tick bite can result in irritation or a localized reaction. If the tick’s mouthparts are left behind in the skin, this can cause irritation, similar to the discomfort of a splinter. While this is typically not dangerous, it can lead to a mild infection if not properly cleaned. If the site becomes red, swollen, or increasingly painful, it’s best to seek medical attention.
Final Thoughts
Ticks are a fact of life when spending time outdoors, but with these simple prevention tips, you can enjoy nature while minimizing the risks. By wearing the right clothing, using tick repellents, checking yourself and your loved ones, and knowing how to properly remove ticks, you’re taking important steps to stay safe.
And remember, if you do get bitten, stay alert for any signs of illness and don’t hesitate to seek medical help if needed. Prevention is key, but being prepared to respond to a tick bite is just as important.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and enjoy your outdoor adventures!
For more information on Lyme and other Tick Borne Diseases, check out these brochures from the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS)
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