Tick bites are an occupational hazard for Kerry Leavenworth, a program coordinator at Nature's Classroom..
It’s wonderful to enjoy the outdoors – hiking, camping, picnicking, fishing, visiting the lakes and rivers and parks. It’s not wonderful dealing with bugs. In particular, the sneaky ones that silently descend upon you, your clothing, your kids, or your pets, and can be hard to find until they’re already entrenched. We’re talking about ticks. Those nasty little parasites that, besides having the nerve to dig into our skin, can more concerningly be purveyors of harmful illnesses like Lyme Disease.
Know the risks associated with tick species in your area
At the start of each three-to-five-day field trip, typically for middle school students, the program nurse runs through the basics of tick prevention, Leavenworth said.
Signs around camp show zoomed-in photos of the deer tick, which is known for spreading Lyme disease. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in New Hampshire, where Leavenworth works.
The tick's black legs set it apart from other species, like the brown-legged American dog tick. Leavenworth said she sees more dog ticks than black legged ticks around camp. Although the dog tick is associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the southern US, the disease is very rare in the Northeast, according to surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wear long pants tucked into high socks
Leavenworth said she wears long pants to reduce her risk of tick bites. Kids visiting the outdoor education program are instructed to do the same, especially when they explore deep in the woods.
Ticks thrive in wooded and grassy areas where animals roam, so a host to feed on is never too far away. Many species prefer humid environments that are low to the ground, like decomposing piles of wood or leaves, according to TickTalk.org.
If you're spending an extended amount of time in the woods, Leavenworth also recommends tucking your pants into your socks to protect your ankles. That being said, ticks can latch onto clothing and hitch a ride indoors, so it's important to check for ticks even if you've taken precautions to avoid them.
Check for ticks in your cracks and crevices
After spending so much time outdoors, Leavenworth told Insider that checking for ticks comes naturally. She said she makes sure to do thorough tick checks in the shower, and she's constantly on the lookout for ticks that have made their way indoors.
Ticks like warm, moist areas of the body. Some of the most common body parts where ticks can hide, according to the National Pest Management Association, include:
Backs of the knees
Along the inside of the legs
Around the waist
Under the arms and in armpits
Behind the ears
In and around head hair
If you find a tick on your body, remove it promptly and monitor the area
Ticks may spend several hours exploring the body before they bite, so time is of the essence.
Once a tick has found a soft spot to bite, it will embed its mouth parts, releasing small amounts of saliva to numb the area. The tick's saliva and blood may contain pathogens that can cause disease, according to the CDC.
If the tick is embedded, Leavenworth recommended circling a tick bite to monitor any redness in the area, which could be an early sign of infection.
As more is learned about ticks, mosquitos, and the harmful diseases insects like these can inflict, some new approaches have developed on how to best attack the problem. Effects on our environment and on our own body chemistry from bug sprays, repellents, and insecticides make our choices more complex. New thinking includes ideas like treating our surroundings, our clothing, and even other animals that host these parasites. Here are some great tick repellents to help keep you safe.
This Permethrin insect and tick repellent spray actually bonds to material and can remain effective through six washings or over six weeks, whichever happens first. Just treating your shoes and socks with it, a University of Rhode Island study found, makes it 73 times less likely you will be bit by a tick. It also has proven effective against more than 55 kinds of insects, including mosquitos, spiders, and mites. This is the stuff the military has used for years. And it’s odorless.
Top Pick - Buy: Sawyer Products Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent
No-Bite-Me is a repellent cream made naturally, hand-crafted in small batches, and cut by hand. It’s a repellent, so the aim here is to keep bugs from biting rather than wipe them out. And if you are late to the game, or they somehow make it through, this proprietary blend of essential natural oils – which includes cedar, mint, rosemary, and lemongrass – also serves to alleviate any residual itch.