Do the Tick Check

It’s not the latest dance craze, but summer is the perfect time to do the tick check.

Spotting and removing ticks before they bite is an important step in preventing Lyme disease. A daily tick check after spending time outdoors is the best way to prevent bites.

Lyme disease is spread from blacklegged, or deer, ticks (pictured above). These are smaller (about the size of an apple seed) than the more common American dog tick. The other identifier is a black spot behind the head of a blacklegged tick. (But you should check for both types, because no one wants to deal with a bite.) Here’s why a daily tick check is so important: Ticks can only spread Lyme if they are attached at least 24 hours.

Here are a few tips for staying tick-free all summer:

• Use insect repellent with 20 percent DEET concentration
• Treat or buy clothes, tents and gear with permethrin (but don’t put it on the skin)
• Cover as much skin as possible when heading to places where more ticks are likely to be, such as thick wooded areas
• Remove clothes from your outdoor adventures as soon as you come in (ticks often come in this way)
• Shower and check your body for ticks (particularly in hiding spots such as around hairlines and under arms and knees)
• If you do find a tick on the skin, use tweezers to remove it by grabbing it close to the skin and pulling away from the body

Learn more about Lyme disease, treatment, and prevention from Gear Junkie.