Tick season 2023: How to protect yourself against tick-borne illnesses
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Tick season is about to be in full swing, which means it’s time to start preparing for ways to protect yourself against tick bites and tick-borne illnesses.
The disease-spreading parasites cause thousands of illnesses in New York each year, and the state Health Department recently warned of greater tick activity as the weather gets warmer. Ticks thrive as temperatures and humidity increase, but bites can occur any time their environment is above freezing.
Despite the warmer-than-normal winter, a tick expert recently told the Advance/SILive.com that the severity of winter weather doesn’t help to predict what the ultimate tick season will look like.
May is often the worst month of the tick season, but each species has its own life stages, according to Dr. Thomas Mather, a professor of public health entomology and director of the TickEncounter Resource Center at the University of Rhode Island.
A tick to always watch out for are the blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, which spread diseases like Lyme disease, babesiosis and powassan virus.
Researchers from Columbia University sweep for ticks on Staten Island in the Lighthouse Hill area. Shown here is a lone star tick found in a home's backyard. June 2, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson)
These tick-borne illnesses are transmitted by the bite of an infected tick. The chances of being bitten by a tick are greater during times when ticks are most active, like spring and summer, and even into the fall. People who work outdoors or engage in outdoor activities like camping, hiking, gardening, sports, or playing in grassy and wooded environments, are at an increased risk of exposure.
Ticks can’t fly or jump, so instead, they wait for a host by resting on the tips of grasses and shrubs in a position known as “questing,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While questing, ticks hold onto leaves and grass by their lower legs. They hold their upper legs outstretched waiting to climb on a passing host. When a host brushes the spot where a tick is waiting, it finds a suitable place to bite.
CHECK FOR TICKS
If you’re planning to go outdoors in the warmer weather, it’s important to check for ticks. Conduct a tick-check of the entire body within 12 to 24 hours of outdoor activities. The CDC recommends parents check their children for ticks under the arms, in and around ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist and especially in their hair.
Tick bites are fairly easy to diagnose because the tick attaches itself to the site of the bite in order to feed on blood in the vast majority of cases.
If you notice a tick on you or your child, your first instinct may be to grab it quickly to get rid of it. But experts warn that could put you at risk. The TickEncounter Resource Center at the University of Rhode Island research shows one method is consistently reliable and safe.
It involves removing the tick with pointy tweezers, allowing a person to get rid of even the smallest of ticks. Stay away from flat tweezers that can squeeze the tick — as this could release the insect’s potential sack of germs.
After removing the tick, the CDC recommends thoroughly cleaning the bite area and your hand with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub or soap and water.
Watch for symptoms, such as fever/chills, vomiting, aches and pains and rashes over the next few days. Fever is a common symptom of all tick-borne diseases. Common aches and pains with tick-borne diseases include headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.
TIPS TO PROTECT AGAINST TICKS
Here are some tips to protect you and your family against ticks:
- Wear long sleeves and pants when spending time in and around long grass. Tuck pant legs into socks.
- Wear white or light-colored clothing so it’s easier to spot ticks.
- Shower shortly after returning from the outdoors.
- Ticks can enter the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later. The CDC suggests examining pets, coats, and day packs.
- Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. Damp clothing may need additional time.
The CDC recommends using an insect repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET or picaridin on exposed skin. Use products that contain permethrin on clothing. Insect repellents with one of three active ingredients — DEET, oil of lemon eucalyptus and picaridin — were found to be effective by Consumer Reports’ Best Insect Repellent Buying Guide.
There are also ways to keep your yard tick free, like keeping a neat woodpile and mowing your lawn.
