Five Common Mistakes People Make When Checking for Ticks

As tick populations increase (thanks to climate change) and tick-borne diseases like Lyme become more widespread, tick checks have become routine for many of us. But do you really know what “checking yourself for ticks” means? There is a good chance that you will miss some important parts of the process.

You only need tick control when you are in the woods

Are you conscientious in controlling ticks when camping, but only when you go camping? Ticks live in many places other than the woods, and most areas of the United States are home to at least one species of tick. Check out these tick maps from the CDC to find out if they’re in your area and what species of ticks to look for. Dog ticks are found almost everywhere. Some tick species are only found in the eastern half of the country, while Rocky Mountain ticks and Western blacklegged ticks are usually found in the West.

Ticks live in grassy, ​​brushy and wooded areas, notes the CDC. Growing up in Pennsylvania, I always thought of woods and farm fields as places where you get ticks. But years later, I now know that there are ticks in my own backyard, as well as in parks and other places that don’t fit the stereotype I had in mind. I will do a tick check any time I have spent time near tall grass, dead leaves, woods, or brush, which includes just about anywhere I go in the summer. Also remember to check your children for ticks.

Skip the shower

If you view “tick control” as an isolated task, it’s easy to forget about it. But if you make sure to shower after being outside, it gives you an opportunity to do a thorough check while you undress and will potentially allow you to remove ticks even if your check wasn’t as thorough (or if you forgot to do it altogether). The CDC points out that taking a shower within two hours of returning from an outdoor outing has been shown to reduce the chances of contracting Lyme disease and likely also reduces the risks of other tick-borne illnesses.

Ticks crawl around for a few hours before finding a place to attach themselves. So there’s a good chance that unattached ticks will disappear while showering, whether you see them or not. As a bonus, you Also You have several hours to remove the oils from poison ivy before it triggers a rash. A shower is always on my to-do list after returning from a trail run. The other benefit of showering after you get home is that it gives you the chance to get naked – and that’s when the real tick control begins.

Missing critical areas of your body

The first place I always check is my lower legs. Ticks must stay close to the ground while waiting for a person to pass by, to avoid finding them climbing trees and falling from above: this is a myth. They cool on the ground, then climb up a grass stem. If they have not found a victim, they will return to the ground to rehydrate a little. This means they will usually hit your lower legs first, so if you just When you return from your hike, immediately check your ankles, shins and knees.

Over the next few hours they will rise. It is not uncommon to find ticks on the upper body, or even in the hair, if they have had time to climb. So check out these harder-to-see places, which I’ll list from bottom to top:

A mirror or partner can help you see these distant places. If you have children, supervise them while you help them get ready for a shower or change their diaper.

Not knowing what you’re looking for

Research the species of ticks that live in your area and make sure you know their size and appearance. Ticks grow during their life cycle, with the smallest being about the size of a poppy seed. Adult ticks can be the size of a sesame seed or the size of a kernel of corn, depending on the species and whether they have been feeding.

Before ticks attach, they crawl around and you might mistake them for other types of bugs (and vice versa). There are many small insects you can catch from outside that are not ticks. If you want to guess if the little guy you found is a tick, check the number of legs. Ticks are arachnids, so they have eight legs.

You may find a checkmark attached during your check or, if you’re unlucky, the day after your check. should have written your check. An attached tick usually doesn’t hurt. You may notice a small scab or mole where there wasn’t one before, and when you look closer you discover that it has legs. Uh. Go get the tweezers or your handy tick removal device. (I’m partial to the TickKey.)

Once a tick has finished feeding, it falls off. If you have a pet dog and you are not following their flea and tick medications, you may sometimes find what looks like a gray or green kernel of corn in the dog’s bed. It is what it is. A tick that is not attached to you generally does not pose a health risk if you find it in your home; there is a good chance it will dry out and die. But to be safe, you can wash your clothes or bedding in hot water and/or put them in the dryer on high. Next time, keep your pet up to date on anti-tick medications and perform these tick checks on everyone when you get home.

Not knowing what to do when you find a tick

If you find a tick crawling on you, it’s simple: wash it, brush it off (if you’re outside), or crush it and throw it in the trash. But what happens if you find one already attached? This is when you need to know the correct way to remove a tick.

Forget burning matches, soap or alcohol: you don’t want to do anything that causes the tick to release itself, as it will vomit its stomach contents into your bloodstream, increasing your risk of catching a tick-borne disease. Instead, remove the tick from your skin with fine-tipped tweezers or with a specialized device like a TickKey or Tick Twister. I keep a TickKey in my bathroom at home and take another with me when I travel. You slide the little keyhole slit over the tick and pull, which even most squeamish people can probably manage.