With over 467,000 Lyme disease cases recorded each year, it is no doubt that tick bites are an issue of concern for most people– especially for those who love to go hiking, camping, foraging, or even playing outdoor in the backyard. Perhaps this post will prove useful if you are preparing for any outdoor event in the wild, and you are worried about how to protect yourself from ticks. In this post, we will share with you 5 tips to protect you from tick bites.
1.Your Clothes Choice Is Important
It is important that you pick the right outfit when going out in the wild. John Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center recommends wearing long sleeves. In addition to that, we recommend that you wear socks and then tuck your trousers into your socks. Doing this makes it difficult for the tick to contact your skin, causing it to fall off.
Another tip when the dressing is to wear white clothes or any color in contrast with brown or black. Doing this makes it easier to identify any tick crawling on your body.
2.Treat Your Dresses With Permethrin
If there is one thing that ticks detest, then it is permethrin. Permethrin is an insecticide that is harmless to humans but detrimental to bugs such as ticks. However, you need to ensure that you treat your clothes with permethrin and have them dry out before you wear your clothes and go out. If allowed to dry, it gets submerged into your clothes, and keeps you safe from bugs for 6 weeks even after washing.
3.Treat Your Skin
In the same way you treat your clothes, it is equally important that you treat your skin and make it unfavorable for ticks to crawl and attach to. One of the best and recommended ways to treat your skin is to use insect repellents; you do not just want to buy any repellent, but you want to buy a repellent that is EPA registered and contains either picaridin or DEET.
Ensure that you have all your skin covered; however, most importantly, ensure that you have insect repellent on vital areas such as your armpit, behind your ears, your neck, and any area of the body that is moist and warm. Also, avoid spraying the insecticide directly on your face; it is recommended to spray it on your hand and then smear it on your face.
You mustn’t forget to treat your pets before taking them out, especially dogs. Dogs are one of the most common hosts for ticks, especially the Brown Dog tick; therefore, if you are going camping with your dog or any pet, you need to protect them.
It is possible for your pet to become infested with ticks while you are out there, and after you return home, the tick will crawl onto you. Even if that doesn’t happen, your pet may suffer from anemia, leading to death. Therefore, you must protect your pets when taking them out with you.
You must check with your veterinarian to ensure that you pick the right insect repellent for your pet before taking them out.
4.Watch Where You Walk
You must be mindful of how you when while out there. You do not want to walk while rubbing your body against plants, woods, and leaves unnecessarily. Walking in the center of the trail will minimize your body’s contact with the plants. This is important because ticks live on plants, woods, and vines, waiting on the next host to attach to. Therefore, the more your body gets in contact with the margins of the forests, the higher the chances of ticks climbing to your skin.
some other tips to keep in mind when walking in the wild include:
- Avoid bushwhacking during tick seasons and also
- Avoid areas with lots of leaf litter and high grass.
- You want to ensure that the areas you explore have wide trails.
5.When You Return
Immediately you return from the trip, there are two things to do:
- According to the CDC, it is recommended that you remove your clothes and place them in the washing dryer for 10 mins.
- Also, we recommend that you reapply the insect repellent and wait for about an hour before getting into the shower.
- Look in the mirror and remove any tick before 36 hours to reduce the risk of infection.
If you notice ticks in your home, pet, or anyone in your family, then do not hesitate to contact us for fast and reliable pest control services.