If you find yourself frequently encountering ticks, there are a few key reasons why this may be happening:
You Are in an Area with a High Tick Population
Ticks live in wooded, bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. If you live, work, or spend time in regions with these conditions, you are more likely to come across ticks. Areas with high tick populations include:
- Woodlands
- Forests
- Parks and recreational areas
- Fields and meadows
- Brush and overgrown vegetation
Ticks are most active during spring, summer, and fall when the weather is warm and humid. But you can find ticks searching for hosts to bite even in winter in regions where the temperature doesn’t drop too low. If you spend a lot of time outdoors in tick-friendly zones during tick season, your risk goes up.
You Are Not Using Precautions
There are several steps you can take to lower your chances of picking up ticks:
- Wear light-colored clothing: This makes ticks easier to spot.
- Tuck pants into socks: This creates a barrier to keep ticks off your skin.
- Use insect repellent: Look for EPA-registered repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
- Treat clothing and gear: Treat items with permethrin for extra protection.
- Stay on trails: Avoid dense vegetation where ticks wait for hosts.
- Bathe or shower: Wash off any crawling ticks.
- Do tick checks: Carefully check your body and clothing for any attached ticks.
If you do not take any preventive measures, you are more likely to pick up ticks when you are in environments where they live.
Pets That Go Outdoors
Dogs and outdoor cats can pick up ticks in yards or outdoor spaces. These ticks can then hitch a ride indoors and transfer to human hosts. Checking pets daily and using vet-recommended tick prevention products can lower the chances of this happening.
Your Yard or Property Has Tick Habitats
Ticks can thrive right in your own backyard if conditions are right. Sections with woodpiles, deep leaf litter, overgrown plants and shrubs, tall grass or brush provide ideal tick habitat. If your property borders wooded or natural areas, ticks can migrate from those locations into your yard.
You can make your yard less tick-friendly by:
- Keeping the lawn mowed
- Clearing away leaf litter
- Removing piles of wood and debris
- Pruning overgrown vegetation
- Installing a 3-foot wide woodchip, gravel, or mulch barrier between lawns and wooded edges
- Stacking woodpiles neatly and elevating them to reduce humidity underneath
This removes moist, shaded areas where ticks can thrive.
You Are Not Performing Proper Tick Removal
If a tick latches on to your skin, it’s important to remove it properly to lower infection risk:
- Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick close to your skin.
- Pull straight up slowly and firmly until the tick lets go.
- Avoid crushing the tick’s body. Do not twist or jerk the tick.
- Do not use petroleum jelly, hot matches, nail polish, or other home remedies.
- Thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water.
- Apply an antiseptic to the bite site.
Incorrect tick removal can leave mouthparts embedded in your skin, raising infection risk. Always use tweezers and grab close to the skin to avoid this.
Infection Symptoms Are Not Caught Quickly
Ticks can transmit diseases like Lyme disease during feeding. Symptoms include:
- Expanding rash at the bite site
- Flu-like symptoms
- Joint and muscle aches
- Fatigue and headaches
- Fever and chills
If tickborne illness symptoms are not recognized and treated quickly, the infection may persist and raise your risk of encountering more infected ticks in the future.
Conclusion
Frequently finding ticks on your body likely means you are spending time in tick-prone areas during active seasons. You can reduce your risk by using preventive measures, controlling ticks on your property, performing proper tick removal, and promptly treating any possible infections. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about tick exposure or tickborne disease testing.
Tick Prevention Tips
| Prevention Tips | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Wear light-colored clothing | Makes ticks easier to spot |
| Tuck pant legs into socks | Creates a barrier to keep ticks off skin |
| Use EPA-approved insect repellent | Chemicals repel and deter tick bites |
| Treat clothing and gear with permethrin | Kills and repels ticks on contact |
| Stay on trails when hiking | Avoids tick habitat in vegetation |
| Bathe or shower after being outdoors | Removes any crawling ticks |
| Check your body for ticks | Find and remove any attached ticks |
Taking preventive measures like these whenever you are in tick areas can greatly reduce your risk of tick bites. Be especially vigilant during spring, summer, and fall when tick activity peaks.
Diseases Transmitted By Ticks
Ticks are capable of spreading a variety of bacterial, viral, and protozoan diseases. Some of the most common tickborne diseases in the United States include:
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. It is transmitted by blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks. Early symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a characteristic bull’s eye skin rash.
Anaplasmosis
This bacterial disease is spread by blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Ehrlichiosis
Ehrlichia bacteria is carried by lone star ticks, blacklegged ticks, and American dog ticks. Flu-like symptoms appear 1-2 weeks after a tick bite.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
American dog ticks, brown dog ticks, and lone star ticks can transmit this bacterial infection. High fever, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, and rash develop.
Babesiosis
A protozoan infection spread by blacklegged ticks. Look for flu-like symptoms, sweating, nausea, fatigue, dark urine.
Tularemia
Also called rabbit fever, this bacterial disease is carried by dog ticks, wood ticks, and lone star ticks. Sudden fever, chills, headaches, diarrhea.
Colorado Tick Fever
A viral disease from Rocky Mountain wood ticks. Causes high fever, headache, muscle pains, weakness, and lethargy.
Protecting yourself from tick bites can significantly lower your risk of contracting these and other tick-related illnesses. Speak with your doctor right away if you develop any concerning symptoms after a tick bite.
Signs of Tickborne Illness
If you have possibly been exposed to a disease-carrying tick, watch for these common symptoms of infection:
- Sudden high fever
- Chills
- Body aches and pains
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Joint swelling or pain
- Muscle pain
- Dizziness
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Cough
- Confusion
- Rash (especially a bull’s eye rash)
Flu-like symptoms emerging within 1-2 weeks following a tick bite could signal diseases like Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, or babesiosis. Seek medical care promptly for assessment and treatment.
Removing an Attached Tick
If you find a tick attached to your skin, follow these steps for safe removal:
- Use fine-tipped tweezers and grasp the tick close to the skin surface.
- Pull upward slowly and steadily with even pressure. Avoid twisting or crushing the tick.
- Once the tick releases its bite, clean the area thoroughly with soap and water.
- Swab the bite with antiseptic to prevent infection.
- Do not handle the tick with bare hands. Dispose of it by submersing it in alcohol or flushing it down the toilet.
- Note the date and where on your body the tick was attached. Monitor for symptoms.
Prompt, proper tick removal lowers your risk of contracting a tickborne illness. See your doctor if you cannot remove the entire tick or if you develop concerning symptoms.
Protecting Your Yard From Ticks
You can make your yard and landscaping less hospitable to ticks through these methods:
- Keep grass cut short
- Remove leaf litter and clear tall weeds or brush
- Stack woodpiles neatly off the ground
- Prune low-hanging tree branches
- Mow, weed, and rake border areas between lawn and woods
- Put 3-foot wide mulch or gravel borders between lawns and wooded edges
- Discourage rodents by removing food sources, debris, and vegetation
- Treat property and pets with tick prevention products
Reducing humidity, removing overgrown vegetation, and creating borders between tick zones makes yards less favorable for ticks. Talk to your local landscaper for more tips.
Performing Tick Checks
Checking your body for ticks after being outdoors helps you find and remove them before they can transmit diseases. Follow these tips for tick checks:
- Inspect all parts of your body carefully after returning inside, especially the groin, armpits, and scalp.
- Look for new freckles or specks, which may be ticks.
- Pay close attention to areas where clothes fit snugly.
- Feel for bumps or lumps on the skin that may be attached ticks.
- Take a shower within 2 hours of coming back inside to wash off loose ticks.
- Put clothes in a hot dryer to kill any remaining ticks.
- Ask someone to check areas you can’t easily see, like your back.
Conduct thorough tick checks after walking through tick habitats like woods, brush, or leaf litter. Finding and removing ticks quickly can prevent transmission of tickborne diseases.