As spring temperatures increase, so does the likelihood of tick bites. During the spring and summer months, pest management professionals encounter ticks as part of their everyday activities both on and off the job. Ticks can carry multiple pathogens that cause disease in humans including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, tularemia, and others. The best way to protect yourself from getting sick is to avoid being bitten in the first place. These simple tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can help reduce the risk of getting bitten by an infected tick.

Avoid areas with a lot of ticks

• Ticks prefer wooded and bushy areas with high grass and a lot of leaf litter. Avoid these areas.
• Take extra precautions in May, June, and July. This is when ticks that transmit Lyme disease are most active.
• If you do enter a tick area, walk in the center of the trail to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush, and leaf litter.

Keep ticks off your skin

• Use insect repellent with 20% - 30% DEET on exposed skin and clothing to prevent tick bites. Effective repellents are found in drug, grocery and discount stores.
• Some repellant products can applied directly to clothing and will stay active for multiple washings. Sporting goods stores often carry these products in the hunting or camping sections.
• Always follow label instructions when using insect repellant.
• Wear long pants, long sleeves, and long socks to keep ticks off your skin. Light-colored clothing will help you spot ticks more easily. Tucking pant legs into socks or boots and tucking shirts into pants help keep ticks on the outside of clothing. If you'll be outside for an extended period of time, tape the area where your pants and socks meet to prevent ticks from crawling under your clothes.

Check your skin and clothes for ticks every day

• Take a shower as soon as you can after coming indoors.
• Remove ticks from your clothes before going indoors. To kill ticks that you may have missed, wash your clothes with hot water and dry them using high heat for at least one hour.

Experts predict this will be a particularly bad season for Lyme Disease. Living in the Capital Region and Adirondacks, most homeowners and business can expect a rodent problem especially during the colder months. Lyme Disease and other tick-born diseases are a constant threat living in the northeast New York. Thomas Pest Services is your rodent removal experts and excited to offer mosquito and tick reduction services in the warmer months.