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Tick season in Plainville Massachusetts
5/27/2020 (Permalink)
Photo: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/d/deer-tick/
In Massachusetts, we might all be familiar with ticks, but are we familiar with the different kinds of ticks?
Let’s start with the basics:
Ticks are small bugs typically found in shady, damp, wooded, and grassy areas. Even in our own yards! Ticks feed off the blood of mammals, birds, and reptiles. Ticks don’t fly or jump, to attach to you or an animal, it needs to come into direct contact. The most common ticks found in Massachusetts are dog ticks and deer ticks (black legged tick)
In our area (Massachusetts) if a certain type of tick bites you, it can spread diseases such as
Preventing tick bites
Ticks are around all year long, but it’s important to take extra precautions during the spring-fall months.
Before going outside during tick season:
Know where ticks will be: grassy, bushy, leafy areas.
Spray any clothing or outside gear before heading out. Treat any gear with a spray containing at least .5% permethrin. This is a pesticide that will kill flies, ticks, and mosquitoes without any harm to you.
Use EPA registered repellents containing DEET.
Coming indoors
Check and be checked for ticks on your clothing. If any are found, remove them as soon as possible. You can tumble dry your clothing on high for 10 minutes to kill any ticks.
Examine any camping or hiking gear.
Check your pets! Checking your pets is just as important as checking yourself and your friends.
According to the CDC “showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and my be effective in reducing the risk of other tick borne diseases.
Ticks can most likely be found:
- Under the arms
- Back of the knees
- In / around the ears
- Between the legs
- Around the waist
Removing a tick
If you find a tick attached to you or your pet, remove it as soon as possible.
- Use fine tipped tweezers to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible
- Pull upward with even pressure. Don’t twist the tick, this may cause the mouth to break and remain in the skin. If you can not remove the mouth, allow the skin to heal over it.
- After removing the tick, clean the bite area as well as your hands with soap and water or rubbing alcohol
- NEVER crush a tick with your fingers.
- To dispose of a live tick, place it in alcohol, in a sealed bag, wrap it tightly in tape, or flush down the toilet.
For more information on ticks, where they live, and more, visit https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html
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