How to Keep Ticks From Biting
These bugs are a growing threat. A few steps can protect you.
Ticks can theoretically be active year-round. But spring is when their activity generally rises and their search for a meal (that’s often you) really begins.
The threat from these tiny arachnids is substantial—and growing. During the past few decades in the U.S., ticks have expanded their range across the country. The forces that have contributed to this tick boom include climate change and the decline of predator species that once kept deer, mice, and other tick hosts in check.
Four Smart Strategies
• Be aware of the tick risk in your area. You don’t have to venture deep into the wilderness to encounter ticks, according to Boyce. They can be found in backyards or city parks, or “on the fringe of a wooded area,” he says. “Certainly any place that you might see deer, there’s a good chance that there are ticks in those areas.” You can check the CDC’s tick distribution page to see where different species of ticks can be found.
• Dress right. When you’re in an area where you could encounter ticks, it’s best to wear closed-toe shoes and long sleeves and pants. Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants. That makes it harder for ticks to reach areas of bare skin. “People often think ticks fall from trees, but they actually crawl up from the ground,” says Holly Gaff, PhD, a professor of biological sciences at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.
• Use effective repellents. To keep ticks from biting, apply insect repellents, such as those that contain deet, to any exposed skin. Gaff also recommends using permethrin, an insecticide that’s not applied to skin but is used to treat clothing and gear. Permethrin will be most effective when used on shoes, socks, and pants, she says, because those will be what ticks come into contact with first. You can buy pretreated clothes from companies such as Insect Shield or you can treat your clothes yourself. If you’re going the DIY route, be sure to buy permethrin formulated as a bug repellent for clothes. For safety, apply it outside (don’t breathe it in) to clothes you’re not currently wearing, keep pets away, and wait until items are completely dry before you wear them.
• Check for ticks. After you go inside, check yourself thoroughly for ticks. Be sure to look in harder-to-see places like under your arms and behind your knees, at your hairline, in and around your ears, at your waist, and between your legs. Taking a shower shortly after you go inside can be a good opportunity to check yourself. It can also wash away any ticks that may be crawling on your skin but that haven’t yet attached themselves.
Keep an Eye Out for Symptoms
You can’t rule out a tick disease just because you’ve never found a tick on you. Many people don’t remember being bitten. Here are three key steps to remember.
• Watch for the early signs. These are usually quite generic: fever, chills, fatigue, headache, and muscle and joint pain.
• Check for rashes. Several tick diseases may also cause some form of rash. A Lyme rash may look like a bull’s-eye or a splotchy area on your skin. But a rash might never appear or appear only late in the course of the disease, as in some cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
• See a doctor quickly. If you develop symptoms and you live in or recently visited an area where ticks are common, call for an appointment. Mention any possible exposures—such as when gardening or walking in the woods or in tall grassy areas—even if you never saw a tick. The earlier you get treatment, the better.
Editor’s Note: A version of this article also appeared in the April 2023 issue of Consumer Reports On Health.
