As summer rolls through the North Country, people are spending more time outside in nature. We are not the only travelers in the outdoors, with tick season already in full swing. Ticks are parasitic arachnids that tend to hang around cool, shady areas, clinging to low shrubs, leaf litter, or grasses. They use these ground-level covers to latch onto prey easily as they brush by. Their diet consists of blood meals from their hosts, slowly consuming for three days to a week after burrowing their mouthparts through the skin. The most common varieties include the black-legged tick/deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), the American dog tick/wood tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum).
Tick prevention: how to minimize interaction and maximize detection
Ticks are vectors of many pathogens, and are more likely to transmit them if feeding for more than 24-48 hours. With a dozen potentially transmitted diseases, they spread more types of pathogens to people from animals than any other creature. Many of these diseases are incredibly rare and all have under a 1% fatality rate if treated with modern antibiotics. The most common tick-related illness in the Northeast is Lyme disease, which is only present in black-legged ticks. The Thangamani Lab in Syracuse, NY reports that 38% of tested ticks submitted from St. Lawrence County carried at least one pathogen, with Lyme disease being the most common. The prevalence of Lyme disease has increased over the years due to booms in host deer populations, climate change shifting habitat zones, and human-related activities and development encroaching on natural areas.
While ticks seem to prefer areas with long grasses or dense woods, up to 75% of tick bites occur in our own backyards and particularly affect those who spend time in gardens and yards. The unmaintained edge between woodland or brush and your lawn, called the ecotone, is actually one of the most common points of contact humans have with tick populations, while ornamental vegetation and lawns have the lowest number of ticks. If your home borders heavy vegetation, taking steps to prevent bites is particularly important.
Preventing tick bites and Lyme disease:
- Wear light-colored, long pants tucked into your socks and a light-colored shirt tucked into your pants. These steps make it easier to see and remove ticks before they attach.
- Use an insect repellent containing 20% to 30% DEET (10% for children). See the product label for specific application methods and DEET concentration.
- Keep wood piles away from the home. Remove leaf litter to destroy potential habitats and create barriers that are inhospitable to ticks between wood chips and wood piles and patios, gardens, and play areas.
A daily tick check is a must in tick country and prompt removal can prevent disease
Always be diligent in checking yourself and children each day. Taking a shower can also wash away any unattached ticks and creates an opportunity for a thorough body check.
I found a tick on me… What happens next?
Finding a biting tick can set off a real panic, but these little critters are usually easy to remove if the tick hasn’t been biting long, and transmission is very low if the tick is removed within the first 24 hours. This video by the New York State Department of Health is an excellent resource to view how to remove ticks effectively and quickly if they become embedded within your skin. Never use Vaseline, nail polish remover, peppermint oil, or any kind of “home remedy.” Agitating them without cleanly pulling them out in a single motion can cause them to regurgitate infective fluids into their host. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) also has very thorough guidelines for removing ticks safely:
Removing a tick:
- Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
- After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Never crush a tick with your fingers. If you don’t intend to have a tick tested for pathogens, dispose of it by putting it in alcohol, wrapping it tightly in tape, or wrapping it in toilet paper and flushing it down the toilet. If you do intend to have it tested, seal it in a plastic bag with a damp piece of paper towel (more on testing below).
Sending a tick in for testing:
Upstate Medical University’s Tick Testing Laboratory (also known as the Thangamani Lab) can provide additional information about exposure. The lab focuses on collecting data and tracking the prevalence of 12 tick-borne diseases geographically. You can send in a tick you found by mail, and receive a report including species, life stage, and pathogens detected. First use their online submission form to answer a few questions about the tick, then write the form number on the bagged sample you send in. [See an example of test results below.]
Even if the tick is carrying a pathogen, it is not always passed on to the host, but one should seek medical advice to ensure adequate care. Monitoring for symptoms is crucial during this time.
Monitoring for symptoms (adapted from CDC):
Many tick-borne diseases can have similar signs and symptoms. If you get a tick bite and develop the symptoms below within a few weeks, see your healthcare provider. Be prepared to tell them where the bite occurred, what date, location, and potentially what type of tick if you are able to identify it. The most common symptoms of tick-related illnesses include:
- Fever/chills. All tick-borne diseases can cause fever.
- Aches and pains. Tick-borne diseases can cause headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. People with Lyme disease may also have joint pain.
- Rashes or reddened bullseye marking around tick bites.
A “bull’s eye” rash can occur at the bite or elsewhere on the body
Doxycycline is an antibiotic used to treat Lyme disease and anaplasmosis after exposure and most cases are cured within 2-3 weeks if caught early. If left untreated, the bacteria can spread within the body and cause nervous system problems and arthritis.
Ticks are part of our everyday environment and facing them can feel overwhelming due to their small size, their seeming omnipresence, and the many diseases they can spread, but taking a multifaceted approach using all the tools we have available gives us pretty good odds for preventing illness. Enjoy your summer outdoors, take that nature walk in the woods, and keep planting your backyard garden!
Alex Hansson is a resident of Redwood, NY and a recent graduate of St. Lawrence University majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Biology, Public Health, and Government. They are CCE’s Public Interest Corps Garden-to-Table Intern helping with our Master Food Preserver, Farm Day Camp, and Master Gardener programs. They are passionate about horticulture, community engagement, and bringing people together through local foods and nutritional stability, making them excited to work with Extension for the summer!
