Tick bites are nothing to take lightly: Once you pick up a tickborne illness, like Lyme disease, you may end up dealing with a fever, aches and pains, or even a nasty rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In many cases, you may not even realize a tick bit you. Only 30 percent of people with Lyme disease recall a tick bite, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Luckily, there are things you can do to reduce your risk. Keep these six things in mind during your next outdoor excursion.
TICK TIP #1: Steer Clear Of High-Risk Areas
When you’re in a high-risk area, stay away from dead leaves, where ticks love to hide. If you’re hiking, stay on the center of the trail, says Thomas Mather, Ph.D., a professor of public health entomology at the University of Rhode Island.
Just understand that your fear of the critters shouldn’t keep you shacked up inside all summer. Follow these tick-prevention tips and you can complete these 10 amazing hikes bite-free.
TICK TIP #2: Cover Up (or Spray)
TICK TIP #3: Safeguard Your Yard
Mather and two dozen of his neighbors treated their yards with permethrin and found 98 percent less tick infestation compared with untreated yards in the same area.
Another solution is tick tubes. These biodegradable cardboard tubes are filled with permethrin-treated cotton balls, which mice collect to build their nests. Ticks that feed on the mice are then exposed and killed.
Want to keep other bugs at bay, too? Check out how you can keep mosquitos out of your yard.
TICK TIP #4: Put Everything In the Dryer
TICK TIP #5: Inspect Yourself
TICK TIP #6: Wear Tickproof Clothes
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