Tick Season Is Here- Simple Facts To Remember

Rain is falling, the temperatures are rising, and grass is growing. What do all these things have in common? It’s tick season! They are most active from April through July. What can we do about them? Here is some helpful information.

What Does A Tick Look Like?

Ticks are very small, often the size of a sesame seed. They are far less than 1/2 inch long.

Where Are Ticks Found?

Ticks are found in grassy, bushy, or wooded areas. They are also found on animals. Often, they wait on the edge os a leaf or branch to drop down on a host. Ticks do not fly, not do they jump. Locally, ticks are found all across the state of Missouri.

Preventing Tick Bites

Avoid walking in high grass. ^[1]This also applies to your yard. Maintaining a mowed lawn discourages wildlife and ticks from entering your yard. When you do go out, wear light colored clothing. This helps you spot them sooner to remove them. Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants. Wear insect repellent, too. Discourage rodent activity near your home by removing brush and wood piles. Widen your woodland trails. Check your pets for ticks when they come back into the home.

Several of these suggestions are especially useful in the spring. Among them are clearing brush and mowing the lawn around the house. Fast growing spring grass, especially in livestock fields, do gather wildlife and the ticks bearing them. We also wear lighter colored clothing in spring. It is possible to encounter a patch of seed ticks, which are so small and so fast. Duck tape works well to remove these wandering pests.

Showering within two hours of coming indoors helps your body free itself of roaming ticks. It’s hard to beat the smell of clean laundry hung on a clothesline, but a hot dryer for at least 10 minutes does kill ticks.

Tick Bites

In spite of the best preparation, tick bites can still happen when venturing outdoors or coming indoors. Be calm when this happens. Remove the tick with tweezers while pinching it as close to your skin as possible. Wash and disinfect the bite area. Click here for hints from the Missouri Department of Conservation. If you have lingering issues or aches, contact your healthcare provider.

The spring season calls for being aware of wildlife and pests near our homes.