Try to avoid tick-infested areas. Ticks require a humid environment to survive and can be encountered in a variety of settings including yards, fields, woodlands, along woodland trails, as well as in leaf litter and brush piles. They can also be found near old stone walls, woodpiles, tree stumps and fallen logs.
Wear light colored long pants and long sleeved shirts. Tuck pants into socks. By reducing the amount of skin exposed, you will also reduce the number of places a tick can attach. It is easier to spot a tick on light colored clothing.
When engaging in outside activities, you should treat clothing, shoes, and any gear that could end up on the ground with permethrin. Other than complete avoidance of tick-infested areas, this one protective measure will do more good to protect you or your children from tick bites than any other. You may also purchase pre-treated tick repellant clothing.
Make sure to wear tick repellent on exposed skin. You can buy insect repellents with synthetic chemicals such as IR3535, Picaridin, and DEET. Alternatively, if you prefer using natural repellants, you can try essential oils like Lemon Eucalyptus Oil and Cedar Oil.
When returning from the outdoors, you should place any untreated dirty clothes in a re-sealable bag until these clothes can be put in a dryer for 20-30 minutes, which would kill any existing ticks. Sealing up the untreated dirty clothes will prevent any ticks that might be on these items from being transported to clean clothes, bedding and anywhere else.
Conduct daily body checks for ticks following outside activities, as well as at night before going to bed. Remember that some ticks are extremely small (about the size of a poppy seed or the period at the end of a sentence). Ticks like to attach around moist areas of the body, and can often be found between the toes, behind the knees, in the navel and groin areas, armpits, back of neck, skin creases, and in hair.
Shower or bathe after outdoor activities.
