So here we were, in the rain, minding our own business…
Yes, yes; I know. There is no “fun” where ticks are concerned. Frankly, anything that sucks blood out of my body without my permission (which would be denied, by the way) is free to go suck something else. However, I do like to spend lots of time outside, and that means tick exposure. Sometimes it means lots and lots of tick exposure. Apparently ticks like living off the beaten path as much as we do. Go figure.
Here at the House of Twine we try to lessen our exposure to the extent that we can. Times of year when ticks are about as common as blades of grass or rocks on the ground we tend to avoid heavily forested areas and areas of tall grass. Instead we play at local parks, in the mowed parts of our property here at home, and other less wild destinations. But, let’s be honest– sometimes you just want a good creek-romp, which means facing down those nasty little critters.
Too, at our house there’s lots of variety in tick-related sentiment. There’s Mr. T who sees ticks as a minor annoyance. “Oh, look– one hitched a ride on my neck,” he affectionately exclaimed after a recent outing to check on some baby corn plants and explore a creek and its surrounds. He nonchalantly plucked it off, rolled down the window, and tossed it out the window. No worries. There’s Lorelei. I don’t know if she’s made of Permethrin, has some sort of unspoken arrangement with the Tick King in which she helps him and his brethren find (much tastier) me and Ellie in exchange for immunity, or some sort of invisibility armor, but the kid never gets ticks. Stinker. There’s Ellie. And me. Who tick-check like our lives depend on it and shudder with terror every time we feel the slightest tickle or itch.
Because we live on a farm, complete with the requisite derelict buildings, ambient wildlife (read: tick factories), prairie grasses, and fields that stretch to every horizon, tick safety is just part of life. Fortunately, (unfortunately??) there are probably ticks where you live, too. Adaptable bastards. So I’d love to share some of the best information I’ve gathered in this on-going battle. Most of it is common sense, but hopefully you’ll learn some new and useful information as well. At any rate, it can function as a reassurance that you are not alone should you find a tick crawling up your living room wall, creeping on your shoulder, or hitching a ride on one of your pets.
Tip #1: Know who you can trust. Not all websites are created equal. For example, I would trust the CDC over, say, getdattickoffame.com any day of the week. Having accurate and reliable information is key in knowing how to keep yourself and your family safe when it comes to ticks. Doctors, medical websites like that of the Mayo Clinic or CDC, and university extension service pages are informational powerhouses that can teach you what you need to know to lessen your and your family’s risk.
Tip #2: Not all ticks are created equal. Not all ticks are known transmitters for the same diseases. This is one great reason to be aware of the tick species you are likely to encounter, and to save ticks if you find they have attached. University extension programs often have excellent information for their pertinent geographical area. For example, here’s some information from Purdue on Indiana common tick species and their associated risks.
Tip #3: Dress for success. This doesn’t mean a navy blazer or pantsuit; and, men, ticks don’t care about the size of your cufflinks. This means 1) wear light colored clothing to increase the chance that you will see a tick before it finds your tender, waiting skin, and 2) tuck, tuck, tuck. Yes, I know you will look like a fashion disaster straight out of the 80s, but tuck pants into socks, shirt into pants, and keep it all of the long variety. If it was good enough for MC Hammer, it’s good enough for you. You are creating a fortress and minimizing handy-dandy tick entrances.
Tip #4: Send them down the drain. What you do when you come home from your outdoor sojourn makes a big difference. At our house we change out of our clothes as soon as we get in. We then take those clothes and hang them on hooks in the garage right outside the door. This helps make sure that any buddies who may have hitched a ride continue their happy life in the great outdoors and don’t come crawling on us when they get the munchies. Then we get in the shower. Mr. T is so tick-zen that he often skips this step, but you had better believe that the girls and I hop in the shower without missing a beat. I take a quick look in the mirror before getting in to check any areas that I can’t see without help. In the shower I rinse all over, also using my fingers to feel for any irregularities that could be a tick. I feel the entirety of my scalp. I do the same for Ellie and Lorelei. Ticks like warm, dark places, so we are sure to check belly buttons, ears, hair, armpits, and inner thighs with extra care. Then, assuming the dryer is free, we pop our clothes in for a dry on hot. The longer the better, honestly; though I’ve read varying accounts of how long it takes to neutralize the enemy with heat. CDC says an hour. I trust them.
Tip #5: No Tick Left Behind: casually check likely spots for ticks daily. Even if you have only spent time in a low-tick area, or spent the whole day indoors. The longer a tick remains attached, the more likely it is to transmit whatever nasties it is carrying to you. I like to check the girls and myself (again, casually: I don’t want Ellie scarred for life or anything) before bed each night. If you find a tick that has attached, slow is best. You want to remove the mouth parts and not injure the tick as you are pulling her out. We have something called a tick key that is pretty handy and can fit on a key ring. We keep ours in the car in a bag with other supplies like first aid ointment and band-aids so it is always handy. Tweezers can also be effective. After the tick is out, wash and apply antiseptic to the area. You can circle the area with a pen, or just remember where it was in case a rash or any other signs of infection 0ccur in the days following the bite. If you notice anything unusual at the site, or start to feel ill in the days following, make sure to see a doctor. And bring along your little friend– it can help them pinpoint what might be wrong and provide important information about the spread of disease.
Tip #6: Don’t freak out. Ticks are unpleasant, but don’t let them stop you from getting out and enjoying nature. Here’s to many great adventures this tick season– people only.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
Your pictures are STUNNING!! I think I can stare at this one all day. E’s smile is so sweet!! I know this has nothing to do with your post (crossing my fingers we never encounter a tick problem), but just had to tell you how much I love your pics, and have been missing your posts so much!
pomelo / 5678 posts
Oh ticks, how I know you so well! Thanks for the good reminders!
kiwi / 566 posts
Thank you for this! Our apartment is on a wooded area, near a swamp and a pond, and we love going for walks in it but we’ve already encountered like 10 ticks in the last MONTH–super-stressful when we have a 4 month old! Luckily the only tick I’ve seen on her was on her dress and we caught it right away, but it’s easy to freak out (so I’m glad your #6 was to avoid it!). These tips are great–we already check for ticks daily and especially after walks in those swampy areas!
pear / 1571 posts
GAH! And now I have the tick creepy-crawlies!
blogger / pomegranate / 3491 posts
This gives me the creepy crawlies… But we live so far from anything remotely tick friendly that I am thankful not to have to worry. And I agree about. Your beautiful pics and your fabulous writing – happy to see a post from you!
apricot / 377 posts
Thanks for these tips. We travel to the Adirondacks in upstate New York for summertime fun and could really use these tips. I got a tick when I was pregnant and totally freaked out. It was fine, but still. BTW Your location is gorgeous! What state are you in?
eggplant / 11408 posts
Dude, this year is BAD for ticks! I’ve only ever pulled one off of my dog before three weeks ago, and in the last three weeks, I’ve pulled off FOUR, including TWO last night alone. Gah, it makes my skin crawl, especially because some seem to have come from the bushes outside of my apartment building!!!!! Thanks for the reminder that it’s not the end of the world, even when I have the urge to bleach everything that my sweet pup has touched, including me!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
hahaha this post totally made my laugh out loud. i love your writing.
I grew up somewhat rurally too, my parents had 5 acres and ticks were such a big part of our life! lol. We got them all the time, honestly, and they were never a big deal to us! We also used to put the ticks we found in an ash tray and set them on fire. Regular pyromaniac over here
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
You totally had me guffawing out loud!!! We just moved to the woods, basically, with ponds and plenty of animal life all around us. I’ve seen many a deer in my headlights with that classic deer-in-the-headlights look! So yes, we have many ticks, and unfortunately recently we found an engorged tick on my little 6 pound dog. She started limping a few days later and lo and behold, she had lyme disease
she’s still on antibiotics now (30 days!!) but thankfully she is feeling better. Now we do TICK CHECK every time we come inside for everyone (TICKCHECKTICKCHECKTICKCHECK…. that’s literally what we say as we go over everyone’s bodies…) and even though it’s annoying, it’s become a part of life. The dogs now have Seresto collars and we also spray the yard about once a month to kill those little bastards… although I’m afraid they will become immune and stronger… ughhhhh
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
Beautiful photo!
And thanks for the tick tips!
blogger / nectarine / 2608 posts
@Mrs. High Heels: Mr. T got me a point-and-shoot for my birthday! It is amazing. So far no one has had any idea that I didn’t use my “good” camera for some of these new pictures. I’m completely sold.
@ILoveLettie: Aw. Easy to freak out, but you’re okay. At least most 4-month-olds are skimpy in the hair department and can’t run away from you, which helps. A lot. Hopefully populations in your area will start to die down some. We notice a huge decrease by late June/July.
@FarmWifeGina: You’re welcome?
@Mrs. Confetti: Um… we’ll just hang out at your house during high tick season. ‘Kay?
@MrsMed: We are in MN. Mr. T keeps joking about starting an agri-tourism business. It really is kinda awesome most of the time. I love all the water. We actually have our very own pond!
@LovelyPlum: Good tick control for pets is really helpful. We actually discovered that there is an oral flea/tick preventative and started our indoor dog on that as a test before we converted all three. The topical was a little scary with kids that pet the dog and snuggle him lots (and then touch their faces and mouths), and this was so easy and didn’t have no-coverage zones.
@Mrs. Pen: Wow! I know I had a few growing up. Bet I had lots more than I ever realized because we never checked for them and I spent I don’t know how many hours in the woods. I do often wish I was a little more zen about it like Mr. T. At the end of the day, the disease risk is a serious thing. But… you can be ultra-careful and still get one on you, and we love outside too much to not try to find ways to deal with it.
@mrs. wagon: You spray? You’ll have to tell me about it sometime. Part of me feels like we already spray enough insecticide considering the farm, but… the killing of ticks, even in theory, creates much joy in my heart. Your home sounds lovely! Glad your dog is doing better, but I’m sure there’s a renewed purpose and urgency in those tick checks.
blogger / persimmon / 1398 posts
Oh my goodness… FABULOUS post on this subject! You had me laughing while making some very important points. We live in tick country too, and I thought I was tick savvy… but I learned several things! Thank you!!
Also… that photo?! Gasp!!! LOVELY!!!
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
GAH I just pulled one off of me tonight How fitting. Im going to the Dr tomorrow as Lyme is big in my area I also know of a tick testing place locally so Ill be making a visit there soon too Ugh I never had one before now Im afraid to sleep
clementine / 849 posts
DH nearly died from a tick bite in grade school – we don’t mess around with them. He managed to get mono, ehrlichiosis, and spinal meningitis. One 4 week hospital stay, 107 degree fever, being packed in ice later…we don’t go camping if we can help it.
But we still enjoy the outdoors. It’s easy to check for ticks after a hike or walk or working in the yard, and we do it regularly. Just because there are nasties and creepy crawlies outdoors doesn’t mean we can be hermits!