Sunscreen? ✔ Water bottle? ✔ Tick defense? Let's talk!

Spring and summer bring sunny, blue skies—and an uptick in tick activity. Tick season starts when temperatures remain above freezing—as early as February in mild years—and lasts until November. Ticks thrive in moist wooded areas, tall grass, and brush or leaf piles. Not only are ticks a nuisance, but they can also spread many diseases, including Lyme Disease. So, whether you're hiking one of the many Dane County trails, gardening in your backyard, or playing at your local park, know how to protect yourself and your loved ones from tick bites.

3 easy tips to prevent tick bites

Use repellent on skin and clothing

Use insect repellents on skin and clothing before heading outdoors during tick season. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services(link is external) recommends using repellents with at least one of the following:

• 20–30% DEET
• 10–20% picaridin
• 15–20% IR3535
• 30–40% oil of lemon eucalyptus (not for children under 3 years old)

Parents should apply repellents on children, and everyone should avoid the hands, eyes, and mouth. For clothes and gear, use permethrin, a pesticide that kills ticks when they crawl onto your clothes. Permethrin can last on your clothes/gear for multiple washes, and you should never apply it to your skin. Permethrin can be toxic to cats(link is external) when wet, so make sure to apply it away from your feline friends.

Dress smart

When outside, especially in the areas where ticks thrive, try to wear long sleeves shirts that are tucked into your pants, and long pants that are tucked into socks—you can even tape pant-leg openings for extra protection! Wearing light colored clothing can help you spot ticks easily, too.

Be mindful of your surroundings

• If you’re spending time outdoors, walk in the center of trail paths and avoid tall grass and brushing against vegetation.
• You can also make your yard tick-safe by mowing frequently, removing brush and leaf litter, and keeping areas where kiddos play in sunny areas that are away from woods. You can also create barriers to prevent tick migration—the CDC recommends a 3 foot wide barrier, made of wood chips or gravel, between wooded areas and lawns.
• Finally, try and keep animals and critters that carry ticks out of your yard—that means not feeding deer and removing wood piles that may attract rodents.

If a tick bites you, remove it safely

After being outdoors, shower within two hours to wash off any ticks that may not be attached yet and do a full body check. Make sure you focus on spots where ticks hide—including your armpits, groin, scalp, belly button, and ears. Don’t forget to check your clothes and any furry friends that joined you! Running your clothes in a hot dryer for at least 10 minutes can kill any ticks that remain.

If you happen to find a tick attached to your skin, remove it safely, as soon as possible:

• DO:
  • Use a fine-tipped tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the skin as you can. If you don’t have tweezer, use your fingers protected with tissue paper or rubber/latex gloves.
  • Pull the tick straight out using firm and steady pressure.
• DO NOT:
  • Do not handle ticks with bare hands.
  • Do not use petroleum jelly or heat, as these may cause the tick to burrow deeper and/or release more fluids into your body.
  • Do not squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick, as it may contain infectious fluids.
  • Do not twist the tick, as this can cause the mouthparts to break off and stay in your skin.

After successfully removing the tick, clean the area with alcohol or soap and water. We recommend storing the tick in a sealed baggie in case symptoms(link is external) of tickborne illnesses appear later. Visit your doctor if you have a rash or fever within 30 days of removing a tick or if you’ve been spending time outdoors in high-tick areas (e.g., the woods).

Extra credit: Have a tick kit!

Tick kits have the supplies you need, should you need to remove a tick, including:

• Insect repellent wipes or spray to prevent ticks in the first place
• Fine-tipped tweezers, essential for safe tick removal
• Small sealable bag to store ticks for identification, if needed
• Alcohol swab and bandage to clean and protect bite sites

Or, you can pick up one of our kits at our East Washington (2705 E. Washington Ave., 2nd floor, Madison, WI 53704(link is external)) or Atrium (2300 S. Park St., Suite 2010, Madison, WI 53713(link is external)) offices. The kits are available while supplies last, as of this posting date.

Stay tick-aware all season long

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, we are experiencing a slight increase in tick activity compared to the past few years. To stay aware of tick activity in your area, you can monitor the Wisconsin Tick Bite Tracker(link is external). You can also download the Tick App(link is external) to log any tick encounters and personalized prevention tips.

Don’t be ticked off the rest of the season. With a little planning and the right defenses, you can enjoy everything our County has to offer—tick and worry-free!