Tick Prevention

1. Get to know what you're looking for
2. Blacklegged ticks are small and can be hard to see. They can range in size depending on how long they have been feeding. (1)
3. Blacklegged ticks are spreading to new areas of the province because of climate change. It is possible to find an infected tick almost anywhere in Ontario. (1)
4. Wear appropriate clothing
5. Opt for light-coloured clothing, so it’s easier to see ticks. (1)
6. Wear closed-toe shoes, long-sleeved shirts and pants with tightly woven fabric (denim, cotton, nylon, etc.); tuck your shirt into your pants and your pant legs into your socks. (2)
7. Check yourself
8. After being outdoors, check for ticks on yourself, your children, and pets. Look: behind your knees, on your head/hairline, in your belly button, in your groin area, in your underarm area, and on the back of your body (use a mirror, or ask someone to check for you). (1)
9. Shower or bathe as soon as possible/within two hours to wash away loose ticks. (2)
10. Wash clothing and supplies
11. Kill any ticks that might be on your clothing by drying clothes on high heat for at least 10 minutes before washing them. (1)
12. Maintain a tick-proof property
13. You can help keep blacklegged ticks away from your property by keeping high-traffic area grass mowed short, opting for drought-tolerant plants, avoiding irrigation, and trimming bushes to let in sunlight (ticks avoid hot, dry locations). If you're next to a wooded area or tall grasses, create a border of gravel or woodchips one metre or wider around your yard. (1)
14. Focus on limiting the suitable environment for ticks to inhabit on your property and limiting incursions by their host carriers (deer, rodents, racoon, birds). Ticks are always at risk of desiccation (drying out), so the easiest means of keeping them away is limiting/removing moist, cool areas on the property. Check out Landscaping for Tick Resistance for detailed descriptions on maintaining a a tick-proof property. (3)
15. Learn how to remove a tick
16. Use fine-tip tweezers to grasp the tick’s head and mouth parts as close to your skin as possible. Slowly pull straight out until the tick is removed. Be careful not to twist or crush the tick during removal. (If this occurs, the risk of infection is not increased. Keeping the tick intact will help in the identification of the tick.) After removing the tick, use soap and water to wash the area of the bite. (2)

Sources

(1) Lyme Disease by the Government of Ontario

(2) How can I prevent tick bites? by Halton Region

(3) Landscaping for Tick Resistance by Pamela Baltzer