Tick Tock

It’s that time again- time to start protecting yourself against Lyme disease and its carrier.

” Don’t let a tick make you sick.” That’s good advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is worth heeding- June and July are the months when most people infected with Lyme disease first show symptoms.

If you’re going in the woods, be aware that is lone-star tick and blacklegged tick habitat. Dress properly and check for ticks afterward. Repellant on clothing is probably more successful than repellant on skin. Spray repellant on shoes, socks and pants because the ticks climb on your lower legs. In spite of what you may have heard, ticks do not drop out of trees. And while it might look geeky to tuck your pants inside your socks, it will help prevent the nasty critters from hitching a ride on the hem of your pants. Always a good idea to wear light colored clothes, the better to see the tiny insects that may crawl on you.

The blacklegged tick, also known as the deer tick, can transmit Lyme disease to people, while the lone-star tick can transmit a disease called ehrlichiosis. 90,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year, but the real number is tenfold.

Prevention tips: Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass, fallen branches and piles of leaf litter. Walk in the center of trails when hiking. Find and remove ticks from your body. Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors. Conduct a full-body tick check using a full length mirror and a magnifying glass.

Pets can also carry ticks in their fur, so carefully examine their fur, and especially their ears. Carefully check gear, sleeping bags, tents, etc, after camping. Shake everything out before bringing it inside. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/lyme for more information about Lyme disease.

If you prefer to use an all natural insect repellant instead of Deet, visit the Etsy Store. The Four Thieves Vinegar/Insect Repellant is sold there, and the recipe is posted on the site. The herbs for making the Four Thieves Vinegar/Insect Repellant are always in stock and shipped within 48 hours.

Tick Tock Tip: Carry a role of Scotch Tape in your back pack or fanny pack while out hiking. As long as the ticks are on the surface of your skin or clothes, they can be removed with the tape. Tear off a strip about three inches long, and using the sticky side place it on the tick, lift the tape and fold it over. The tape traps the tick inside for easy disposal, and no handling of the insect !

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HerbsNseeds

~ Meadow Walker