• Avoid direct contact with ticks. Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter and walk in the center of trails. 

• Use a repellent containing DEET. Repellents with DEET can be applied to exposed skin to help repel ticks. Follow the label instructions.  (**Consumer Reports has also identified Repel with lemon eucalyptus or Sawyer with 20% picaridin as acceptable repellents.)

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• Wear long, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants so ticks don't have easy access to your skin. It's easier to see ticks when they are crawling on light-colored clothes.

• Use permethrin on clothing. Permethrin kills ticks and there are formulations to treat your clothes sold at sporting goods stores. Follow the instructions on the label.  (Pre-treated clothing is available and is effective through 70 washes. See www.bugbewear.com)  NOTE: Permethrin-treated clothing is far more effective than just repellents on skin.  L.L. Bean has a fabulous line of permethrin-treated clothing (tough to find, but it's there).

• Check for ticks. While outside, take breaks to check yourself for ticks. Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that are crawling on you. Do a thorough check at the end of the day; use a mirror or have someone help you check the hard-to-see places on your body.

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• ​Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine animals, coats and backpacks. Dry clothes on high for 30 min BEFORE washing to kill any ticks you may not see. 

Kathy Meyer
Governor’s Task Force on Lyme Disease in VA 2010-13
Parents of Children with Lyme Support Network for DC Metro Area
Email: klizm@aol.com