Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Know Before You Go: Ticks

I’ve come to realize in my 20-plus years working as a naturalist and environmental educator that the greatest challenge for getting kids outside is overcoming fear.  I’m not really talking about the fears kids have (since they can be pretty fearless) but about the adults: the parents, teachers and others who carry a fear of nature and pass it on to their children.  Replacing fear with awareness and knowledge is the key to having a blast AND being safe out in nature.

So what’s out there that causes some of this fear, and how do we become aware and knowledgeable about it?  In this part of the country we’ve got a few “hazards” that warrant our attention but definitely shouldn’t prevent us from spending quality time in nature playing as children are meant to play.

Ticks, Poison Ivy & Bees... Oh My!

Yes, in this beautiful part of our country we’ve got a few things that can put a real damper on any nature adventure IF we do not educate ourselves about them.  In this three-part series we’ll explore the “Know Before You Go” basic facts for each so we’re ready and excited about heading out into our backyards this summer. 

We’ll start with the big one first – TICKS.  Yes, they are creepy and crawling and can give us humans some nasty diseases if ignored.  Is it worth keeping our kids and selves out of the woods to avoid this hazard?  Most definitely NOT.  With some simple steps and basic education, it is completely feasible and fairly easy to avoid any tick-borne diseases while allowing our kids those nature adventures we remember from our youth. 

So, without further adieu, here’s what you need to.. 

Know Before You Go: Ticks

What are ticks?
Ticks, like spiders and mites, are arachnids and have eight legs.  They’re commonly found in moist or humid environments near wooded or grassy areas.  A favorite food source for chickens, turkeys, and other ground birds, ticks represent an important link in the food chain as they take nourishment from larger host animals high on the chain and transfer it down to lesser organisms.  
There are several kinds of ticks in our area but the most common are the deer tick, lone star and dog tick.  The deer tick (aka the black legged tick) is the one that can transmit Lyme disease.  However, each one has the potential to transmit some kind of disease like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  The picture below shows identifying features of the three ticks mentioned above.  Deer ticks have a red abdomen while dog ticks are a mottled brown. 


Prepare Yourself
There are several things you can do to decrease your chances of picking up a tick.  For starters: 
  • Wear light colored clothing so ticks can be easily seen. 
  • Know where ticks are found and use caution when walking through these areas. 
  • Apply a bug repellant.  Many are designed specifically to repel ticks. 
  • Perform a tick check.
Remember:  Contrary to popular belief, ticks can’t jump onto you. They can hitch a ride as you walk past them dangling off a twig or in the grass, but they won’t jump out to get you.  Once they’ve found their way onto your body, they will crawl slowly to a dark and out-of-the-way spot and do their thing.  Ticks then attach themselves to your skin, feed on your blood until full and then drop off of you and go have baby ticks.   

Performing a Tick Check 
A simple tick check when you leave a field, again before bed-time or while bathing to check “out of the way” places lets you catch the tick early and reduces the risk of any disease transmission.  

Use your senses! 
       1.  Feel it crawling on you;
       2.  See it (a raised mole type spot that wasn’t there yesterday); 
       3.  Feel it by touching it (if it is attached, it will feel like a skin tag that wasn’t there yesterday).

Make sure to check the following areas thoroughly: 
       - Armpits  
       - In and around ears
       - Belly Button 
       - Back of knees 
       - In your hair 
       - Between your legs 
       - Around your waist

Feeling it with your fingers is why bath time is the best way of catching these buggers.  You are looking at and feeling areas that one typically doesn’t touch during the day.

How to Remove a Tick 
If you find a tick on you – again, don’t freak out!  Using tweezers (don’t try any other method like a lighted match, Vaseline, etc.) carefully grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and gently but firmly pull, exerting a steady pulling pressure until the tick releases.  It’s alright it you don’t remove all of the tick (it’s not uncommon for the mouth parts to remain in the skin) - just disinfect and leave it.  Your body will naturally push it out.  

Removing a tick within 8 to 24 hours of it landing on you can significantly reduce the chance of catching Lyme or any other tick borne disease.  As a precaution, however, always put the tick in a zip lock and take it to your Health Department for a free test to determine if the tick has Lyme or other diseases.  

Now, if you happen to miss that window of time and find a tick attached that has been there for a full day or more – don’t freak out.  Tick-borne diseases are fairly easily cured by a round of antibiotics that doctors readily prescribe even as a precautionary measure.  Again, when you remove a tick, SAVE IT and get it to your Health Department for testing.  This is the best way to find out if you need a round of antibiotics. 

About Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases 
If you think you might have missed catching a tick at all (some of the nymph stages can be quite small) and could have gotten Lyme, here are some things to know:

The Lyme test is not fool-proof (it can give false negatives AND positives) as it typically takes 6-8 weeks for the disease to show up in your bloodstream.  If you live in tick country and do recreate outside, the best thing to do is test for Lyme every year as a part of your annual check-up.  This way, your doctor will have comparative values and can better determine if a tick-borne disease is in your system.  Besides the test, you can look for the tell-tale sign of a bulls-eye or target-like mark on your body (shows up in about ¾ of cases), flu-like symptoms, general malaise (and not because you are up all night with an infant), aching in the joints, etc.  Of course, you could just have the flu, but it never hurts to be certain.

I have had well over 25 ticks on my body in my life (and for some nature enthusiasts that is a really small number) and actually have NEVER gotten any tick born disease.  I believe that’s largely because I’ve caught the ticks early.  But what I have had are some fantastic adventures in nature - as a kid myself and as an adult teaching kids in outdoor settings.  I’ve also had several friends who’ve gotten Lyme or some other tick borne disease and have kicked it completely with the help of antibiotics.  Tick borne diseases can be serious if not handled right away.  That’s why practicing good tick preparedness when out in tick country is so important.  You can stay safe and still have fun outside.   Don’t let a fear of ticks stop you or your kids from creating some great outdoor memories of your own.  Just arm yourself with awareness, knowledge and good simple practices to keep you and your whole family happy and healthy.

Keith Marshall
Director of Education 

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