Ticks: repellents, tick checks and safe removal

CDC notes that tick exposure can occur year-round, but ticks are most active during warmer months, April to September. Prevention is a routine: protect yourself before you go, and check carefully when you come back.

Before you go

• Repellent: use EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. Look for an EPA registration number on the label. Don't use OLE or PMD on children under 3. If you also use sunscreen, apply it first and repellent second.
• Clothing and gear: treat them with products containing 0.5% permethrin.

When you come back

1. Check your gear and pets: ticks can ride in on clothing, coats, daypacks and pets and attach to someone later.
2. Dry your clothes on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing. Washing in cold or medium-temperature water won't kill them.
3. Shower within two hours: CDC says this has been shown to reduce your risk of Lyme disease and may help with other tickborne diseases.
4. Do a full-body check, including after time in your own backyard. Look under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, in and around the hair, between the legs and around the waist.

Removing a tick (CDC)

1. Grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible with clean, fine-tipped tweezers (regular tweezers or fingers if that's all you have).
2. Pull it away with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk.
3. Clean the bite and your hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.
4. Dispose of a live tick by sealing it in a container, wrapping it tightly in tape, flushing it, or putting it in alcohol. Don't crush it with your fingers.

Don't use petroleum jelly, heat, nail polish or other substances to make the tick let go. And if you develop a rash or fever within several days to weeks after removing a tick, see your doctor.

Our suggestions for camp

• Pack fine-tipped tweezers in your first aid kit.
• Do tick checks in pairs for hard-to-see spots.
• Keep a note of the date and place if you remove a tick, in case symptoms appear later.