Blood-sucking ticks can spread bacteria and other germs when they bite, causing diseases like Lyme disease in people and pets. Fortunately, a few simple precautions can go a long way in reducing your exposure to ticks.
Preventing Tick Bites
Ticks are efficient hitchhikers—they can easily latch on to your body, clothes, or pets. Protect yourself from ticks and the diseases they transmit.
Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts outdoors.
Use an EPA-registered repellent with 20-30% DEET or apply permethrin to clothing.
Check yourself after being outside in areas that are prone to ticks.
Shower within 2 hours of exposure to ticks and place clothing in a hot dryer for an hour to kill any ticks that may be on them.
Check your pets daily for ticks, especially after they have been outdoors in overgrown and brushy areas.
If you find a tick, remove it immediately with tweezers.
Tick-Safe Landscaping
Many of the reported Lyme disease cases in California are contracted around the home in semirural environments. Landscaping and maintaining your yard can help make your backyard less desirable for ticks. To create a tick-safe yard:
Keep your lawn mowed and decorative plants trimmed and well maintained.
Remove leaf and grass litter from your yard.
Create a tick barrier at the edge of your property by putting down a 3-foot gravel or wood chip border between your lawn and any unmaintained or overgrown natural areas that you live next to (such as chaparral or woodland areas).
Move yard furniture and swing sets away from the edges of the yard to more open and sunny areas.
For more information, see the UC IPM Pest Notes: Lyme Disease in California or visit the California Department of Public Health's website to learn more about:
