Tick Season 2020
Tick season is upon us, but that isn’t a reason to be frightened of going outside. Through the years the children and I have spent many days in the woods. While we always encountered ticks, and would pick them off our clothing, we were often able to mitigate being bitten.
Here are a few ideas to help with ticks:
I would try to wear my lightweight rain pants for as long as possible in the spring. When it became too hot for rain pants, I would switch to a hiking or ‘wind pant’ style of pant.
If we hadn’t seen a lot of ticks in the area we were playing/learning in, I would spray us down with Green Mountain Tick Repellent or Repel’s lemon eucalyptus spray. Usually, these sprays would keep the ticks at bay. If I knew the ticks were going to be an issue in the area, I would spray Deep Woods Off with DEET onto our shoes and rain pants.
Always do a tick check when you come inside. A good quality lint roller is also a great tool for finding those little ticks. Kids who are out in the woods should really get a bath each night as a means of having ‘eyes on’ .
Where are the ticks? While they certainly are in the woods, I have found that we often find more when we are at the edge of the lawn or field, just entering the forest. Once we are in the woods, it seems we don’t encounter as many. Of course, this is just anecdotal and my experience, but so often we would come in with a tick from just being out in the yard or garden, and bring none home after a day of hiking. Don’t let the fear of these bugs get the best of you. Keep going outside, just remember to use a few precautions.
Another bug that drives us to distraction is the black fly! Years ago, a dad of one of our student’s turned me on to White Mountain Insect Repellent. This stuff is messy and often I will try to put it on a raincoat or hat, but if you reapply often it does work against those swarming, little, black flies!
Learn how you can be part of tick research here in NH: N.H. Tick Data Informs Local Risk.