![\"Deer](\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/07\/534px-Adult_deer_tick_wikimediacommons.jpg\" "\\"Deer")
It’s been a hot sticky summer so far. This may not be ideal whether for us humans, but the ticks are loving it.<\/p>\nIt’s been a hot sticky summer so far. This may not be ideal whether for us humans, but the ticks are loving it.<\/p>\n
And if there\u2019s one thing you don\u2019t want to bring home with you after a trip outdoors, it\u2019s a deer tick. This pesky insect thrives in the summertime and is the primary culprit of Lyme disease in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n
Types of Ticks<\/strong><\/p>\n There are two types of ticks common in Massachusetts: the deer tick (I. scapularis<\/em>) shown here and the dog tick.\u00a0An adult deer tick is substantially smaller than the more common dog tick, however size is not always a useful indicator since an engorged tick can be several times the size of one that has not fed. It is far better to avoid ticks altogether than to attempt to differentiate between deer ticks and dog ticks.<\/p>\n How to Check for Ticks <\/strong><\/p>\n The best way to reduce your chances of getting Lyme disease is to do a proper tick check after being outdoors (even if it’s just in your backyard). Here’s how:<\/p>\n Step 1: Scour your clothing. Ticks latch on to clothing\u00a0from the top of low-lying vegetation, such as grass and shrubs, so pants are a good place to start. Once clothing is removed, throw it in the wash.<\/p>\n Step 2: Scour your body (or your kid’s body).\u00a0Ticks like to hide in crevices. Be sure to look under the arms, behind and inside ears, around the hairline, through the scalp, behind knees, between toes, inside belly buttons, and around the waist.<\/p>\n Step 3: Take a warm shower or bath. This may help dislodge any ticks that haven’t yet attached. And also provides another opportunity to look for any stragglers.<\/p>\n Found a Tick?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n If you discover an embedded tick, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your skin\u2019s surface as possible and pull straight out with steady, even pressure. If\u00a0you wish to have it tested for Lyme, immediately place the tick in a sealable plastic bag.<\/p>\n Cleanse the bite area with rubbing alcohol and wash your hands with soap and water. Make a note of the date as well as the location on your body where the tick was discovered and call your doctor to determine next steps.<\/p>\n Our website\u00a0<\/a>provides more information on ticks and the diseases they carry as does the\u00a0Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It’s been a hot sticky summer so far. This may not be ideal whether for us humans, but the ticks are loving it. And if there\u2019s one thing you don\u2019t want to bring home with you after a trip outdoors, it\u2019s a deer tick. This pesky insect thrives in the summertime and is the primary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[131,102],"class_list":["post-2489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature-notes","tag-lyme-disease","tag-ticks"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-E9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":334,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/ticks-in-fall\/","url_meta":{"origin":2489,"position":0},"title":"Ticks in Fall","author":"Heather","date":"October 1, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Now that summer is over you can stop worrying about ticks, right? Think again. While summer in New England is a prime time to spot deer ticks (the chief culprits of Lyme disease\u2014a potentially serious bacterial infection), many don't realize that they can still pose a serious threat in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/07\/534px-Adult_deer_tick_wikimediacommons.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/07\/534px-Adult_deer_tick_wikimediacommons.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/07\/534px-Adult_deer_tick_wikimediacommons.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14334,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/climate-action-benefits-health\/","url_meta":{"origin":2489,"position":1},"title":"Climate Action Benefits our Health","author":"Rishya N.","date":"July 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"We can see climate change\u2019s impacts on the health of our world all around us, right here in Massachusetts. 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Climate change's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/Scott-Bauer-USDA-Flickr-Adult-Deer-Tick.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/Scott-Bauer-USDA-Flickr-Adult-Deer-Tick.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/Scott-Bauer-USDA-Flickr-Adult-Deer-Tick.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/Scott-Bauer-USDA-Flickr-Adult-Deer-Tick.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9544,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-awesome-opossums\/","url_meta":{"origin":2489,"position":2},"title":"Take 5: Awesome Opossums","author":"Ryan D.","date":"July 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Opossums may sometimes look fierce and unlovely (especially when \"playing dead\" to deter predators), but they're actually very clean, non-destructive animals that tend to keep to themselves. And even better, they LOVE ticks. As they wander the forest, they pick up ticks like most mammals do. But their excellent grooming\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/07\/171Simeon_Wood11377FI.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/07\/171Simeon_Wood11377FI.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/07\/171Simeon_Wood11377FI.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1037,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/about-those-acorns\/","url_meta":{"origin":2489,"position":3},"title":"About Those Acorns","author":"Kristin S.","date":"October 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Fall is a time for nuts and no nut is more noticeable than the acorn, the fruit of oak trees and food of wildlife. 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