FIVE TIPS to Know about TICKS!

[Article #1 in our new IYE series, Happy Outside. This post is FULLY human written; NO AI was used. We hope you enjoy and learn something helpful to keep you Happy Outside during tick season!]

Ticks – EEK!  Whether you consider yourself a nature person or you prefer to hang inside, it’s likely you’ve heard of these sneaky little parasites.  

On a recent backpacking trip in Hoosier National Forest in Indiana, we encountered an outrageous number of ticks. I have never seen anything like it! Every time I flicked one off myself, I just kept thinking: “…if we didn’t know what ticks look like, boy, we’d be in trouble.”

The experience inspired me to share more with all of you about what ticks are, when they become dangerous, and how to deal with them as human beings who benefit from spending time outside.

This is an article for city dwellers & nature buffs alike! 

Ticks aren’t uncommon, everybody.

You can get bit by a tick in your own backyard.

We should all have this knowledge.

A friendly warning before we get into it: this is a pretty cringe-worthy topic. You might want to stop reading, and you might feel the creepy crawlies more than once. You may vow to never go outside again!

But while ticks are something to take seriously, it’s not a reason to exile ourselves to only indoor experiences (…there are issues that come along with that, too). We encourage you to push through and read this information, so that you can approach the reality of ticks outside from a place of informed awareness. Knowledge is power, and ticks are a reality in Michigan!

Okay, with all that said, here we go:

🤔 First off, what is a tick and why do people fear them?

Ticks are small arachnids that are generally associated with tall grasses and wooded, leafy areas.  They are found on all continents, including Antarctica.  Ticks survive by latching onto warm-blooded animals and drinking their blood; deer, dogs, and humans alike!  

Contrary to popular belief, ticks can’t jump.  They also can’t fly.  Ticks detect carbon dioxide and body heat to find high traffic areas, and then they position themselves high on blades of grass or on the low-lying leaves of shrubs or trees. When something walks by and brushes up against them, they grasp on.  Ticks feed until they are engorged and eventually fall off, with some ticks staying attached to a host for up to a week. 

Ticks are feared by many people, and not without good reason.  Many tick species are known carriers of a variety of pathogens that can cause some pretty scary diseases in humans, like Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  

Knowing the risks of a tick bite, one might question why any sane person would voluntarily spend time in an environment where you could encounter a tick.  But I hate to say it, folks…ticks are not uncommon. Though forests and meadows are well-known tick environments, ticks are spread by wildlife and are not that picky about where they live.  I’ve seen ticks crawling up my arm while sitting on a suburban lawn and having a cup of iced tea at a friend’s house.  I’ve seen a tick on a peony leaf in a city box garden.

Ticks are outside. It’s just how it is.

Avoidance of the forest and tall grasses is not an adequate approach for dealing with the risk of ticks.

Unless you plan to be inside from March to October, it’s worth learning a bit about ticks so that you can stay safe and happy outside during tick season.

Here are FIVE TIPS to know about TICKS:

TIP 1: GOOGLE WHAT TICKS LOOK LIKE

If you don’t know what a tick looks like, you’ll be jumping out of your skin every time a crawling insect/bug/arachnid wanders by.  Ticks are pretty distinct.  They have two main body parts and eight legs.  There are a few species here in Michigan, with some being about the size of an apple seed and very easy to spot, and others being about the size of a chia seed and more difficult to spot. Print off a picture or two and put it in your backpack or wallet (or whatever you have on your person when you’re spending time outside).  HERE is a great one-pager from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, covering five common Michigan ticks and diseases they may carry.

I know, I know – it’s not exactly fun to sit and look at close-up pictures of arachnids that want to suck your blood. 

But if you learn what ticks look like, you’ll arm yourself with the most basic knowledge and defense, and you won’t worry unnecessarily about other harmless critters that share the planet with us.

TIP 2: UNDERSTAND HOW DISEASES ARE SPREAD FROM TICKS

Here’s what happens: a tick lands on you and decides you’d make a fine meal.  It crawls to a warm spot with soft skin and begins the process of latching.

Ticks vary in their technique when it comes to latching.  Some will latch within a half hour of landing on you, and others will crawl around for several hours looking for a dark warm spot.  Ticks take around 10-30 minutes to actually latch on, and even longer before they start to feed in earnest. 

Tick bites don’t hurt. You will not feel it happening. 

So, how are diseases spread from the tick to you?  (Fair warning, it’s kind of gross.)

In short, ticks don’t want to fill up on the water in your blood, so they concentrate the blood and secrete the water back into your body with their salivary glands.  They also secrete enzymes to keep blood flowing and counteract the effects of clotting.  Because this transfer of fluid doesn’t start until the feeding is underway, you don’t generally get diseases like Lyme, Anaplasmosis, or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) just from being bit.  You are infected when a feeding tick is left unaddressed, regurgitating water and pumping enzymes into your bloodstream. 

Here are few notes about what the research says on transmission of Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, and RMSF from ticks:

• Lyme Disease: according to the CDC, several studies show that “in most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted.”

• Anaplasmosis: according to research from several reputable institutions, including Cornell University, a tick “must stay attached for 24-48 hours to transmit the bacteria that causes Anaplasmosis.”

• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: based on our research, there have only been a handful of confirmed cases of RMSF in Michigan since 2009. This disease is more commonly found in ticks in North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. That said, this one is a very big deal and can be fatal if not addressed. Based on what we’ve seen, resources share that “the bacteria are unlikely to be transmitted to a person by a tick that has been attached for less than 20 hours. Only about 1 in 1,000 ticks carry the bacteria.”

TIP 3: DO A TICK CHECK EVERY NIGHT

Now that we know that it is an unaddressed tick bite that makes ticks dangerous, we can be proactive and drastically reduce the chances of contracting a disease from a tick. 

Do a thorough tick check every night; whether you were out in the forest or just relaxing in your yard.  It doesn’t take that long.  Just make it a part of your evening routine. 

After you brush your teeth, strip down and check your body over. Pay special attention to the places that bend and are dark/warm, like your armpits, the backs of your knees, your groin, and (if applicable) even the area under your breasts.  It’s also worthwhile to look at your hairline and behind your ears.  Ticks instinctively crawl upwards, so keep that in mind as you look yourself over.  If you don’t have someone to help you check the places you can’t see, use a mirror. 

If you take a quick shower, that can help clear off unlatched ticks too.  It’s a good reason for a quick cleanse before bedtime.  You’ll sleep better too!

TIP 4: IF YOU HAVE A LATCHED TICK, DON’T FREAK OUT

Remember, a lot of tick-related illness comes from unaddressed tick bites and ticks that have been on you for 20+ hours.  Also, ticks pick up diseases from other hosts, so there is no guarantee that the tick in question is even infected.  It’s important to take a feeding tick seriously (especially the blacklegged ticks of fall), but it’s also important to stay calm. More diseases are spread worldwide from mosquito bites than tick bites, so take a breath and carry on with removing it.  

TIP 5: HELPFUL GUIDELINES FOR REMOVING A TICK

This is a series of tips within a tip!

Here’s what you need to know about removing a tick:

• Select a tool: you can disregard the old wives’ tale of burning ticks off with a flame or using nail polish.  Simply get some needle nose tweezers or a tick-key.  You can also use a knife edge and your fingernail. The most important part of your tool is making sure you can get a grip as close to the skin and head part of the tick as possible. You do not want to grip the body and pull when trying to get the thing off. Why?  If you squeeze the tick’s body, you are squeezing their stomach contents back into your bloodstream. Fluid transfer from the tick is what we want to avoid! (And as a note, this avoidance of fluid transfer is why they don’t recommend using a flame or nail polish. Trying to get a tick to delatch on its own is usually a battle you are not going to win, and stressing the tick out could cause it to regurgitate its body contents back into your bloodstream in panic. Again, NOT what we want to do!)

• How to remove it: once you have your tool and you have a grip on the tick head (or as close to the head as possible), firmly but gently pull UP (away) from your body to remove it.  The ticks’ little legs will wiggle frantically.  It will almost definitely gross you out.  It may take a few tries.  But just be patient and offer yourself some kudos, because you’re DOING IT!  If you live in Michigan, you’ll probably have to do it at least once in your life, even if you are a city person.  Consider it a weird right-of-passage. 

• Save the tick: after you remove the tick, toss it in a plastic zip lock bag or put it in a sealed jar.  Monitor the area around your tick bite over the next few weeks. If you develop a rash, fever, or other concerning symptoms, head straight to your doctor. Having saved the tick, you’ll be able to get it tested to see if it may be a carrier.

… a little freaked out? 😬

We get it!

But here are some final thoughts to consider:

As predicted, you may be vowing to never go outside again.

But…ticks are a reality of living on the planet earth.  

Again – they are found on every single continent, and they aren’t just in the woods and meadows.

Yes, they transmit diseases, but the danger is in an unaddressed tick bite.

We can hide inside, or we can practice good self-care and learn how to deal with them.  

✅ Check yourself over every night.

✅ Wear clothing that minimizes exposed skin if you’ll be in tick heavy areas.

✅ Brush your hands over your body before you get in the car after time outside and take a shower when you get home. 

Ticks are scary, but really, the danger is in letting a feeding tick go unaddressed.

Remember these five tips and then head outside and build some memories!

We’ll see ya out there.