Ticks are on the move

Lyme Disease Awareness Month

Now that spring is here and summer's approaching, ticks are out and about spreading Lyme Disease to a greater extent than ever before. The number of reported cases of Lyme Disease has been on the steady rise over the past few years. Especially since May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, it's appropriate that we find to tips to protect ourselves and each other from this rising illness.

Because of the warm weather, families spend much more of their time outside enjoying the sun. Here are some tips about being outside and protecting yourself from tick bites:

• You want your clothing to do two things: First, keep ticks off of you and second, to be light colored so you can see them if they have attached to you.
• If you can, wear long pants and a long sleeved shirt along with a hat. Tuck your pants into your socks to prevent ticks from getting in that way. Make sure that the cuffs are not loose on the sleeves.

Another way to keep ticks off your body is by keeping them off of your body:

• Ticks like high grass. Make sure that you keep the weeds down. (don't cut your grass too short or it will die)
• Ticks lay their eggs on the underside of fallen leaves. Clean up the leaf litter in the fall.

It's important that once being outside, you inspect for ticks before entering your house; let me tell you how:

• Check yourself and your family when they come inside. You have to look very carefully to find the lyme ticks. Remember that they are smaller than the usual dog ticks. The nymphs are even smaller. You have to look carefully through the hair for them as well. Check behind the knees and under the armpits as well as the groin.
•  Don't come into the house with your outside clothes as you might be bringing ticks in. Of course, if you live in a densely populated area with a lot of neighbors you might not be able to remove all of your clothes outside..
• Ticks sometimes take a while before they burrow in. You might want to take a shower as soon as possible after you have been outdoors.

To rid of ticks as well, you can have an insect spray. Mosquito Squad of West Michigan is a great place to call and schedule a season spray and protect your family from Lyme Disease and prevent the illness from rising anymore. Call today!