Safety Tips for Preventing Tick Problems
Ticks are common in shaded, wooded or forested areas throughout New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, 
and Pennsylvania, where they await a passing human or animal that can provide a blood meal.
To stay safe, follow these tips to manage tick risk when you’re out:
- Use Tick Repellent: Clothing repellents are generally better against ticks than skin repellents; however, using skin repellents is also beneficial. When using repellents, always refer to the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations for repellent use.
- Wear Protective Clothing: When hiking, wear light colored clothes to facilitate seeing ticks that may get on the clothing, a large-brimmed hat, long sleeves and long pants tucked into your socks. Keep to the center of trails to minimize contact with adjacent vegetation.
- Keep Your Property Neat: Ankle-length grass provides less harborage for tick populations.
- Tick Inspections: After returning from a hike or time outdoors, thoroughly inspect yourself and your pets. Since some ticks that may get on the body are very small, it is wise to have someone help you inspect for ticks. Don’t forget to check your clothing.
- Laundry: Even if you don’t find ticks on your clothes, it is a good idea to immediately wash clothing in hot, soapy water and dry at the highest heat setting for about one hour. If you do not immediately launder and dry the clothes, place them into a clear, plastic bag prior to washing and laundering. After laundering, throw the empty bag into the outside trash container. If you find a tick in the process of feeding, remove it carefully, taking care not to puncture or squeeze the tick’s body.
How to Get Rid of Ticks
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