It’s tick season in Delaware.
Even though ticks are seen all year in the First State, we are entering prime tick season as peak tick activity is picking up and will continue through July.
Right now is when multiple species of ticks are active at the same time in higher numbers.
"During the summer in Delaware, you're at risk of encountering more than one kind of tick, it might be a Lone Star tick, that's the most common one that we have, but the American Dog ticks are still active this time of year, and even the black legged ticks, which are also called Deer Ticks, those are the ones that people are probably the most familiar with, because they carry a whole laundry list of pathogens," said Ashley Kennedy, a tick biologist for DNREC.
The most effective way to combat ticks is to apply repellant. You can also tuck pants into your socks and shirts into pants - and wear light-colored clothes to easily spot them.
If you do spot a tick, you should use tweezers and grab it as close to the skin as possible and remove it slowly and steadily.
Kennedy explains how you know you see a tick.
"They're going to have eight legs. That's going to be one of the key features for identifying a tick. Another thing that makes them different from insects is they're not going to have wings or antennas, so they're just flat bodied, very small,” said Kennedy. “So you've probably heard them compared to sesame seeds if there's an adult tick or poppy seeds, if they're an immature tick, so, very, very tiny."
If you’re bitten by a tick, wash the wound with soap and water or alcohol and then look for symptoms.
Symptoms include fever, aches, rashes, gastrointestinal issues. If any occur following a tick bite, call a doctor.
Kennedy notes not all tick bites can cause infection.
