this way you prevent a tick bite

Summer is the season of the sign. Although the small arachnids are now active all year round, because of the warm summers and mild winters. Still, most people get a tick bite in the summer months. Time for a few tips to prevent a tick bite.

The tick is a spider-like parasite and it looks like a small flat spider a few millimeters in size. The small insect is brownish-black and shaped like a water drop. You will find ticks in tall shady grass such as in parks, gardens, the dunes and the forest. They live on the blood of animals, but unfortunately sometimes also from humans. It’s a fable that ticks let themselves fall on you from the tree. Usually the creature crawls up your body from a blade of grass and then chews on your skin.

Avoid a tick bite

Some ticks carry bacteria where you can get Lyme disease. That is why it is important that you remove the tick from your skin as soon as possible, but it is even better to avoid a tick bite:

• Are you going into nature? Then cover your skin with clothing and wear your socks over your pants. Then check your clothes for ticks, so that they do not end up on your skin.

• Walk on the paths and don’t get too close to tall grass or scrub, as this is a place where many ticks are waiting for a tasty snack.

• Wear a cap or hat, preferably with neck cover. Don’t forget your children, because they are easier prey for the tick due to their height.

• There are also ticks abroad, so are you going on a nature walk on holiday? Dress well and wear clothing with insect repellent if necessary.

• DEET also helps against ticks, apply it to uncovered areas of (your children’s) skin. Also spray DEET on your clothes, it works tick-free for up to 5 hours. Pay attention to the amount of DEET that you can use per person.

• Be careful if you are going to work in the garden and wear gardening gloves. Most tick bites are caught in your own garden. Also keep an eye on your pets, they can take ticks inside unnoticed.

• Always check yourself and your children for ticks after an outing or playing in nature. Favorite places for the tick are warm and moist, so behind the ears, in the groin and back of the knee, inside of elbows, on the head and the skin under a diaper.

Main photo: Adobe Stock / Rafail

–