It's spring, the flowers are blooming, the leaves are budding, and the outdoors are calling you. However, when you come back inside you may have more than pink cheeks and happy memories. As I found out last week, the ticks are out, and they are on the move.

When I hear ticks, I automatically think lyme disease. Although lyme disease is generally considered to be a concern only back east, the National Institute of Environmental Health Science states that northern California has one of the highest rates of lyme disease.  Fun, huh?  So let’s get into tick-preparedness mode.

First off, when and where do ticks occur?  According to UC IPM Online, April through July is the time to be wary of nymphs.  Don’t relax once it cools down a bit though, as adult ticks are said to be most active from late fall to early spring.  Wonderful.   So which areas should you avoid from November to July?  Nymphs like forest litter.  The adults are more likely to be found on low vegetation like grass, at areas below knee level.  You should also watch out for logs, as research from UC Berkeley found that sitting on logs, gathering wood, and sitting against trees greatly increased the likelihood of encountering ticks.

Now that you’re in their turf, how to recognize them?  I think they look like little spiders with oddly shaped abdomens, but you probably want something more concrete.  The Canandian Lyme Disease Foundation has some great pictures labeled with genus and species, so you can identify which tick is on you.  That is, unless you are screaming and frantically brushing it off you like I would be.  You can also do a google image search, but I warn you that there are some awful pictures of infections that come up as well.

So you see a tick.  What to do?  If it is walking on you or on your clothes, brush it off and squeal.  However, if it is in you, gorging on your blood, you’ve got to take more drastic measures.  Though you may have heard that vaseline or heat should be used, the tweezer method seems to be the recommended method.  The CDC and UC IPM Online each have instructions on their websites.

Prevention is the best method for dealing with ticks though.  If you can’t avoid being on their turf (like me), you can at least try to minimize the chances of them making direct contact with you.  The CDC recommends that you:

• Wear light-colored clothing (the better to see them with, my dear)
• Cover up and tuck in (shorts into pants, pants into socks).  Don’t give them anywhere to go.
• Use a repellent with DEET or permethrin on shoes and clothing
• Check frequently for ticks while out, and do a thorough check at home and for the next few days

If you haven’t had enough of ticks, why not read about what lizards, ticks, and lyme disease have in common.

Happy hiking, and beware of those tiny, eight-legged hitchikers!