Is there an unwanted guest tagging along on your camping trip or during your backyard hangouts? No matter how hard you try, sometimes ticks invite themselves into your spaces, including your body! The best way to protect yourself from tick-borne illnesses is to know how to check for ticks and what tick bite symptoms to look out for. If you do happen to notice a tick bite on your body, remain calm and carefully remove the tick properly.
Between climate change and loss of habitat, we’re experiencing a significant uptick in tick bites and tick-borne diseases. Knowledge is power, so let’s talk ticks. What does a tick look like? Can you feel a tick bite? What does a tick bite look like? And how do ticks get on you in the first place?
What Does a Tick Look Like?
Ticks are small insects with a hard, oval-shaped body that grows as they eat. They have eight legs and are often brown in color. Ranging in size from a tiny poppy seed to an apple seed, depending upon its life cycle stage, a tick is so small that you won’t even feel one crawling on your skin.
How to Check for Ticks
Whenever you spend time outdoors, particularly in wooded areas or tall grass, take a minute to check yourself for ticks.
In a well-lit area, start by checking your clothing. Pay particular attention to a tick’s favorite hiding spots, like seams or pockets.
Next, use a mirror to inspect your entire body. Pay close attention to warm, moist areas like your underarms, in and around your ears, inside your belly button, and the back of your knees. Don’t forget to use a comb to check your hair and scalp, too!
How to Remove Ticks
If you do find a tick, it is important to remove it quickly because the longer it is attached to you, the more damage it can do.
Using tweezers, grasp the tick as closely to your skin’s surface as possible, as it’s important to remove the head of the tick along with the rest of the body. When you remove the tick head, you also remove the tick’s mouthparts, which are typically full of nasty bacteria.
Ticks don’t just love humans. Your furry friends can be at risk, too! Check your cats and dogs after they spend time roaming outside, too.
What Does a Tick Bite Feel Like?
Unlike bites from mosquitoes and other bugs, tick bites do not typically cause immediate skin irritation or itching sensation.
The reason you can’t feel a tick bite is that tick saliva contains powerful and complex numbing agents that enable the tiny arachnid to avoid detection while it feeds on its host. The tick’s super saliva allows it to bypass several critical defenses to drink its host’s blood in peace for up to ten days.
Since you cannot feel a tick bite or even a tick crawling on you, it’s essential to look for them visually.
What Does a Tick Bite Look Like?
At first glance, a tick bite resembles a small red bump, similar to a mosquito bite or a small pimple. Unless it is infected, there will be no fluid or pus.
You’ll never see a whole tick under your skin. Instead, a tick embeds its mouth parts into the flesh of a host when it bites, holding fast using a barbed feeding tube. As the tick engorges with blood, it can swell from the size of a sesame seed to the size of a pea. If the tick has already detached, you may see an area of redness around the bite site.
Recognizing Tick Bite Symptoms
If you find a tick on you, monitor the area, paying attention to any dangerous tick bite symptoms. Most bites will typically swell and turn red. You may also develop a small scab around the puncture site.
This is normal. However, if the bite develops a dark sore or crusty spot after a couple of weeks, this may be a sign of African tick bite fever and should be reported to your doctor.
On the other hand, if you start to develop a red “bullseye” rash, you should call a doctor immediately. This is a telltale sign of Lyme disease, present in 70% of infections. The rash often feels warm but typically does not itch or hurt. In rare cases, there may be a burning sensation, or you may see a crusty outer ring.
Preventing Tick Bites and Future Infestations
Ticks live where animals live, so it isn’t surprising that they often pop up where humans and their pets love to play. They are usually found in tall grasses, mountains, and wooded areas where you find deer and rabbits, as well as our favorite spots for camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing. They also reside in city parks and other green spaces and love hanging out on brush that often edges the beach.
Learn How to Detect Ticks
Increasingly, people are encountering ticks in their own backyards, making it even more important to learn how to detect ticks. As new construction encroaches on tick habitat and wildlife come onto your property looking for an easy meal, ticks become a menace on your property.
Protect Yourself with Bug Spray and the Proper Clothing
Whenever you’re out and about in these areas, it’s important to wear bug spray whenever possible. You can also wear protective clothing, such as long pants, sleeves, and socks. Tucking your pants into your socks will help prevent ticks from crawling up your legs. Wearing light-colored clothing will also help you spot ticks before they get a chance to turn you into a snack.
Protect Your Pets
If your furry friends spend a lot of time outdoors, whether hiking the trails or running free in your backyard, perform regular tick checks and stay up-to-date on their preventative tick medicines.
Invest in Regular Professional Inspections
Additionally, regular pest inspections by professional and commercial exterminators can help provide that extra peace of mind that your outdoor space is tick free!
When to Contact a Professional for Tick Control
If our tick talk has left you feeling squeamish — never fear! Mosquito Joe’s professional tick yard treatment can tackle those pesky blood-suckers for you. Our comprehensive home pest control services are dedicated to making your outdoor spaces fun again, free from the bites, stings, and harassment from various bugs and insects.
We know you’ll be tickled with our tick control because the Neighborly Done Right Promise™ and the Mosquito Joe Satisfaction Guarantee back everything we do.
Don’t get ticked off by these tiny pests — request a free quote today!
Frequently Asked Questions About Tick Detection and Bites
How worried should I be if I find a tick on me?
Don’t panic! If you spot a tick that hasn’t bitten you yet, remove it as soon as possible. The sooner you remove the tick, the better. If it has taken a bite, remove the tick and monitor the spot for any unusual symptoms or reactions.
What are the odds of getting Lyme disease from a tick?
The odds of contracting Lyme disease from a tick are probably lower than you think. Primarily transmitted by the deer tick, also known as the black-legged tick, the odds of contracting Lyme disease is about 1-5%, depending on several factors, including length of exposure and geographical location.
The risk of transmission increases after 36 hours of exposure, so if you catch the tick quickly, your chances of getting Lyme disease will drastically dwindle.
Additionally, your location matters, too. Lyme disease is more prevalent in certain areas, such as the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, North-Central, and West Coast regions of the United States.
Will there be more if you find one tick?
Not necessarily! Ticks don’t often travel in groups, but if you find one on you, it’s smart to perform a full body check and instruct anyone with you to do one, too.
Knowing how far ticks can jump, you should also check inside your home in case one hitched a ride with you. Be sure to pay special attention to the places where you or your pets spend a lot of time.
This article is intended for general guidance only and may not be applicable to every situation. You are responsible for determining the proper course of action for your property and your situation. Mosquito Joe is not responsible for any damages that occur as a result of any advice or guidance derived from blog content. For the most accurate guidance, contact an independently owned and operated Mosquito Joe for more information and a professional on-site assessment.
