The ultimate guide to tick bites

Tick bites come from parasitic arachnids. That alone should tell you everything that you need to know — run.

Ticks are parasites, which means that they live on a host at the expense of the host. Ticks feed off the blood of their hosts and can spread diseases (like Lyme disease) through their bites.

Why do you, fellow outdoor enthusiast, need to know about ticks? Because they live out in nature: in the grass, the bushes, and the trees. They are hungry. They are waiting.

All About Ticks

Ticks have eight legs and specialized mouth parts made for piercing and sucking. They are really small, typically under 5mm, although they can get up to 1cm. They are brown or black in colour, can be soft bodied or hard bodied, and look flat until they are “fed” (i.e., filled up on your blood).

The life cycle of a tick consists of four stages: egg, larvae, nymph, adult. Ticks need to feed in order to progress to the next stage in the life cycle.

1. An adult female tick lays her eggs.
2. An egg hatches into a larvae.
3. The larvae feeds, disconnects itself from its host, and molts into a nymph.
4. The nymph feeds, disconnects itself from its host, and molts into an adult.
5. The adult female tick feeds, disconnects itself from its host, and lays her eggs.

Ticks tend to hide out in low-lying vegetation, waiting for their unsuspecting victim to walk by. You can find them all over the world, although they prefer warm and humid areas — especially because the cold prevents eggs from turning into larva. This explains why ticks are more active in warmer seasons.

Risks Associated with Tick Bites

Tick bites can transmit diseases like:

Lyme disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that, when left untreated, can spread to your heart, brain, and joints. Most people who get Lyme disease will develop a rash that looks likes a bulls-eye. If you think you have Lyme disease, try to get medical attention as soon as possible — it can be treated by antibiotics but the longer you wait, the more you are at risk of long term complications.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is another bacterial infection. In addition to making you feel horrible (headache, fever, vomiting, etc.), it causes a spotted rash made of small bloody spots. This can also be treated by antibiotics but can cause life-threatening problems if not treated as soon as possible.

Other examples of bacterial infections spread by tick bites

• Ehrlichiosis
• Anaplasmosis
• Babesiosis
• Tularemia
• Q fever

Colorado tick fever

Colorado tick fever isn’t a bacterial infection, it is a viral infection. Viral infections can’t be treated using antibiotics. Colorado tick fever typically passes as a flu would — sick for a few days and then recover. However, some people might experience fatigue and weakness last weeks afterwards.

Tick-borne encephalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis is another viral infection; this one targets the nervous system. It starts out with the same classic symptoms: fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting. And then it turns into encephalitis (brain inflammation). You don’t want encephalitis.

Other examples of viral infections spread by tick bites

• Powassan virus
• Heartland virus
• Bourbon virus
• Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Preventing Tick Bites

We don’t want encephalitis and we probably don’t want whatever tularemia is (hint: it’s rabbit fever). So how can we prevent tick bites?

1. Use an insect repellent — you can also find tick-specific repellent.
2. Wear long sleeves and tuck your pants into your socks.
3. If possible, avoid areas with low-laying vegetation.
4. Showering can help remove ticks that haven’t bitten yet.
5. To kill any on your clothes, throw them in the dryer for 15 minutes on high heat.
6. Check for ticks (this includes yourself, your kids, your pets, and your gear).
7. If you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible.

How do you check for ticks?

We never worried about ticks as kids (as we were never in situations where that would be something to worry about — we weren’t really a nature family) so I didn’t understand what “checking for ticks” looked like.

You want to check your entire body, from head to toe. Start at the top and work your way down your body, giving extra attention to the sneaky spots:

• Hair and scalp
• Around the ears
• Armpits
• Chest and back
• Belly button
• Groin
• Behind the knees
• Between the toes

These guys are tiny — like poppy seeds. Really get in there.

Removing Ticks Safely

What do you do if you find a tick?

If the tick has not latched on, then just swat it off. If the tick has latched on, you need to remove it:

1. With tweezers, grip the tick as close to the skin as possible.
2. Slowly pull the tick out, making sure to pull it out as straight as you can.
3. Clean the area with soap, sanitizer, or alcohol.

How can you tell how long a tick has been feeding?

The more swollen the tick looks, the longer it has been feeding. The quicker you can find the tick, the less likely that you are to develop a tick-borne disease.

Treatment for Tick Bites

After you remove the tick, make sure to keep the site clean. Monitor yourself for any flu-like symptoms or rashes.

If you feel weird —at all— then you need to see a doctor. If you get sick from a tick bite, you have a way better chance of positive outcomes if you get treatment early.

A bacterial infection can be treated by antibiotics. However, if you get a viral infection, it likely can’t be treated and you will have to let it run its course (but just like the flu, there are medications that can help to manage symptoms).

Have any more questions about tick bites? Leave them below!