Editor’s note: This is the second part of a three-part series about tick identification, disease and encounter prevention.  

REGION — We all know the drill when it comes to avoiding ticks and the diseases they carry. When headed outdoors, wear light-colored long pants and shirts. Tuck your pant legs into your socks, and your shirt into your waistband. When returning indoors, check for ticks and, if you find one, remove it immediately. Go to the doctor if tell-tale tick disease symptoms develop.

What kind of tick is that?

Black-legged Tick

DEER TICK (BLACK-LEGGED TICK)

Adult females are typically less than 1/8 inch in length and males are slightly smaller. Adult females are brown to reddish-orange in color with a dark brown to black shield directly behind their head. After feeding, adult females can increase in size to as much as ½ inch in length and can range from a tan color to gray or dark brown. Adult males tend to be dark brown in color with no reddish coloration on the body. Adults have dark brown or black legs, thus the common name “black-legged” tick.

Wood Tick

AMERICAN DOG TICK (WOOD TICK)

The adult female American dog tick is approximately ¼ inch long when unfed and up to ½ inch or longer when fully engorged. Males tend to be slightly smaller. Adult females are typically a reddish-brown color with a creamy-white dorsal shield directly behind their head. Adult males are also a reddish-brown color, but with cream or gray-colored markings covering their entire back.

Woodchuck Tick

WOODCHUCK TICK

Adult female woodchuck ticks are approximately 1/8 inch in length and males are slightly smaller. Adult females are tan to reddish-tan color with a darker shield behind the head. Woodchuck ticks are similar in appearance to deer ticks thus microscopic identification may be necessary to differentiate between the two species.

Tick identification information provided by the UMaine Extension “Tick Lab” at the University of Maine in Orono.

For Mainers, those diseases include Lyme, Babesiosis and Anaplasmosis. A rare threat, Powassan virus, recently showed itself for the first time since 2017 when a southern Maine resident was diagnosed with the virus.

Avoid

Knowing where to expect ticks tops the list of avoiding contact and therefore preventing exposure to the diseases they transmit.

Wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter are the preferred tick habitat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, they are not restricted to rustic areas. Ticks can also be found in backyards, gardens and parks.

Avoiding places with tall grass, shrubs and leaf litter; walking or hiking in the center of trails; and protecting pets are recommended, said Chuck Lubelczyk, Ecologist with Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Scarborough.

Protect

Avoiding tick habitat can be nearly impossible but there are several steps that can be taken to avoid encountering ticks, Lubelczyk said. He recommends adults use a tick repellent containing 20-40% DEET or Picaridin on skin and clothing. For kids, he said the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using a product with 10% DEET.

Clothing can also be pre-treated with a product that contains permethrin, a chemical that repels and kills ticks, he said. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remain protective through several washings. Permethrin treated clothing can also be purchased at outdoor retailers.

“Permethrin should be sprayed on clothing only, not on the skin,” he added.

Check

Ticks tend to attach themselves in body folds, behind the knees, in and around the ears, in the pelvic region and on scalps, Lubelczyk said. Using a hand-held or full-length mirror can help with viewing parts not easily seen.

“Do a tick check whenever you’ve been outdoors,” he said. “Showering may remove unattached ticks, but not those that are attached.”

Ticks can be carried indoors on clothing, footwear and pets, then attach to a person later, so examine those items carefully.

Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors, he added.

Remove

There are many types of tick removal devices available but Maine CDC recommends a pair of fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal spoon.

If tweezers are used, grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible and pull upward with steady, even pressure. If using a tick spoon, place the notch on the skin near the tick and apply slight downward pressure while sliding the spoon forward to remove the tick.

Do not twist or jerk the tick, as this can cause the mouth-part to break off and remain in the skin. Contrary to popular belief, covering the tick with petroleum jelly, dish soap or nail polish is not effective.

After removing the tick, use soap and water to wash the bite and disinfect the site with antiseptic, Lubelczyk said.

Ticks can be sent to the UMaine Extension “Tick Lab” at the University of Maine in Orono for identification and testing. To submit a tick for identification or testing, visit the tick lab website at extension.umaine.edu/ticks.