Protecting Yourself From Ticks | Video

Jennifer Joas | 7/5/2012

Summer is the best time to be outdoors, but it`s important to remember to protect yourself from pests that carry disease. Not all ticks carry Lyme Disease, but it`s important to know what to look out for.

Ticks are known to linger in high grass and wooded areas. But ticks can be right in your own backyard, literally. The most common type in North Dakota is the Dog Tick.

"It`s the one that will get engorged as they feed on their host. That`s the one that you typically see on your dog and it`s typically the one we will find on ourselves," said NDSU Ag Extension Agent KaSondra Staiger.

It`s the second type of tick that should concern you. It`s called the Black Legged Tick. It doesn`t naturally occur here, but it can carry Lyme Disease.

"If you do think you`ve been bit, it`s always a good idea to go to the doctor and get checked out. But typically if you`re bit by a Black Legged Tick, you`re going to have a bull`s eye kind of rash or a circular reddish mark on your body from where they bit you," Staiger said.

There are also other indicators of Lyme Disease.

"Sometimes there is no rash and there would be just headaches, stiff neck, muscle and joint pain without the rash. So those if those happen after a tick bite you`d also want to be seen by a physician," said Paula Flanders with Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health.

The health department says your best protection against ticks is to spray yourself with a DEET pesticide.

If you do find a tick use your fingertips or a pair of tweezers and pull it out in the opposite direction it entered your skin. Then wash the area with soap and water. Either save the tick for your doctor or flush it. Never throw a tick in the trash.

Lyme Disease is treatable with antibiotics.

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