Ask any dog owner: it’s been a horrible year for ticks already. But that’s the new normal: ticks by the billions in places where ticks were once rare.
Here in the northeast (and pretty much across the country) you encounter ticks in two basic styles–both of them bad. Big brown dog ticks are nasty critters. If they latch onto you, the bite site can get infected easily. Not fun. And they can carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis and several other ailments. Also no fun. But at least dog ticks are big enough for you to see them easily.
Ixodes deer ticks (also called black-legged ticks) are even worse. So tiny in their nymphal stages that you can barely see them, they can carry Lyme disease, which you DON’T want to get. There used to be a vaccine available for Lyme disease but it was pulled from the market a number of years ago and the CDC now warns that those who were vaccinated can no longer count on being immune since boosters are no longer available. There are, apparently, new Lyme Disease vaccines in testing stages, but they aren’t yet available to the general public.
The CDC also maintains a complete list of tick-borne diseases in the US.
Six Easy Steps to Keep Ticks Away
These simple steps can help you keep ticks away to avoid tick bites and tick-borne diseases.
1) Wear protective clothing to keep ticks away. Especially important are long pants, which should be tucked into high socks. Ticks generally latch on to a passing critter (you!) and crawl up, looking for a spot to burrow in and feed. Light colors will help you spot the ticks. A couple of years ago, in what wasn’t even a “bad” year for ticks, I took a short hike that passed through a brushy field and found nine brown dog ticks on my light gray socks when I got back to the car.
2) Use a DEET-based insect repellent to keep ticks away around your ankles, wrists (preferably with a light-colored, long-sleeve shirt) and on your neck. Put repellent on your clothing at the entry points (aerosol or pump sprays are best for this), not just on your skin. Caution: This may discolor some clothing, so if you care about looking chic, you may want to change clothes. Our favorite repellent after years of testing is 3M Ultrathon; it stays on longer when you’re hot and sweaty than anything else we’ve ever tried. Sad to say, none of the “natural” (non-Deet) products we’ve tried seem to actually work. If you choose not to use a DEET-based repellent, be extra careful with protective clothing.
3) Leave Ticks Out. If you can do so without getting arrested, disrobe outside your house or your tent when returning from an outdoor adventure, to avoid bringing ticks in with you. Put your potentially-ticky clothing in a plastic bag (perhaps with a spritz of insecticide) and seal it until you can wash it. Some experts recommend putting your clothes in the drier on high heat for 30 minutes to desiccate and kill any hitchhiking ticks before washing–just be careful that no ticks drop off before you get the clothes in the dryer.
4) Check yourself carefully at the end of any outdoor adventure (even a stroll across your lawn). It takes awhile for an embedded tick to transmit disease and a tick check should be as much a part of your daily routine as brushing your teeth before bed. If you don’t have a companion to help, carry a mirror to examine spots you can’t see easily. Remember the “National Geographic” videos with chimpanzees grooming each other? Yes, they’re removing ticks, lice, etc…feel free to make appropriate chimp noises while helping someone do their tick check.
5) Carefully remove any ticks you find by pulling gently with tweezers or using any one of the myriad tick pullers on the market. We’ve had excellent results with the Ticked Off; it puts pressure on the skin and allows you to push the tick up and out. Killing ticks can be difficult; they’re remarkably well armored. Best bets are to flush them, or, if you are regularly in tick territory, to carry a little bottle with rubbing alcohol in it…just drop the ticks in, put the cover back on, you’re done.
6) If all else fails, and a tick attaches, don’t panic; it takes 24 hours for any disease to be released into you. After you remove the tick, take a pen, draw a circle around the bite, and monitor it for changes. See your doctor immediately as a precaution, but especially if you develop any disease symptoms like swelling, fever, a rash, etc.
Tick-Proof Clothing To Keep Ticks Away.
Any clothing makes an effective tick barrier, especially if used in conjunction with a DEET-based repellent. Ticks can’t bite through clothes, they must get directly onto your skin.
Insect Shield clothing from a number of manufacturers has Permethrin bonded into the fabric, and is EPA-approved. It appears to work extremely well against ticks, mosquitoes and blackflies. We’ve been testing it for a couple of years now in pants and shirts from Ex Officio,plus low gaiters and hats from Outdoor Research , and we recommend it highly. It’s rated to be effective for 70 washings; unless you’re detail oriented enough to count, plan on a couple of seasons of effectiveness for moderate use.
We’ve also been testing some ultra lightweight, ultra breathable, snug-fitting long underwear called “RYNOSKINS ” which were developed for the military in hot, humid, bug-infested environments. These also keep blackflies, chiggers, and no-see-ums at bay, but don’t protect against mosquitoes. So far, Rynoskins appear to work very, very well. It’s comfortable to wear (except in real heat and humidity when nothing is comfortable) and we haven’t had a tick (or blackfly) penetrate the defense yet. This stuff fits quite snugly, ticks can’t bite through it and can’t crawl under it to reach the succulent flesh (that would be you and me) beneath.
If you are traveling where there are ticks and blackflies and mosquitoes, a full mesh suit like the ones from Bug Baffler are a great shoice–and they are now making a light-colored version which makes it easier to spot ticks. The full suits from The Original Bug Shirt Company are more durable and also excellent, though they are hotter in warm weather.
Ticks and Color: Does Choosing The Right Color Help Keep Ticks Away?
On a recent kayak camping trip to what turned out to be a tick-infested island, one of us had a yellow tent and found several ticks crawling on it; another had a green tent and found no ticks on it. Both tents were set up only a couple of feet apart, both in the middle of a weedy opening with the river on one side, dense honeysuckle on the other three sides. Tick heaven, apparently.
One of us has a yellow rain jacket and found several ticks on it while the other had a green rain jacket and found none.
Now it may be that the ticks were simply easier to spot on the brighter yellow, but we don’t think so–we both checked the green very carefully. Obviously, more observation is needed. The interesting fact here is that ticks are blind and can’t see color. But it may be that they are still able to sense and are attracted to one color over another (maybe the way a certain color absorbs and radiates heat?). If you have found ticks attracted to one color over another, please send an email or leave a comment below (several people already have) and tell us of your experience.
Perhaps the most useful takeaway on this one is that paying attention to details like this makes it that much more likely you’ll notice the ticks before they latch onto YOU!
Stay Vigilant To Keep Ticks Away!
Sad to say, ticks are out there lurking by the billions, just waiting for a chance to hitch a free ride and a meal, perhaps leaving you a little “gift” of a lifetime debilitating illness. Don’t let that stop you from going outdoors, but do stay vigilant and take simple, basic precautions to avoid problems.
For more information on ticks and Lyme Disease go to www.tickinfo.com and the Lyme Disease Foundation.
Do you know any natural remedies for ticks? We used 29% DEET and my dad still found 3 ticks on him. So, now I’m not so sure of bug sprays that say they keep away ticks.
Andrea,
Thanks for writing. DEET is still an important component of keeping yourself tick-free, but some of its effectiveness will depend on how you use it. First, remember that ticks wait on tall grass and weeds or low brush, hitch a ride on any mammal passing, and crawl UP until they find a place to settle. So DEET applied around your ankles, hands/wrists and neck is important. Better yet is follow a three-step tick barrier program. First, put a DEET-based repellent on your ankles, wrists and neck—anywhere ticks can get access to your skin. Then, create a clothing barrier by tucking your pants cuffs into your socks and closing the cuffs on your long sleeve shirt. Finally, spray a DEET-based repellent directly on your clothing where it will maintain it’s effectiveness longer than it will on your skin (where it can sweat off.)
We’ve had very good luck with Insect Shield clothing keeping off ticks (and mosquitos and blackflies). The only complaint we’ve had is that all the socks are either too heavy for summer wear or are made of cotton and not appropriate for hiking.
In all our testing, we’ve only found one consistent fact about “natural” repellents. None of them we’ve tried have worked. They either don’t work at all or need to be reapplied constantly.
Just painted two concrete benches sunshine yellow to place on our patio and within an hour, killed 6 ticks. Have never found ticks on the concrete benches, concrete patio, or anywhere in the yard in the past 20 years. Definitely, there is a draw to the bright color!
Rita,
Thanks for the observation. The whole thing is puzzling because ticks are completely blind. Still it makes you wonder . . .
I think maybe it gas something to do with the fact of ticks liking less hot places and lighter colors don’t attract as much heat as darker colors?
I went hiking through a nature preserve with family this Thanksgiving weekend. I found a tick on my shoulder the next morning. I’ve been walking my dog for years and only one other time had a tick attach to me. I was wearing a bright yellow jacket! Next day we went for another hike and sure enough another tick was crawling up my sleeve. No one else found any ticks on them. That’s when I thought that the yellow jacket was the culprit. After thoroughly checking it I turned it inside out. It’s reversible.
Deanna, thanks for sharing. The fact remains that ticks are blind and can’t see color, but the number of anecdotes like yours indicates that there may be some “attraction” we don’t yet understand. Please let us know if you have more tick encounters . . .
Dark colors absorb heat and so they attract ticks but bright colors reflect heat is possible the ticks sense the heat being reflected.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/16051573/
I have white hair and forgot my hat. Just pulled two ticks out of my hair after 20 minutes walking the dogs at Tyndall AFB.
Thank you for posting this–very informative!
This may be crazy but I have never had a tick on me before but I recently colored my hair bright blonde (I have always been blonde but this is bright) I have had one tick latched on to my head and found one today crawling up the back of my ear. The other people I have been with both times have been dark haired people and didn’t have any ticks. Hmmmm starting to freak me out! Thoughts?
Kristen,
Ticks are blind, so, unlike some men, they aren’t specifically attracted to blondes. It may well just be coincidence. It may also be they are easier to see in your lighter hair. Or it may be something else that we don’t know about–we found ticks on yellow fabric, not on green, which sounds suspiciously similar. The world is full of unsolved mysteries. But good for you for spotting them. My advice: wear protective clothing and insect repellent whenever you are out and about.
Tim
I have to do a job at a house that is out in the woods, and there are ticks out there what kind of clothing do I have to use. I have 40% deet is that good?
Edgar,
Ticks latch on low and crawl up. Any clothing presents a barrier to ticks, they have to get to your skin to bite. Spray your ankles with DEET (40% is good, I typically use no more than 30%) tuck your pants cuffs into your socks and spray your socks. Wear a long sleeved shirt and spray DEET on the cuffs and at the neck opening.
Good luck with the job.
I’m working at a local farmers market and haven’t had a problem with ticks until today. We had four tents set up. There were two red and two yellow. I kept finding ticks on myself and my coworkers all day and couldn’t figure out where they were coming from. When we put the tents down the yellow ones were crawling with ticks. After reading this article I’m pretty convinced that ticks are attracted to yellow for whatever reason.
Thanks for the informative article 🙂
We have a bright yellow convertible. We have noticed tick-like insects covering it even when not near woods or nature at all, ie mall parking lot. They have six legs and fly so I’m not sure they’re ticks but they sure look like them. Do you know what they could be?
Dawn,
Thanks for visiting EasternSlopes.com and taking the time to write.
I’m not sure what’s attracted to your yellow car, but I can tell you for certain that they aren’t ticks. Ticks are arachnids (like spiders), and have 8 legs. They can’t fly. They wait on grass, weeds or brush for a passing host to latch on to.
Lots of flying insects (pollinators and the the predators that feed on them, for example) are attracted by yellow flowers. If you’re really curious, I’d suggest contacting the Ag Extension Service in your county. They may be able to help you identify your hitchhikers, but, again, they aren’t ticks.
Just today my friend and I went to lunch at a restaurant not close to woods or trees. After being in the restaurant for 1 1/2 hours we came out to my Pontiac Aztec covered in ticks. Yes it’s yellow. I had the same problems last year. I couldn’t figure out where the were coming from. Now I know. They are attracted to the color yellow. My grandson has blond hair and we found ticks on him around his ears. The other grandson has darker hair and we have found no ticks. I don’t think they are color blind. Watch the color yellow.
Kim,
Thanks for writing. Given the location you describe, I’m pretty certain that, whatever it was on your car, it probably wasn’t ticks, though they may have looked something like ticks. Lots of insects are attracted to yellow, but ticks aren’t insects, they can’t fly. Ticks crawl up on grass, weeds and brush to wait for a host to pass by and then latch on. While they might well crawl onto a tent in a field, you just aren’t going to find ticks in a parking lot.
By the way, ticks aren’t just color blind, they are blind, period, which is what makes the whole question of ticks and color so interesting.
So I have curly/textured hair like, really curly because i’m black(not trying to be rude) and i’m really afraid of ticks and getting Lyme disease because i’m really active. How would I be able to know if I have one? And how do I keep them off because, iv’e never found one in my hair… but I’ve found one on my arm, and behind my ear. So iv’e been getting really paranoid this year how do I stop It??? HELP!!! And my dog is a Chocolate Labradoodle so he’s curly to and has a lot of hair I found a GIANT swollen tick on him I did a flea and Tick treatment thing. But how do I keep them off?
Today I found a tick in my son’s room. He was actually the one to spot it, it was on his yellow construction toy crane. After my husband took care of it, we went to a fireworks display. I came home with my first tick bite on my hip and once I brushed my hair I found a second one not embedded in my skin. My husband and son had no ticks on them. I recently dyed my hair red. I was blonde for years and never found any ticks before. I found this page from trying to see if ticks liked red hair more. My guess is that it was a coincidence, but now the yellow toy has me wondering.
Jen,
Thanks for sharing. Yes, it’s probably all coincidence. The important takeaway here, however, is that you are more aware of ticks and the dangers they represent and are taking steps to keep yourself and your family safe. Have a fun summer!
My husband and I went hiking at a nature preserve this evening. He wore a neon yellow shirt and olive shorts, and I wore purple shirt and black shorts. We found 7 ticks on him, all on his upper body. We checked me thoroughly, and didn’t find a single one. I even went in the bathroom and shook my clothes out, because I was sure if he had that many, I must have some, too. Nada. Searching for “ticks and bright yellow” led me to your page!
FLushing them may not work – they attach to the sides and crawl back up – better to take the legs off first.
I went birding in Fremont Ohio with 4 others. They all had dark colors and dark hair. I have blond hair and had on I bright pink hoodie. When we got to a restaurant, I found 4 ticks on my neck and hairline area and 2 on my hoodie. So I’m guessing something to do with the bright colors
Bright yellow sheet curtains keep getting infested with ticks! The yellow with grey comforter and shams also attract these ticks!!
Yes!! ticks are way more attracted to my white dog than my black dog. I went walking with both dogs checked them both very well my white dog had over 10 ticks, my black dog had none. Also when walking my yellow neon jacket attracted a ton of ticks, but no one else got ticks! I do think that the Bright & light colors attract them.
what is your opinion of using essential oils instead of DEET to repel ticks?
Jillski,
In our experience Permethrin (synthetic pyrethoid) seems to repel ticks. We’ve never had one latch on while we were wearing Insectshield clothing. That’s the only thing I know of that works as well as DEET. In our experience, the “natural” insect repellents we’ve tested work only very poorly or for a very short time. With the diseases that ticks carry, why take a chance?
A cohort study was done by Louise S and Johan B in 2005; confirmed that not only light clothing attracts ticks, even dark clothing attracts few as well.This is the area of interest to figure out other factors attracting ticks to humans, is it because of carbon dioxide emission?
I have discovered that my dog attracts ticks only on his white fur area. Every tick I have ever pulled out of him has been in the white areas.
My daughter has two dogs, one brown and the other pure white. They can see ticks jumping on the white dog while the brown dog isn’t even bothered. They have check the brown dog thoroughly and have not found any ticks. I believe they are attracted to anything that is bright in nature.
So glad I happened across this site! Thanks everyone for an informative discussion on ticks and the color yellow. Soon, I am leaving for a mission trip abroad to a rural site with possible fleas and ticks. Had I not read the various comments, that bright yellow jacket I had just stuffed in my backpack might still be there. I don’t think I’ll take any chances on attracting bugs even if it’s likely a coincidence. Thanks again!
I was wakened this morning by a tick crawling in my neck. I had not been outside for more than 36 hours and then not in the foliage around my house. How can this be? Is there a repellent that can be used around the house to create a safe zone?
Conducting wildlife surveys and left my black pants, pink shirt and light brown cap on top of a white bed sheet (not the bed I was sleeping in). Guess where I found all the ticks in the morning?? On the light brown cap!
My son went to a nature center last Thursday with two friends. The next day he notices a small rash near his ankle and two bites on his leg. We went to the dr. Said it could be a bug bite or poison oak. Was hard to tell because he scratched it. Dr. Checked his legs a but nothing else. Two days later. He finds a tick attached to his other leg. Took him to the hospital (as it was midnight and no dr. Open). They removed the tick and are sending it out for testing. They checked my son did a body scan. Found no more ticks on him.
One of the other people with him also had a tick on her.
Today 5 days later (for the first time since being at the nature center) he went in his car. Vacuumed it out and then drove it for a little while and found a tick in the backseat.
It’s been hot out and the car windows have been closed 5 days. Not his tick was still alive. days
How can we make sure there are no more live ticks in his car or any carried into my house. I’ve been vaccumming every day.
Lorraine,
Ticks are the new reality and they are only getting worse.
It’s more than a little disconcerting to discover that a tick survived 5 days in a closed car in summer since desiccation (drying out) is the leading cause of mortality in among ticks (mostly nymphs and juveniles, adults are apparently hardier). In fact, one of the recommendations we’ve often heard is to take off your clothes outside your home and immediately throw them into a hot clothes dryer to kill any tick hiding in them. I suppose you could spraying the interior of the car with a household insecticide following all the product cautions, of course.
Your best defense is to not get ticks on you in the first place. Wear long pants tucked into socks and a long-sleeved shirt tucked into your pants (ticks attach and crawl up). Insect Shield or other permethrin-treated clothing represents an additional layer of protection that we highly recommend. Spray a DEET insect repellent on your ankles, wrist cuffs and neck opening. Then, still shower and do a tick check whenever you’ve been outdoors.
Hi.I live in Bali Indonesia and have 5 dogs,i also have noticed that the 2 cream couloured dogs always get far more ticks than the brown and black coloured dogs.I have had tick infestations in my home,but noticed that the ticks like to hide on white walles and hide in a cream coloured bath robe that was hanging in a empty room where they could of went anywhere but choose the creame robe.Hoopfully this is some helpful information.
Thanks
Annette
Hello, in Tekameh, Nebraska, USA, 6 of us were hiking. Ticks were found on 2 of our hikers and all of the ticks we found were on teal colored clothing.
Interesting replies. Note to those bitten by wood, deer, & bear ticks. I am from west-central WI (I believe 2nd to Pennsylvania in most reported Lyme disease cases). 25+ years ago I developed the common symptoms known for those with Lyme disease (donut rash, fever/cold shakes, severe head & jiont aches, etc.). Was treated, then healed. In January of 2016 I became very ill with symptoms including severe vertigo, but none of my symptoms from 25 years ago. Had blood test for Lyme at a doctor – came back negative. Was referred to another doctor by a friend. She ordered a more extensive blood test. The result? Positive for Western Strain Lyme, plus 6 co-infections. Treated with antibiotics & natural products. Lyme is nothing to caught at. Looking extra close for ticks now. Thankfully doing better this year.
The problem with long pants is that you cannot feel them as they climb up your leg whether on the outside or on the inside and are not aware of them until they get comfortable and burrow in. If you wear shorts you can feel them as they climb and remove them. I have been walking the dogs in the brush for years (no decades) and found this to be true.
Both times I found a tick buried in my skin I was wearing a light tan color—very similar in color to color of Eastern White Tail deer.
Thanks for info. I’m going hiking in France and they have tick problems there too!
Also, I adopted a black poodle from a shelter in phx and didn’t realize he was covered in ticks. The things infested my house and we’re very difficult to get rid of. I spread diotamaceous earth everywhere and that helped dry them up. It was a nightmare.
Four of us went hiking in montana. My sister was wearing bright red and had 3 ticks on her. Us other 3 were wearing dark jeans and had none. Coincidence? Maybe.