You probably know that ticks are active and how to watch out for them: wear long-sleeve, tucked-in, light-color clothing. But ticks are sneaky. Here are some “fun” facts about ticks – if you could call them fun!
• Ticks don’t jump or fly- they cling onto vegetation with their back legs and reach out their front legs to crawl onto whatever person (or dog, or other animal) brushes by them.
• Ticks prefer warm areas of the body where the skin folds, like behind the knees and in the armpits. Ticks also tend to bite around the head and neck, especially in kids.
• Tick-borne diseases like Lyme have more than doubled over the last two decades!
• At least 17 human diseases are caused by ticks.
The best way to prevent tick-borne diseases is to avoid tick bites in the first place. Stay on the trail, wear your long sleeves tucked in, do tick checks, and use insect repellants if you’re venturing in the backcountry!
