Ticks

tick

Ticks are blood-eating parasites that live and feed on birds, reptiles, and mammals including deer, humans, dogs, cats, horses, and rodents. Ticks break the skin of their host to feed on their blood. The structure of their mouthparts, which have backwards facing projections, makes them hard to remove. 

Ticks look for hosts by "questing," which means they crawl up stems of grass or perch on the edges of leaves on the ground with their front legs extended. Ticks do not jump or fly. When a potential host passes by, the ticks climb onto them. Ticks feed for a couple of hours to weeks, depending on the type of host and type of tick.

Ticks can carry and transmit vector-borne diseases such as tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. The Vector Control Program routinely collects, identifies, and tests ticks for these diseases. If tests come back positive, warning signs are posted to inform the public on how to avoid ticks and protect themselves and their pets from these diseases. 

Prevention

These personal protection measures will help lower exposure to ticks:

  • Stay on paths and trails
    • Ticks are found in grassy, brushy areas and on the plants that line trails
    • Keep pets on leash and on trail while hiking
    • Don't feed or touch wild animals
  • Dress protectively when outdoors
    • Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants
    • Wear light-colored clothing that shows ticks crawling on you
  • Use insect repellent
    • Use repellents containing DEET or Picaridin
    • Apply repellent to clothing and exposed skin; follow the directions carefully
  • Check yourself for ticks
    • After you are in a tick-infested area, examine yourself and your companions for ticks and remove them right away
    • Tick nymphs may be very small, about the size of a poppy seed

Tick Removal

If you find an attached tick, remove it right away.

  1. Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick with tweezers as close to your skin as possible.

  2. Pull the tick upward, using a firm, steady motion. Do not twist, squish, or burn an attached tick. This can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers.

  3. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

  4. Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container (if you want to save the tick for identification), wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet. 

  5. If you develop a rash or fever within several days to weeks after removing a tick, see your doctor.

 

Additional Information

CDC: After a Tick Bite

(VIDEO) CDC: How to Remove a Tick

Questions?

  (858) 694-2888

  vector@sdcounty.ca.gov