Tick Bite Prevention: Essential Tips for Staying Safe

As tick season arrives, entomologist Larry Dapsis advises wearing long sleeves and pants, preferably light-colored clothing, to make ticks more visible. After spending time outdoors, check your body and clothes for ticks, and put suspected tick-carrying clothing in the dryer for 20 minutes to kill them. Bug sprays with DEET and treating clothing with permethrin are effective in preventing tick bites. If you find a tick, remove it with tweezers and consider testing it for potential pathogens using the TickReport service. For more information, visit the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension's website.