If you work near tall grass or densely planted trees, take precautions against ticks.
Protect yourself by wearing a hat, long-sleeved shirt, lace-up shoes or boots, and long pants with the cuffs tucked into your socks. Spray your clothing with tick repellent and wear bright colors to make ticks easier to spot.
Look over your clothing frequently while gardening and give your body a thorough check when you’re done. Deer ticks are tiny and difficult to see, dog ticks are larger – about the size of a match head. Both like to dig in at the hairline or other wet spots, such as under the waistband.
If you get bitten, remove the tick right away — but don’t try to get it to retract with oil, salt, or a flame. Instead, use tweezers to grasp it as close to your skin as possible, then gently pull. Be careful not to squeeze the body, otherwise liquids could be released. Try to remove the tick with the mouthparts intact.
wash the bite with antibacterial soap and dab with iodine or hydrogen peroxide; healing can take weeks.
Store each tick you remove in a tightly closed jar. If you develop any signs of a tick-borne illness — headache, a dark ring around the bite, or other unusual symptoms — see a doctor right away.
Lyme disease and tick-borne diseases are highly treatable if caught early.
