The sun is shining and the days are longer! And that means everyone is out enjoying the warm weather and sunshine – including ticks!

Ticks may spread serious diseases when some of their abdominal contents enter the host with a prolonged feed over 24 hrs. So make daily checks all over!

How to check for ticks: Do your check someplace private like the bathroom, and use a mirror or have a partner/parent help. Remember, ticks come in many sizes, with the smallest smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.

· Run your fingers through the scalp, feel for any bumps. Separate hair into sections using a wide-tooth comb and inspect the scalp.

· Check in and around the ears and neck. Be sure to lift long hair to check the neck, especially the nape.

· Inspect between your fingers and toes.

· The underarm area and behind the knees are tick favorites. Ticks love warm places and areas that provide some protection or cover, like skin folds or creases.

· Check in the belly button, around the waist and back. Even on flat open skin, ticks can attach.

· Check the pelvic and private areas and between the legs.

· Scan the entire body. A tick can sometimes resemble a mole.

· Check your pets

Removal

If a tick is crawling on your child, can be brushed off or pulls off the skin easily, it has not been attached and cannot have transmitted any disease. To remove an embedded tick, take the smallest tweezers you can find and slide the tips under the head, right against the skin, and grab the mouthparts (most of which will be under the skin). Pull very gently but steadily upward and outward – it may take 3 to 5 minutes to loosen the adhesive that cements the tick under the skin. Be patient! It's important to get the mouth parts out, so don't pull on the head or body (that just squeezes more "tick juice" into your child!).

Don't try to smother the tick with vaseline or burn it off as that may encouraged the tick to regurgitate more “tick juice” into the host.

If a deer tick has been attached and engorged for more than 36 hours, call your health care provider within 24 hours. Watch for rash, bruise or flue like symptoms. Save the tick in case your health care provider wants to inspect the tick.

Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in moist and humid environments, particularly in or near wooded or grassy areas. You may come into contact with ticks during outdoor activities around your home or when walking through vegetation such as ,mulch, leaf litter or shrubs. To avoid ticks, walk in the center of trails.

Use a repellent with DEET (on skin or clothing) or permethrin (on clothing and gear). Products containing permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear which can remain protective through several washings. Repellents containing 20% or more DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) can be applied to the skin, and they can protect up to several hours. Always follow product instructions! Parents should apply repellents to their children, taking care to avoid application to hands, eyes, and mouth.

Check your clothing and pets for ticks. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing and pets. Both should be examined carefully, and any ticks that are found should be removed. Placing clothes into a dryer on high heat effectively kills ticks.