It’s tick season in Illinois. Here’s how to avoid tick bites during your hike

Have you spotted any dark, grain-sized bugs on you or your pets in recent weeks, either after a muggy walk through the woods or a simple trip to the backyard? There’s a good chance it’s a tick.

The little devils are among the most efficient carriers of disease, attaching firmly to suck blood while oftentimes remaining unnoticed, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

But how do you prevent tick bites? And how do you safely remove them?

Here’s what we know.

When is tick season in Illinois?

Tick exposure can occur year-round, but ticks are most active during warmer months (April-September), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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What types of ticks live in Illinois?

Although at least 15 species of ticks live throughout the state, only the following are likely to be encountered by people, according to the IDPH:

• American dog tick: Also known as the wood tick, the adult tick will feed on humans and medium to large mammals, such as raccoons and dogs. Unfed males and females are reddish-brown and about 3/16-inch long. Fed females are grape-sized and have a large silver-colored spot behind the head, while fed males remain the same size and have fine silver lines on the back. Adults are most active in April, May and June and can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and possibly ehrlichiosis to humans.

• Lone star tick: These pin-sized ticks are primarily found in the southern half of Illinois and will feed on a variety of warm-blooded hosts, including humans. The adult female has a white spot in the middle of her back. The lone star tick is most active from April through the end of July and may transmit tularemia and ehrlichiosis to humans, as well as Rocky Mountain spotted fever in rare cases.

• Blacklegged (deer) tick: These ticks feed on a variety of hosts, including people, and are reddish-brown and about 1/8-inch long as adults. These ticks are found in wooded areas along trails, mostly in northern Illinois, and can transmit Lyme disease, babesiosis and possibly ehrlichiosis to humans. The larvae and nymphs are active in the spring and early summer, while adults may be active in both the spring and fall.

• Brown dog tick: This tick is found throughout most of the U.S. and can survive indoors, unlike other species. Dog ticks rarely bite people, and instead feed on dogs in kennels or homes with dogs. It may be found hiding in cracks, behind radiators, under rugs and furniture, and on draperies and walls. The adult is reddish-brown and about 1/8-inch long, and usually attaches around the ears or between the toes of a dog to feed. This tick is tropical in origin and does not survive Illinois winters outdoors. It is also not an important carrier of human disease.

• Winter tick: The winter tick feeds on large mammals like deer, cattle and horses and attaches to the host as a larva, remaining attached throughout its life. Consequently, this tick is rarely encountered by campers or hikers but may be found by hunters in large numbers on deer carcasses. Although the winter tick may carry diseases of large wild mammals, it is not known to transmit disease to humans.

How to prevent tick bites

Here’s how to make sure your property is unattractive to ticks:

• Keep your grass mowed and keep weeds cut. Because ticks are sensitive to dry conditions and do not thrive in short vegetation, they are rarely a problem in well-maintained lawns.

• Clean up items that attract rodents which can carry ticks, such as spilled birdseed, and hiding places like old wood piles.

• Insecticides for ticks can be applied to small areas of high weeds that cannot be mowed. Often, one or two applications per season will be adequate to control ticks in these areas.

• Free-roaming dogs and cats are much more likely to encounter ticks than those that are confined to the home or yard.

• Contact your veterinarian for information about an appropriate tick treatment if ticks are found on your pets.

• Remove the occasional tick found indoors by vacuuming, seal the vacuum bag and place it in the trash.

• Owners of kennels or homes infested with the brown dog tick may contact a professional pest control company for assistance.

Here’s how to keep yourself and your family safe from ticks while outdoors:

• Walk in the center of trails. Avoid wooded, bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.

• Wear light-colored clothing to make ticks easier to find. Tuck long pants into socks and boots.

• Apply an EPA-registered insect repellent containing 20% DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.

• Conduct full-body tick checks on family members every two to three hours. Also check any gear or pets taken on outings.

• To kill ticks after being outdoors, put clothes in the dryer on high for 10 minutes (or one hour for damp clothes).

• Bathe or shower within two hours after coming indoors.

• If you find a blacklegged tick on you that may have been attached for more than three days, seek medical attention to decide if you need an antibiotic to prevent Lyme disease.

Tick bite symptoms

Many tickborne diseases cause similar symptoms, according to the CDC. The most common of these include:

• Fever/chills: All tickborne diseases can cause fever.

• Aches and pains: Tickborne diseases can cause headache, fatigue and muscle aches. People with Lyme disease may also have joint pain.

• Rash: Lyme disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis and tularemia can cause distinctive rashes.

Tick paralysis is also thought to be caused by a toxin in the saliva of an attached tick. People with tick paralysis can experience weakness or paralysis that gradually moves up the body, but they typically regain movement within 24 hours of removing the tick.

Do all ticks carry disease?

Not all ticks carry disease, and not all bites will make you sick, according to the New York State Department of Health.

Do all ticks cause Lyme disease?

Not all ticks carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, and a bite does not always result in the development of Lyme disease, according to the IDPH. Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of an infected deer tick, also is known as the black-legged tick.

How to remove a tick

The IDPH recommends the following steps for safely removing a tick:

• If you find a tick attached to your skin, grasp it with tweezers as close to the skin as you can.

• Pull up on the tick with steady pressure. Do not squeeze.

• Wash the bite area and your hands with soap and water.

• Dispose of the tick by sticking it to a piece of tape and placing in the trash or by flushing the tick in the toilet.

Where to check for ticks

The IDPH recommends checking the following areas on yourself for ticks:

Where to check pets for ticks

The following areas on your pets should be checked for ticks, according to the IDPH:

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Do all ticks carry Lyme disease? What to know about bites, prevention, removal