Tick Bites to Worry About: What are the Symptoms?
You probably already know that some tick bites won’t hurt you, while others can cause life-changing health problems. This is because some, but not all, ticks in Eastern Massachusetts carry Lyme disease. In this article, you’ll learn about the symptoms of tick bites to worry about, and you’ll learn about the unique protection that Kinder Spray can provide. We are a locally owned, natural and organic pest control company specializing in eliminating dangerous, disease-carrying ticks from your property.
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Tick Bites to Worry About
First Thing’s First: Remove the Tick
When you notice a tick embedded in your skin, you should carefully remove it as quickly as possible. Check out these step-by-step instructions from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
- After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.
Source: CDC.gov
Next: Watch for Symptoms to Develop
70-80% of people infected with Lyme develop a circular, “bullseye” or “target”-shaped red rash.
Source: Center for Disease Control
Whether or not you develop a rash, take note if you begin to experience fever or chills, headache and neck stiffness, muscle aches, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and/or joint pain or swelling. Tick bites don’t always result in a rash; you may not even have realized that you got a tick bite! So if you notice these symptoms beginning to develop without a rash and without a tick bite, consult with your doctor about the possibility of Lyme disease.
What’s the Best Protection Against Worrisome Tick Bites?
You may think that you are most at risk for tick bites when out hiking or exploring in nature. But a recent Connecticut study shows otherwise. According to an article from New Hampshire Public Radio,
A study of Lyme infection in Connecticut found that nearly half the offending tick bites happened while the victim was playing outside, making children the group most at risk for Lyme disease. Many others were doing yard work or gardening when the infection occurred. Hiking was a relatively infrequent contact activity, the study said. The danger is not in the woods so much as in your backyard.
That’s where we come in. Kinder Spray offers the best natural and organic protection from ticks. Regular applications of our kind-to-nature, deadly-to-ticks cedar oil spray and granular treatments will result in a tick-free yard, naturally! Your first consultation is free – so browse our services, and then contact us to schedule a consultation!
Sources for This Article:
6 Things to Know About Ticks and Lyme Disease – NHPR
Tick Removal – CDC