Don’t Let Ticks Sneak Up on You: Your Spring Prevention Guide
By Marina Tonial, MPH, CHES®
The first warm days feel like relief after winter — yard cleanup, walks, gardening, and kids finally playing outside again. But early spring is also when tick exposure quietly begins. You don’t have to be hiking deep in the woods; many bites happen right at home.
Ticks become active as soon as the ground thaws, which means April and May are some of the highest-risk months because people aren’t thinking about prevention yet.
The good news: tick-borne illnesses are largely preventable with a few consistent habits.
Where people actually encounter ticks
Most exposures don’t happen on trails — they happen close to home:
- Backyards
- Leaf piles and garden beds
- Edges of lawns and brush
- Dog walks
- Yard work and landscaping
Ticks wait on vegetation and grab onto clothing or pets as you pass by.
Why they matter
Ticks can carry bacteria and parasites that cause illness affecting the nervous system, joints, and heart if untreated. Early treatment is very effective, but symptoms are often mistaken for a mild viral illness.
Symptoms may appear 3–30 days after exposure:
- Fever or chills
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle or joint pain
- Rash (not always present)
If you feel flu-like symptoms after spending time outdoors, tell your healthcare provider about possible tick exposure — even if you never saw one.
Prevention that actually works
Before you go outside
- Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. Spending time outside walking your dog, camping, gardening, or hunting could bring you in close contact with ticks. Many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood.
- Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remain protective through several washings. Alternatively, you can buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
- Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA’s helpful search tool can help you find the product that best suits your needs. Always follow product instructions. Do not use products containing OLE or PMD on children under 3 years old. When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
While outside
- Stay toward the center of paths
- Avoid brushing against tall grass
- Sit on cleared surfaces rather than ground cover
When you come back inside (most important)
Do a tick check within 2 hours:
- Behind knees
- Groin and waistband
- Belly button
- Armpits
- Behind ears
- Hairline and scalp
- Children: neck and hair
Showering soon after outdoor activity helps remove ticks before they attach.
Don’t forget pets
Pets often bring ticks indoors without anyone noticing.
- Check pets daily
- Use veterinarian-recommended prevention products
- Brush pets before they settle on furniture or beds
What to do if you find a tick
- Use fine-tipped tweezers
- Grab close to the skin
- Pull straight upward (no twisting, burning, or oils)
- Wash the area with soap and water
- Monitor for symptoms over the next few weeks
Make your yard less attractive to ticks
Small landscaping changes reduce risk:
- Keep grass short
- Remove leaf litter
- Add a wood-chip or gravel border between lawn and woods
- Store firewood neatly and dry
- Keep play areas away from brush edges
The Bottom Line
Tick safety doesn’t mean avoiding the outdoors. It means creating a simple routine: protect, check, and remove. Once it becomes habit, prevention takes less than two minutes — and can prevent weeks of illness.
For more information about Ticks on Cape Cod, visit: Tick-borne Illness Information and Prevention – Barnstable County
