As the weather warms up and more people start enjoying the outdoors, there is also a higher risk of encountering a tick. Finding a tick on your skin can naturally be shocking, but it is essential to remember the dos and don’ts to handle this situation correctly. As Long Island’s most trusted licensed tick control professionals since 1997, East End Tick Control® is here to share valuable information in the event that you do attract a tick.

What You Should Do

If you find a tick on you, your first reaction may be to panic, but do not! Instead, remove the tick carefully by grabbing it as close to your skin as possible with a pair of fine-tipped tweezers, explains CDC.gov. Then, slowly and steadily pull the tick out of your skin. After removing the tick from your skin, disinfect the bite site with rubbing alcohol and wash your hands with soap and water.

Identifying the tick is the next step to take. The main tick to be cautious of on the East End is the deer tick because it transmits Lyme disease. UpToDate.com describes the deer tick as brown ticks that are about the size of a poppy seed. If the tick that bit you has these characteristics, you should monitor your symptoms and decide if you need treatment.

The symptoms to look out for include fever, headache, muscle aches, and nausea, states WebMD.com. Also, we cannot forget the infamous bull’s-eye rash that can develop at the bite site. If you present these symptoms to your health care provider, they may prescribe you antibiotics if they suspect that you have Lyme disease.

What You Should Not Do

If you find a tick attached to your skin, do not delay removing it! This is because any of the bacteria that the tick carried takes around 36 hours to transmit into your body after it bites you, reports Health.Harvard.edu. Removing a tick as soon as possible can save you from contracting Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases.

It is understandable to be frightened when you discover a tick embedded in your skin, but do not move with too much haste. When you remove a tick, it is essential to not “squeeze, twist, or squash the tick,” reveals LymeDisease.org. Additionally, do not remove the tick with too much force. These actions can cause the tick to be torn apart, which can cause even more bacteria to spread on your skin.

East End Tick Control® Removes Ticks From Your Property

The tick extermination experts of East End Tick Control® believe that prevention is better than a cure, so we will remove any ticks that are on your property so you won’t have to remove them from your skin! Utilizing both traditional and organic products, we will eradicate your tick infestation and keep them from coming back with our granular tick control treatment. If ticks are becoming a danger to you and your loved ones, contact us today and we will do the rest. Southampton residents, please call (631) 287-9700. If you are closer to East Hampton, please call (631) 324-9700. And if you reside near Southold, please call (631) 765-9700.