Residents beware: It's tick season in San Diego County

SAN DIEGO COUNTY – Residents may not be aware of it but in San Diego County there is a 'tick season.' It runs typically from November through May, when cooler, wetter weather makes the pests more active and more likely to crawl on humans or pets in order to bite and feed on blood.

Fortunately, residents who live in urban parts of the county are unlikely to run across ticks in their neighborhoods. And, there are simple steps that can be taken to protect a person when venturing into other neighborhoods, like wearing insect repellents, avoiding brushy areas, and wearing the right clothes.

Protecting one's self is important, because even though tick-borne illnesses are rare in San Diego County, ticks can carry and transmit potentially dangerous diseases including Lyme disease, tularemia (rabbit fever) and spotted-fever illnesses.

Ticks are tiny, parasitic relatives of spiders, scorpions, and mites that have hard, flat, external skeletons and feed on blood. They typically hang out in areas where there are wild animals that they can feed on. Those who live in rural areas or like to hike or venture out into canyons or backcountry areas, may find them.

Or, more to the point, they may find someone, or their pet. Ticks look for hosts by "questing" – crawling up stems of grass or perching on the edge of leaves, then extending their hook-like front legs so they can latch on and hitch a ride when a person or animal brushes by.

Here are some tips to help keep ticks away

• When hiking or walking in open space or canyon areas, stay on designated pathways. Choose wide trails and walk in the center. *Use insect repellent, preferably that contains DEET.
• Avoid grassy or brushy areas and do not handle wild rodents. Wear light-colored long-sleeved clothing. Tuck shirts into pants and pants into socks.
• Frequently check clothing, body, and companions for ticks.
• Leave pets at home or keep them on a leash. If they haven’t already been treated with a tick and flea regimen, use insecticide powders or sprays labeled for tick control.
• When coming back in from being outside, examine clothes, gear, and pets. Ticks can hitchhike into a home on clothes and pets, then attach themselves to a person later.

If one finds a tick attached to their body or their pet, they shouldn't panic, but carefully and immediately remove the insect.

Ticks burrow partway into the skin to feed. The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend removing ticks by grabbing them with tweezers as close to the insect’s head as possible and pulling out steadily and firmly.

For more information about ticks go to the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health's Tick Web page, www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/deh/pests/ticks.html, and the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Tick Web page, www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html.