10 Tips to Prevent Ticks while Hiking

Top 10 Tips to prevent Ticks or “tick tacks” as our girls call them 😆
Last year I looked at a very informative live chat between @rozannapurcell and @ticktalkireland over on @thehikelife page all about Ticks, Lyme Disease and what to do if you found one on you or your pet.

Our Hiking Tick history with Kids

I previously had never come across a Tick in all my years of hiking, playing sports and outdoor activities and I wouldn’t have known what to do if I did. Fast forward a few months after watching the @ticktalkireland video and both our girls had a tick on their tummies, at the very same time 🤢.

Luckily we had our tick removers, froze the ticks in a zip lock bag, disinfected the area and watched out for all the signs of Lyme Disease. Thank God, they were both perfect and we have never come across one since 🙏

Pictures of the Ticks

Below I will share some tips and information, but to learn more follow @ticktalkireland

The picture above is the very place where the girls got the ticks, walking through the long grass, their tops must have lifted and the ticks latched onto their tummies.

What do Ticks look like?

Picture 2 above shows the Tick buried headfirst into our kid’s tummy 🤢🙈

What to use to remove Tick?

The Picture shows the Tick Removers and Repellent Spray that we use. We used the Tick removers to remove the ticks in our kid’s tummies and found them very effective.

The above picture shows #ourlittlehikers repellent bracelet. We find the bracelet very good and she loves wearing it.

How to Prevent Ticks on Humans while Hiking

1. Use a Repellent Spray. I spray all our hiking boots, bags and gear before a Hike.
2. When you can wear pants, tuck them into your socks and tuck your t-shirts into your pants too.
3. Try to avoid long grass if you can (although they can also be in short grass and woodland areas)
4. Try walking in the centre of the woodland paths
5. When possible, try to sit on your hiking bag, pad, blanket (shake it out afterwards) or a stone when having picnics.
6. Do a quick Tick Check before getting into the car to go home.
7. If you find a tick, don’t panic, use your tick remover (we keep ours in a zip lock bag in our 1st aid kit in our Hiking bag)
8. Remove the tick with the tick remover by getting close to the skin where the head is attached and smoothly pull in an upwards direction, then disinfectant the area and your hands.
9. Place the tick in a ziplock bag and write the name of the person, date and location on the bag and put it into your freezer when you get home. By putting the tick in a zip lock bag in the freezer it would help a lot if you start to develop any symptoms in the coming days like flu symptoms or sometimes not always a rash can appear or a bulls-eye rash. If this happens call your Doctor and they will do blood tests, test the frozen tick for any diseases like Lyme Disease and maybe give you antibiotics etc.
10. Get a shower when you’re home from your hike and do a better tick check. Make sure to check the following places

• • legs, ankles
  • behind the knees
  • around the waistline, bellybutton
  • armpits
  • Back of neck, hairline, inside and behind the ears.

Check your Dogs for Ticks

Also, be sure to check your animals too.
I’m no expert in Ticks, so to learn more or if you have any questions check out @ticktalkireland