During the summer months the handyman will work more outdoors. In the heat we tend to venture out into shaded areas where ticks laying wait to latch onto it’s victim. They seek vibrations, body odors, body heat, etc. They can also get into/onto clothing and use you as transportation where once at home can infect any of your family members as well as pets.
Avoid wooded areas where grasses are high, bushy areas, and leaves have accumulated.
Symptoms of Tick illnesses are:
- Fever/chills
- Aches and pains: joints, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.
- Rash
The deadliest of diseases is Lyme Disease. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme Disease is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) in the northeastern U.S. and upper Midwestern U.S. and the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) along the Pacific coast.
If you find a tick attached to your skin, there’s no need to panic. There are several tick removal devices on the market, but a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers will remove a tick quite effectively.
- 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, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.