By: Caitlyn Conibear & Elizabeth Hatcher

The start of long, hot days filled with endless swimming, hiking, gardening, and family outings is here; but along with all the fun comes some pesky and irritating insects that you want to avoid. Mosquitos and tick bites are mostly a nuisance but can transmit diseases in some instances. As long as families take the right precautions these insects should not be a threat to your summer fun.

Mosquitos and deer ticks can cause certain diseases. Deer ticks are small about the size of a sesame seed or smaller and can transmit Lyme Disease, a potentially serious bacterial infection that can cause fever, chills, headache, and fatigue as well as joint pain and weakness in the limbs. According to the New York State Department of Health, in tick-infested areas, your best protection is to avoid contact with soil, leaf litter, and vegetation. Ticks can be active any time the temperature is above freezing and infected deer ticks can be found throughout New York State. If you do find a tick, please contact your primary care doctor immediately. If antibiotics are given early, they can prevent you from developing Lyme Disease which can be quite dangerous if left untreated.

Take some extra steps to protect yourself from those unwanted bites and enjoy all your favorite outdoor activities.

For both ticks and mosquitos:

Experts would agree that DEET is the most effective repellent for both mosquitos and ticks. It is available in a variety of lotions and sprays but should be used with caution in children. Visit Treehugger.com for some DEET-free alternatives.

CDC Guidelines for using a repellent are as follows:

• Apply only to exposed skin or clothing, as directed on the product label. Do not apply to skin covered by clothing.
• Never use on cuts, wounds, or irritated skin.
• When using sprays, do not spray directly on the face—spray on the hands first and then apply to the face. Do not apply to eyes or mouth, and only sparingly around ears.
• Wash hands after application to avoid accidental exposure to eyes or ingestion.
• Children should not handle repellents. Instead, adults should apply it to their own hands first and then gently spread it on the child’s exposed skin. Avoid applying directly to children’s hands. After returning indoors, wash children’s treated skin and clothing with soap and water or give the child a bath.
• Use just enough to cover exposed skin or clothing. Heavy application and saturation are generally unnecessary for effectiveness. If biting insects do not respond to a thin film of repellent, apply a bit more.
• If you’ve purchased treated clothing, wash treated clothing before wearing it again. This precaution may vary with different products—be sure to check the label.

Other options to protect you and your family:

For mosquitos:

• Citronella candles are not enough according to Joseph Conlon, a technical advisor for AMCA, “in the amount and concentration that is put in via candles, it is not very effective.”
• Long pants and sleeves when possible.
• Use a fan. Because most mosquitos are weak fliers, they will have trouble navigating a decent breeze. Plus, this breeze will dissipate body odors and other scents that mosquitos are attracted to.
• Remove their habitat by draining or changing any standing water.
• Change any outdoor lights to the yellow “bug” lights.

For ticks:

• Wear light-colored clothing with a tight weave to spot ticks easily. Preferably as much coverage for body and feet as possible.
• Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails. Walk in the center of the trails. Avoid dense woods and bushy areas.
• Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls.
• Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening.
• Bathe or shower as soon as possible after going indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that may be on you.
• Do a final, full-body tick check at the end of the day (also check children and pets), and remove ticks promptly.

And if you do find a tick don’t panic!

Dr. Linden Hu, a professor of Medicine at Tufts University states the proper technique for tick removal includes the following:

• Use fine tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible.
• Pull backward gently but firmly, using an even, steady pressure. Do not jerk or twist.
• Do not squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick, since its bodily fluids may contain infection-causing organisms.
• After removing the tick, wash the skin and hands thoroughly with soap and water.
• If any mouth parts of the tick remain in the skin, these should be left alone; they will be expelled on their own. Attempts to remove these parts may result in significant skin trauma.

Alison Hinckley, a CDC epidemiologist specializing in Lyme disease, said several studies show that a tick “needs to be attached for 48 to 72 hours to even be able to transmit the infection to a person.”

Most importantly, contact your primary care doctor to see what next steps should be taken.