When the good weather is there, you want to enjoy nature and long walks in the forest? Watch out for ticks! At the arrival of spring, these mites make their exit and are particularly numerous in natural environment and especially in forest. Caution is therefore required for those who wish to stretch their legs and take a breath of fresh air in nature because they are parasites that are difficult to fight and can transmit Lyme disease!
Invasion of ticks
At the arrival of spring, the nature takes again its rights, with in addition the assault of the ticks! These arthropods, part of the family of mites, particularly like to welcome its guests both animals and humans, by sucking the blood and can therefore on this occasion, transmit them all kinds of diseases including Lyme disease.
Ticks are found mostly in the forest in bushes, tall grass and shrubs. Their almost imperceptible bites particularly affect hikers and other nature lovers as well as their pet such as dogs.
In addition to wearing long and light clothing covering the arms and legs and the use of repellents or essential oils, there is a simple trick but at least very effective to guard against tick bites and prevent any risk to contract diseases they carry.
An amazing trick against ticks!
This very simple trick makes it possible to limit the spread of ticks and their bites as well as the risks of contamination associated with them. All you need is a lint roller with adhesive layers to put in your hiking backpack. You will see the number of ticks sticking to it by passing it regularly on your clothes during your hikes and other walks.
You can also pre-emptively apply essential oils - diluted in a carrier oil - such as lavender, lemon, mint and eucalyptus essential oil directly on the skin or on the clothes you are wearing. These will also act effectively as repellents.
Get rid of ticks
The more a tick remains attached to the body, the greater the risk of contamination. A tick can potentially become dangerous after twenty hours of fixation, hence the importance of getting rid of it as soon as possible!
It is advisable to use a pair of tweezers or a pull-ticks and to seize the parasite as close as possible to the skin to remove it delicately taking care to pull up without pinching the tick which could dismember and thus to favor a contamination of the disease such as Lyme disease.
You can also apply a dab of liquid soap on a cotton swab that you dab directly on the tick that will detach from the skin after a few minutes.
Of course, it is necessary to disinfect well after the operation.
When it comes to pets such as dogs, the best method to use is to equip them with a pest control collar.
Lyme disease
Lyme disease, an infection caused by bacteria borrelia is transmitted directly by tick bites if they are carriers. In some cases, it does not cause any apparent or significant symptoms. However, it can be detected following the onset of fever, headache, fatigue and a characteristic rash called erythema migrans.
Untreated Lyme disease can cause a few weeks or months after the tick bite, rashes, joint problems, neurological and more rarely, heart problems.
When it is quickly detected, the disease can be easily treated with antibiotic treatment. In the case of the most severe cases, intravenous antibiotic treatment is recommended in this case.