Tick repellent spray being applied to child. Deer tick habitat in background.

Preventing Tick Bites


Avoid Direct Contact with Ticks

  • Avoid wooded and grassy areas.
  • While hiking, stay near the center of trails.

Dress Appropriately and Use Tick Repellent

  • Cover skin with long pants and long sleeves.
  • Use clothing that have been pretreated with permethrin, or spray 0.5% permethrin on clothing.
  • Spray footwear with permethrin. 
  • Use repellant that contain at least 20% DEET, picaridin, or IR3535.
  • Shower right after coming home.
  • Check for ticks on body, gear, and pets.
  • Tumble dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks.

Finding and Removing Ticks

  • Shower right after coming home.
  • Check for ticks on body, gear, and pets.
  • Tumble dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks.

Tick Prevention for Pets

  • Purchase over the counter spot-on medication. 
  • Give once-a-month oral medications. 
  • Bathe pets in medicated shampoo about twice a week.
  • Tick collars can help prevent ticks from latching to the head or neck.
  • Sprays and powders are topical medications that can be applied to repel ticks.