Straight answers
These are the questions friends, neighbours and readers send us most. Each answer is short and points you to the track with more detail. Health questions about your own situation belong with your doctor or vet. We're here to get you oriented fast.
Pick a Track
No. Ticks climb grass and low plants and wait with their front legs out, called questing. They grab on as you brush past and then crawl upward. More in Know Your Ticks.
Most ticks dry out indoors, but the brown dog tick can live and breed inside homes and kennels. Keep pets on preventives and call a pest professional if you keep finding ticks indoors.
An allergy to a sugar found in red meat and some other mammal products. In the United States it is mainly linked to Lone Star tick bites. Reactions are often delayed by hours after eating.
As soon as you find it. Lyme bacteria usually need the tick to be attached for more than a day to be transmitted, so prompt removal lowers risk.
Use fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick close to the skin and pull upward with steady, even pressure without twisting. Then clean the bite and your hands. Full steps in Checks & Removal.
Testing a tick can tell you what it carried, but not whether you were infected. Your symptoms and a doctor's assessment matter more. Keeping the tick or a photo still helps with identification.
No. Many people get an expanding red rash without a bull's-eye pattern, and some get no rash at all. Fever, fatigue, headache and aching joints can also be signs.
EPA-registered skin repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus, used as labelled. Permethrin is for clothing and gear, not skin.
No. Many dog products contain permethrin, which is highly toxic to cats. Only use products labelled for cats and ask your vet. See Pets & Ticks.
Didn't find yours? Ping the crew.