The Blue Hills is an amazing place to explore. But just as you bring water so you do not dehydrate when you hike, you also need to take precautions against contracting Lyme disease, which you can contract from ticks. Here are a few tips for avoiding ticks. And we encourage you to ‘go out and play… and check for ticks everyday!’
What can you do for personal protection?
- Check yourself daily for ticks. They can be as small as the period at the end of a sentence.
- When you go outside, wear long-sleeved, light-colored, shirts and long pants tucked into socks. This helps keep the ticks off you and makes them easier to spot.
- DEET can be used on your skin but only apply permethrin to clothing that doesn’t come in contact with the skin.
How can you maintain your property to reduce the risk of Lyme disease?
- Keep the grass cut short.
- Remove leaf litter and brush from around your home.
- Prune low-lying brush to let in more sunlight.
Photo: Long grass, like what you see here near the Old 95 section of Fowl Meadow, is the perfect playground for ticks, but it sure is pretty over there. Note the Route 93 interchange in the background!