Ticks

Ticks are more than just a nuisance. They carry major disease organisms including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease and Erlichiosis, affecting people, pets, farm animals and wildlife.

Symptoms of tick-borne troubles may include: fever, headache, joint pain, stiff neck, rash and a lesion around the bite.

While you can't totally protect yourself, you can reduce your risk of exposure with these precautions when walking in the woods:

• Wear light-colored clothing so you can see any ticks
• Stay near the center of trails and avoid shrubs and tall grass
• Tuck your pant legs into socks or boots. Wear a long sleeved shirt tucked into your pants
• Use insect repellents on your skin and clothes. Read the labels first and follow directions
• Check yourself, family and pets frequently for ticks. Some ticks can be as small as a seasame seed
• If you discover a tick, grasp its mouth parts as close to the skin as possible with a fine tweezer and firmly pull back. Apply an antiseptic to the wound. Describe any symptoms of a tick bite to a doctor should they appear.

At home, keep weeds and shrubs around the house under-control. Tick problems increase when there is a heavy rodent population about, or you have pets that live outside most of the time.

Did you know: According to the Orlando Business Journal and a study conducted by The Hartz Mountain Corp, Florida fared poorly when it comes to the highest projected rates of flea and tick infestations in the United States. Boca Raton ranked No. 1 on the list; Fort Lauderdale was second, Tampa weighed in at fifth place, and Sarasota was seventh. Miami and Jacksonville came in 11th and 12th, respectively. The good news is that Lyme disease continues to be less of a problem in Florda than in northern areas of the US.