Tick Season

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Ticks are nothing new to Ohio’s outdoors but getting infected with some of the diseases ticks can carry makes early detection a necessary precaution. 

Muskingum County OSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator Clifton Martin listed the different kinds of ticks as well as methods you can use to prevent getting bitten. 

“Many people are aware of the American Dog Tick, sometimes called The Wood Tick. We’re aware of The Deer Tick, sometimes we call that the Black Legged Tick as well. We have now the Asian Long Horn Tick, which continues to be an increasing problem on farms. We also see the Gulf Coast Tick and the Lone Star Tick. Probably the two for human health that we think the most about, would be the Dog Tick and the Deer Tick,” Martin said.

Today’s variety of tick species are causing problems in humans and livestock throughout the year. Diseases such as Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis and Alpha-gal Syndrome, which causes human allergies to red meat, can each be contracted from a single tick bite.  

“We have a couple of products that are pretty common now that we can use,” Martin said. “One active ingredient is called Permethrin. You can buy Permethrin treated clothing, you can also buy Permethrin that you can spray on clothing or other gear. Permethrin is a great option. Certainly we have a lot of other insect repellents. Picaridin is another active ingredient. There’s some oils that can be used.”

Martin recommends visually inspecting your skin for crawling ticks after spending time outdoors as well as keeping tweezers handy to remove them.