Deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) is a hard-bodied tick found in much of the eastern half of North America and at Scarlett Mithcell Woods. It is also sometimes known as the black-legged tick or bear tick in some parts of the US.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread through the bite of infected deer ticks. Lyme disease cases in Michigan have jumped 168% over the last five years. Early symptoms may include a characteristic bullseye rash, fever, fatigue, and headache. If left untreated, Lyme disease can progress to affect the joints, heart, and nervous system.
Check your body for ticks after being outdoors. Conduct a full body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, including your own backyard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Check these parts of your body and your child’s body for ticks:
- Under the arms
- In and around the ears
- Inside belly button
- Back of the knees
- In and around the hair
- Between the legs
- Around the waist
To safely remove a tick, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull upward with steady, even pressure. Avoid squeezing, twisting, or jerking the tick, as this can cause its mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin. After removal, clean your hands and the bite area with soap and water or rubbing alcohol.
Dispose of the live tick by taking one of these steps: place it in a sealed container; wrap it tightly in tape; flush it down the toilet; or put it in alcohol. Do not crush the tick with your fingers.
Chiggers (Trombiculidae) are of the mite family and are called harvest mites in Britain but also known as berry bugs, bush-mites, red bugs or scrub-itch mites. Several species of chiggers in their lava stage bite their animal or human hosts and by embedding their mouthparts into the skin cause “intense irritation”, usually with severe itching and dermatitis. I’ve had chigger bites from Scarlett Mithcell Woods
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