Buzz
As tick numbers rise (thanks to climate change) and tick-borne illnesses like Lyme spread further, regular tick checks have become a norm for many. But do you truly understand what it means to 'check for ticks'? It's likely you're overlooking key steps in the process.
Understand the Right Time for a Tick Check
Are ticks present in your area? Even if it hasn’t crossed your mind before, consult these U.S. tick maps from the CDC to determine if ticks are a concern in your region and which species are most prevalent. While dog ticks are found everywhere, other species are concentrated in the eastern U.S., with the Rocky Mountain ticks and western black-legged ticks located further west.
Ticks are commonly found in grassy, brush-filled, and wooded environments, as the CDC highlights. Growing up in Pennsylvania, I always associated ticks with wooded areas and farm fields. But as time passed, I realized ticks can also be in my own backyard, as well as in parks and other places that defy the stereotypical image I once had.
After spending time near tall grass, leaf piles, woods, or brush—basically, anywhere outdoors during the summer—I make it a point to check myself for ticks. And don’t forget to do the same for your kids!
Never skip your shower.
For those who prefer a morning shower, here's a heads-up: if you’ve been outdoors, it's a good idea to shower before heading to bed. According to the CDC, washing within two hours of being outside can lower your chances of contracting Lyme disease.
Ticks tend to wander around for a while before settling to attach, meaning there's a good chance that any loose ticks will be washed off during your shower—whether you spot them or not. Plus, a shower gives you a chance to rinse off the oils from poison ivy before they cause a rash. After a trail run, a shower is an essential part of my routine.
One great advantage of taking a shower when you get home is that it provides a perfect opportunity to get undressed—and that’s when you can perform a thorough tick check.
To ensure you don’t miss any spots, use a mirror or ask a partner to help check the areas that are hardest to see.
I always start by inspecting my lower legs. Ticks tend to stay close to the ground as they wait for someone to pass by, so you won’t find them hanging out in trees or dropping down from above—that’s a myth. Instead, they wait on the ground, climb up grass stalks, and if they don’t find a victim, they’ll go back down to the ground to rehydrate.
Because of this behavior, your lower legs are usually the first place they’ll make contact. So, if you’ve just returned from a hike, check your ankles, shins, and knees first.
However, over the next few hours, ticks will gradually move upward. It’s not unusual to find them on your upper body or even in your hair. Make sure to check those harder-to-see areas, which I’ll list from bottom to top:
Behind your knees
Between your legs (a mirror comes in handy for this one...sorry)
Inside your belly button
In your armpits
Behind your ears
In your hair
A mirror or a helpful partner can be a lifesaver when checking those tricky-to-reach spots. If you have children, be sure to check them as you help them get ready for a shower or change their diaper.
Understand what you're looking for
Research the types of ticks found in your area so you can familiarize yourself with their size and appearance. Ticks grow throughout their life cycle, with the smallest being roughly the size of a poppy seed. Adult ticks can range from the size of a sesame seed to a corn kernel, depending on the species and whether they’ve fed.
Before ticks attach, they crawl around, and it’s easy to confuse them with other small bugs (and vice versa). Many tiny bugs you find outdoors are not ticks. To identify a tick, check its number of legs—ticks are arachnids, so they have eight legs.
During your check, you might discover an attached tick, or if you're unlucky, it may appear the following day after you should've completed your check. An attached tick doesn't cause pain. You might notice a small scab or mole that wasn't there before, and upon closer inspection, you'll find it has legs. Gross, right? Grab your tick tweezers or your trusty tick removal tool. (I personally recommend the TickKey.)
Once a tick finishes feeding, it will detach. If you have a pet dog and aren't diligent with their flea and tick medication, you might find a gray or green corn kernel-looking object in your dog's bed. That’s a tick. A tick that's not attached to you generally doesn't pose a health threat if you spot it indoors; it will probably dry out and die. However, to be cautious, you can wash any clothes or bedding in hot water and/or dry them on high heat. To avoid this in the future, ensure your pet stays on tick prevention medication and perform tick checks on everyone when you return home.
