Tick season is in full swing.

Avid fans of the great outdoors can fully enjoy all their favorite activities without fear if proper steps are taken to protect yourself.

Here are some tips:

* Use a suitable insect repellent.

* Check yourself, your children and your pets after spending time outdoors.

* To reduce risk on hikes, stay on trails. If you leave the path, wear long pants tucked into your socks.

* Light-colored clothing helps to detect the dark-colored tick provided the wearer inspects for ticks intermittently.

* If you find a tick, remove it right away. Self-examination is recommended after spending time outdoors, even if at a park or school.

* If an embedded tick is found, it should be removed with fine tweezers by grasping the head and pulling with steady, firm pressure. The tick should not be grabbed in the middle of its body because the gut contents may be expelled into the skin.

* The use of heat (lit match, cigarette, etc.) or petroleum jelly is not recommended to force the tick out. These methods will irritate the tick and may cause it to regurgitate its stomach contents into the individual, thereby increasing the possibility of infection.

* Keep grass short in yards to avoid ungroomed areas.

Information about ticks

Ticks are parasitic arthropods that feed on the blood of vertebrates, particularly mammals (including humans) but also birds, reptiles and amphibians. Many species of ticks can transmit pathogens between animals and to humans, including parasitic worms, viruses and bacteria.

The most important of the these in Pennsylvania are the bacteria that cause Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Black-legged tick larvae preferentially feed on small mammals such as mice and chipmunks and occasionally birds. Nymphs also feed on small mammals and birds, as well as a range of medium- and large-mammals like raccoons, deer and black bears.

Adult black-legged ticks feed on larger mammals with some preference for white-tailed deer. However, any stage is capable of feeding on humans, livestock and companion animals.

This tick is often called the “deer tick.” However, because deer have been historically considered the preferred host only during the adult stage, black-legged tick is the preferred common name.

Lyme disease

Black-legged ticks are best known as the vector of the pathogens that cause Lyme disease but have also been known to vector other pathogens.

Approximately 70-80 percent of people who contract Lyme disease develop a skin lesion after the bite of an infected tick. The lesion appears as a red macule or papule and expands to form a large round lesion over a period of days or weeks. The center of this lesion often tends to progressively clear, resulting in a “bulls-eye.” This symptom is generally accompanied with intermittent fatigue, fever, headache, a stiff neck, arthralgias or myalgias.

American dog ticks are the main vector of the pathogens that cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in Pennsylvania, which is less common than Lyme disease but a potentially more serious illness. American dog ticks are much larger than black-legged ticks and engorged female ticks may be the size of a grape.

Symptoms of RMSF include a fever and often a red, purple, or black rash, which develops on the wrists and ankles 2-4 days after the fever begins. Other early symptoms include headaches, and malaise, nausea, and vomiting, while later symptoms can include abdominal and joint pain, conjunctivitis, and forgetfulness.

If signs or symptoms of Lyme disease or other diseases manifest, seek immediate medical attention and alert your physician to the history of a tick bite.

Honeybee facts

A honeybee flies 15 miles per hour. All worker bees are female. The queen lays approximately 2,000 eggs per day during warm weather. Each worker bee will only produce 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey and 1/80th of a teaspoon of beeswax during her life.

“Growing Green” is contributed by Lehigh County Extension Office Staff and Master Gardeners. Information: Lehigh County Extension Office, 610-391-9840; Northampton County Extension Office, 610-813-6613.