Tick Season Bites! How Bad Will It Be in 2022 in South Dakota?
As we all anxiously await the arrival of spring, yeah I know it's officially arrived according to the calendar, but let's be honest with each other, it really hasn't in terms of the temperature. These days it seems like weather that resembles spring doesn't really show up temp-wise, until mid-May and then it lasts for a cup of coffee if we're lucky.
Anyway, I digress. As we all sit around dreaming of when we can finally put out our patio furniture and start planning a myriad of other fun activities we can do outdoors during another South Dakota spring and summer season, I thought it might be helpful if someone checked on the status of tick season in the state for 2022.
You remember wood ticks right?
Those annoying and sometimes dangerous little pests that come out to play about this time every year and unfortunately hang around throughout the early fall.
Anyone that spends a fairly significant amount of time outdoors in wooded or grassy areas needs to be cognizant of ticks. These little bloodsuckers have a long history of feeding on deer, birds, rabbits, squirrels, and a variety of other rodents, along with your pets and you if you're not careful.
Ticks are more plentiful and active during years when there is a wet spring.
Fortunately for us, it's once again been rather dry so far around the Sioux Falls area this past winter and early spring, so maybe with any luck at all the tick population won't be that severe around here this year.
Although, the experts seem to disagree. The folks with Canadapetcare.com are predicting a rather severe tick season during the spring and summer of 2022 in the U.S.
2022 may prove to be tough for all regions across the USA, and it will be hard to get away from these blood-sucking parasites.
The Midwest region of the nation in particular is expected to see warmer temps this summer, making tick season last longer. That news bites! Literally!
Here in South Dakota, tick season typically begins in late April and lasts until October. The ticks that are most often seen in the Midwest tend to be Deer ticks, Rocky Mountain Wood ticks, Brown dog ticks, American dog ticks, and the Lone Star tick.
How can you protect yourself against ticks?
If you plan on spending any significant amount of time outdoors this spring and summer in areas that are prone to ticks, experts recommend you treat your clothing with products containing 0.5% permethrin.
Once you come inside, do a thorough check of your clothing to ensure you didn't bring any ticks with you indoors. It's also a very good idea that you place the clothing you were wearing in a dyer right away on high heat. That will help to kill any ticks you may have brought inside.
You should always take a shower right after coming inside from a wooded or grassy area whenever possible. Showering can help to wash off any ticks that haven't already decided to make you dinner. Make sure you do an extensive body check when showering.
Ticks like to make themselves at home under a person's arms, in and around your ears, inside your belly button, on the back of your knees, inside and around your hairline, between your legs, (yikes!), and around a person's waistline.
Don't forget to check your pets!
If you have a pet that spends a great deal of time outdoors during the spring and summer months, it is also a very good idea to do periodic checks of your pet's skin for ticks. Remove them immediately should you find any. You might also consider buying a special collar for your pet that also acts as a tick repellent.
Here's how the CDC recommends you safely remove ticks.
Bottom line, if you and your family plan on spending time outdoors this spring and summer, camping, hiking, attending outdoor sporting events, whatever the case may be, it's a very good idea to purchase tick repellents or insecticides that will help prevent ticks from getting on you. According to Womenshealthmag.com, here are 10 of the best you can buy.
Source: Canadapetcare.com/CDC/Women's Health Magazine
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